Poker Night with Chris Moneymaker
I got to the poker room about 830p or so, and sat down to play 1-3 NL. I was up about $120 or so, and then I look over my shoulder and see Chris Moneymaker at the desk with several other guys. Shortly after that, they are seated at a table away from the main tables. However, there are three open seats still there. I asked the floor if it was a private table or not, and he said no. I thought what the hell and racked up, got $200 more chips and went and sat down. I took the 1 seat, and Chris was in the 2 seat. The other guys with him were business associates, all here for the gaming convention. From the start, Chris was nothing but very nice to me. He told me upfront that the guy in the 3 seat had never played before and he was going to help this guy when he wasn't in a hand. I didn't care, the others knew how to play and he was very honest and straightforward about it. I knew I had to play tight since Chris was on my immediate left and he was playing pretty loose since it was his last night in town (he lives in Memphis). One hand I had KQ in late position and I flopped a str8. I checked, the guy Chris was helping bet $25, the 3rd guy in the hand called, and I check-raised to $75. Third guy folds after the rookie called. The turn was some blank and he goes all in. I called. He had KQ as well and we chop. I could hear everything Chris was telling this guy, so I felt like I was getting free poker lessons from him LOL. Later on I had my favorite hand 8/7 and I raised to $25 on the button. Chris called me. The flop came Q-8-7. He bet $25, two other players called, I raised to $100 with bottom two pair, he called, and the other two folded so we're heads-up. The turn card is a 6 and we check. I have about $210 left at this point. The turn is a 10 putting a 4 card str8 out there. Chris bets me all in, and I say screw it and call. He had 7/6, so I dragged that pot from him. Later on I had KK and one of his partners in the 9 seat raised preflop to $15. I reraised to $40 and he called. We're heads up and the flop comes Q-x-x. He goes all in and I call. The turn is a J and the river is another blank. He had AK and I dragged about $800 or so. By this time word has gotten around that Chris was there and there was an insane list to play. I left to go for a cigarette and a guy offered me $100 to give up my seat. I laughed and said higher. I took a few other pots from him, and even pulled off a bluff against him when I was way behind. I had QJ and I limped in late position. Chris raised to $20 (he was usually raising in late position whenever there was no preflop raise). The flop comes 9/4/4. He bet $50 and I raised to $150. He folded, saying "He's got A9.". When he finally busted out, he and his friends left, and it was something like 4am. I left immediately after that, up $1400, and came home and typed this. God, I don't wanna go to work in 5 hrs but I had to write this while it was still fresh in my mind.
Chris is a very nice guy. He was drunk but he and his buddies were relaxing since the convention was over and he was flying home Thursday. Without exception he and his buddies are great sports, friendly, and Chris is a pro who does tip the dealers. They were very talkative and told us some REALLY good stories...I won't go into details, but I will say they have a very low opinion of Jamie Gold too (who doesn't?), and they did tell me why Johnny Chan REALLY was talking to and mentoring him during the WSOP.
Nice. I saw him playing 2/5NL at Caesars a few years ago, but I wasn't up for that game at the time. Its a good story when you play with a former WSOP champion. Its a great story when you do it and come out two buy-ins ahead. Thanks for posting.
Great post. I have to admit that every time I see Moneymaker on TV I yell "he's a bum", as my daughters well know, and it was based on the opinion that he seemed arrogant to the point of giving the vibe that he was "Mr. Poker".
Well, I finally got to watch the opening rounds of the WSOP for this year, we Canucks don't get it till later here, and have to say that my opinion has changed a bit. They did a bit of a story on him and he said some pretty good things, was humble, and didn't give the vibe I thought at all. Basically he's had a target on his back since he's won, and everyone has been pounding on him everytime he sits at a table, so he needs to have a thick skin with very little emotion.
The WSOP day 3 I watched saw him tussle with many at the table and he came out ahead a few times and lost a few times, but compared to the other pros that were "better" than him he made day 2. Like the post says, he was easy going, talkative at the table, and I have to admit he was humble and calm, even though one guy, before they even started, gave him a jab. Maybe his game has changed..
Still wish he would just admit that the horseshoe helped, but my opinion gives him the benefit now after seeing how little respect he gets..
Thanks for the great post. That would be a great thrill to play with any pro..
@joel1968
C'mon, dish the dirt! At least PM me with a little dust.
@Mrs. Lederer
C'mon, dish the dirt! At least PM me with a little dust.[/quote]No kidding, you can't drop something like that and leave it as a tease.
@Mrs. Lederer
C'mon, dish the dirt! At least PM me with a little dust.[/quote]
The truth must come out. It is a little known fact that Johnny Chan has vast amounts of money in blueberry farms. In fact he is the single largest shareholder in the majority of large blueberry outfits in the world. He lost a lot of money in oranges after his failed attempts to make the orange the popular good luck charm in poker. As a last ditch effort to save his ass he converted all orange groves into blueberry farms and cultivated Jamie Gold to win the title and make blueberry prices soar.
There, the truth is out. Sleep well.
@ilikecheese
C'mon, dish the dirt! At least PM me with a little dust.[/quote]
The truth must come out. It is a little known fact that Johnny Chan has vast amounts of money in blueberry farms. In fact he is the single largest shareholder in the majority of large blueberry outfits in the world. He lost a lot of money in oranges after his failed attempts to make the orange the popular good luck charm in poker. As a last ditch effort to save his ass he converted all orange groves into blueberry farms and cultivated Jamie Gold to win the title and make blueberry prices soar.
There, the truth is out. Sleep well.[/quote]Now that's funny. I really did LOL while reading it.
@ilikecheese
It would've made more sense for him to grow Yukon Gold potatoes and slap Jamie's face on every bag.
Ok, I'll make a deal with everyone...stake me into the next AVP tourney and I'll dish out all the good dirt...
great story
i would love sit down and play some cards with any WSOP Champ
how much did Gold pay Chan to "advise" him through his luckbox lottery win they call the the Main Event?
Nice read Joel, sounds like you're settling in nicely out there
Having also played with Chris Moneymake (and in the same 1-2 seat combo Joel did) I can attest to him being a very nice guy. He's ULTRA-aggressive at the table pre and post flop and loves to use his image to push people around. He is not afraid to raise, reraise, or shove with a gutshot. You've really got to be on your toes and play wisely when he's playing. When I played the 2/5 game with him, it was essentially a 2-5-20-80 game. I bought in for the max $1k and was 2nd shortest stack at the table. Loosey-goosey!
That is very true. Since Chris was on my immediate left, it played like a 2-5-10 game since he did straddle frequently, and usually raised when it got back to him unless someone raised the straddle, then he just called. The beauty of that (for me) was that I was fortunate to get some hands to play back with, and hit some nice flops too.