A HORSE with no name

by , Jun 30, 2008 | 11:56 am

Mike Matusow and Player X, who has a thick accent from somewhere and a bracelet in something. Click to zoom in.

After much hemming and hawing, I decided to give the $1,500 HORSE a try, what I called “baby” HORSE when discussing it with Andy Bloch in the halls of the Rio. (I think he played it too. What must it be like to bust out of the $50K HORSE and then enter the $1,500 version?)

I had technically “won” the seat already through the Full Tilt Poker Battle of the Blogger tournaments, but I suppose I could throw that money towards anything I wanted (like a new stove that the wife really, really wants). But speaking of decorum, that wouldn’t seem like the right thing to do. So play I did.

My table included five guys I had no clue about, Mike Matusow and Mysterious European WSOP Bracelet Winner (otherwise known henceforth as Player X). Dan has pictures so maybe he will add them to this post. Hint, Hint.

When Matusow walked up to the table, he started counting the fish. He couldn’t find any until I raised my hand.

“Yeah, you look pretty fishy,” he said. “Just kidding, My name’s Mike. Nice to meet you.”

As per most WSOP events, the structure was fast. Either you catch some hands quick to double up and get some play or you go home. For the first two levels I wasn’t really doing either. I think I knew it was going to be a rough day when I raised from the BB in O8 with A-2-3-4 to see a flop of K-4-3, a turn of 7 that made my nut low and a 4 on the river that gave me a complementary full house. Of course, I got quartered by one player’s kings full and Matusow’s A-2.

Meanwhile, Matusow continued chatting up Player X every minute of every hour (they don’t call him “The Mouth” for nothing) with tales of 50K HORSE. He had invested in Mike Wattel, who was the $124K bubble boy in the event.

“He really needed that money,” Matusow said, adding that he saw Wattel in the hall after his bust out and he looked like he wanted to die. Apparently, Wattel had a few stacks shorter than his on the bubble and played a hand he shouldn’t have involved in, according to Matusow.

As for me, I wanted my $1,500 back after I got crippled in Stud. Sarting with split aces, I made aces up on fifth and got check raised by a player who started with a 10 showing and had added a K and Q to his upcards. Not sure if he had a straight, I called him down to try to fill up. I did not and he showed rolled up 10s.

I busted shortly later in Stud/8 when I missed both a low and flush draw. Matusow took the high with two pair and another played got the low (Mr. kings full).


8 Comments to “A HORSE with no name”


  1. Kajagugu
    says:

    So glad to see TJ posting here finally. Sorry to hear about your lousy day TJ.


  2. donkey
    says:

    Good story, Johnny, you played aww-ite. They don’t call you Tus”ALOOSA” for nothing, man.


  3. DanM
    says:

    ***what I called “baby” HORSE when discussing it with Andy Bloch in the halls of the Rio***

    The My Little Pony of Poker?


  4. donkey
    says:

    Player X is Farzad Rouhani, he won event #10


  5. DanM
    says:

    Do you know where he is from by any chance?


  6. donkey
    says:

    Freddy is from MD, WSOP has him from Germantown, MD, but he registered under Gaithersburg, MD…originally from Iran.


  7. Tuscaloosa Johnny
    says:

    If I were a better player I could probably fold aces up on fifth…have to figure the guy puts me on at least that and since he check raised should have at least trips, right? Then again, I probably had odds to call down. Effing HORSE…


  8. Tom Schneider
    says:

    I feel bad for Mike Wattel too. Dan?…not so much.