Page 10 - January 2007 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Jim Mercurio: Poker
IGetting it in Good
was recently playing in my second-ever $1,500 buy-in tournament at the Legends of Poker at the Bike. Well-known pro, Tim Phan, was at my table, so I was a little bit nervous. It was de nitely the “playing over my head” that I allow myself to do a couple times a year: my
taking my shot.
I ended up calling the bully chip leader’s all-in with pocket kings. And this time he happened to have aces. And to make things worse, after I called, another player called behind me with—guess
And if you never lay down kings pre- op at the lower levels too, you won’t really be making a mistake. Here’s why. It’s a concept called parity. Over the course
what—pocket kings also. Yep, I got all my money in with pocket kings and I was at least a 50:1 dog. Other than a tie or a miracle ush (for one of us), the board had to contain 9TJQ (and not give the AA a ush) for
the kings to win.
As we were walking
“This idea that you cannot be dependent upon the results for your happiness is probably something that I have adapted from working in the film business...You learn to take pride in what you do in the
of your poker life, you might nd all of your money in the middle with kings against aces ten times. But you know what? At the level you are most likely playing at, you are going to be the player with the aces against the kings another ten times too. So in the long run, you aren’t losing any equity.
at the card as it comes o the deck and I am saying to myself, “If a club comes, don’t react.” I am trying to look at it as just one hand of millions.
at’s why we have to not let bad beats get us down. We can go back and look at the hand to see if we made
any mistakes, but if we didn’t, then time to move on. When you “get it in good,” you are usually a 3:1 or 4:1 favorite. What does that mean? at means that
...Continued on page 28
away from the table, the
other guy with the kings
was grumbling and pissed
o . I was actually at
peace. I have laid down
kings once pre- op, but in this scenario I had a lot of evidence to suggest they were good and I don’t regret my play.
process itself, not in the result.” Lately, when I nd myself all-in and I
am ahead, I use the opportunity to practice indi erence. I try to put myself in that Zen-like calm where the actual outcome doesn’t matter. If I know a club will give him the winner, I look
Page 10
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
January 2007
Poker: Wired Aces and River Rats