WSOP #6 - 1.5k NL and the Robert Williamson Angle Shot [06.30.2007]
So I played the $1500 NL today. I started off well and built the 3k starting chips up to 18,500. I lost them all in a big multi-way limped pot when I flopped trips. It checked around on the flop, and there was a bet and a raise in front that would commit me. I knew it was very likely that I was out-kicked there, and would normally have folded, but I had a flush draw to go with my trips which gave me enough equity to stick it in. Of course I was out-kicked, and the flush draw missed. GG.
A bunch of people have been asking me about the Robert Williamson angle-shot so here it is. I was not going to post this at first, and when I first told the story, I left his name out, but since then, Negreanu has named him, and I have been told by three separate �big name pros� that this was not a one of a kind occurrence.
The stakes are 1,000/2,000 Omaha Eight or Better in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E event. On the turn, I was out of small chips, so I put out a 25,000 chip and said bet. He called. In live split pot games, the bets are left in front of the players rather than pulled into the pot. This is done because so many pots are split, and it�s much easier if the players can just pull back the bets that are in front of them.
Anyway, on the river the board is 27J9J (in that order I think) with no flush or low possible. I point to the 25k chip in front of me and say bet. The dealer turns to Robert (so that I can�t hear her) and says check. Less than a second later, Robert taps the table indicating a check.
INSTANTLY, I say, �No. I said bet.� Three people at the table including Doyle Brunson and Bill Edler confirm they heard me say bet. Robert argues that he shouldn�t have to pay since he already checked. We call the floor over.
The floor man rules in my favor. It�s a bet. Robert can call, fold, or raise. While the floor man is talking (before his mind is officially made up), Robert exposes his hand (for the first time). He lies and says that he turned his cards over when he checked, before I said it was a bet, and claims he should not have to pay 2,000 to call because of that.
Robert obviously does not like this ruling, so he calls over Jack Effel. Robert tells the story (including his lie about when he flipped his hand over), and Jack rules that the dealer said check, therefore my action counts as a check.
Jack never asked me or even the dealer if the story was true, so I interrupt and tell him I have three problems with his ruling.
1) Robert is lying. He never exposed his cards until after the first floor man came over.
2) Even if he did expose his cards, it�s no penalty to him to decide whether or not to call or fold. A raise was obviously never considered, and the table can confirm that I originally said bet and am not angle-shooting trying to bluff now that I know his hand is weak.
3) I did nothing wrong, and should not be penalized.
Jack, who I now assume is friends with Robert doesn�t acknowledge my three points and basically just says, �The dealer said check. It stands as a check.�
For those of you that don�t play live poker, this ruling is obviously wrong. If you don�t want to take my word for it, take Negreanu�s word for it. He was watching it all go down and posted on his website about how shitty the situation was.
The craziest part is Robert had nothing but A9 for a pair of nines, and was willing to spend all that time lying to the floor men just to get a free showdown in an obvious fold situation.
For what it�s worth, I had a straight and it was good for the whole pot.
Also I want to give a shout out to John Kranyak (aka Craniac) and the bridge kids. Steve Weinsteen (Thorladen online) is one of the best bridge players of all time, although now he�s more of a poker player. He has been staking and teaching a bunch of bridge players how to play poker. They only started playing six months ago, and every single one of them is up a significant amount of money.
John Kranyak played the Friday $1,000 tournament at the Bellagio and chopped it heads up. That finished at about 9 am when he decided to head over to the Rio to play the $1,500 No Limit that started up at noon. He finished 4th for over $170,000. He was in great shape to win and IMO was easily the best player at the final table, but got unlucky in a couple of key pots including lose QQ vs KK when the blinds were super big.
More congratulations go out to William Jensen, formerly one of the best magic players in the world, who just finished second in the $2,000 limit event. He lost the bracelet heads up to a complete donkey that sucked out on him repeatedly (only way he could win).
That�s all I got for now. Next time I�ll write about Earl. Trust me� you will want to read about Earl.
� Justin Bonomo
