TC Part 4

TC The Table Coach - Part IV

TC Goes To The WSOP

By "Lorinda"

In previous episodes we learned that TC thinks he is the best poker player in the world (despite being terrible). In a recent visit to the library, while looking for a book on luck, TC found a rarely-opened poker book. Opening this book gave him more than he bargained for when a grumpy figure, known as The Genie and also as Dave, became TC's tutor. The Genie and TC can only break their unwanted teacher/student relationship when TC reaches the final table of a tournament for real money.

In 24 hours TC learned a lot of elementary tournament strategy and appeared to have controlled his temper. This sudden and apparently inexplicable change prompted a mysterious backer called Brandon to sponsor TC to go to Las Vegas to try to win his entry to the World Series of Poker main event. The Genie expressed his displeasure at this, but would not say what the problem was.

As promised, TC's $5,000 bankroll and tickets were waiting for him at the airport, and he soon found himself on a flight to Vegas. Luckily for TC and Dave, the flight was not full, and they were able to get a double seat with little difficulty.

"So," began Dave, "did you think about when you would raise when you have no intention of seeing the flop?"

"That was an easy one," replied TC. "When I'm bluffing to steal the blinds."

"That would be one answer," conceded Dave, "but do you really think that would class as a cliff-hanger?"

"Well, why ask me a question with more than one answer?" asked TC.

"To show you that you should always consider every situation on its own merit," explained The Genie. "The next situation is far more complex than that."

"Try me," challenged TC in a manner that only someone who has no idea how out of his depth he is ever could.

"Okay." said Dave. "Now listen carefully and picture the situation."

"You are playing a ten-player single table event with a 50-30-20 pay structure. The blinds are 50-100. You are in the Big Blind with 2500 chips. Under the gun is a tight player with 3100 chips. Next to him is a hyper-aggressive player who picks on any sign of weakness. He has 2000 chips. The button is committed to folding and praying and has 400 chips. The small blind is one of those players who like to see a flop. He's been whining about the aggressive guy for some time now. He has 2000 chips. Under the gun folds, and hyper-aggressive guy makes it 200 to play. The button folds, and the small blind calls instantly. You look down at the 8 of hearts and the 3 of clubs. What do you do?"

TC stared into space for a few seconds. "This is a trick question, isn't it?" he asked. "Obviously I fold; there is no other play. Either that, or what you taught me two days ago was wrong."

"What happens if you raise to 400?" asked The Genie.

"Well, the aggressive guy goes all-in, and I lose 300 extra chips," observed TC. "Only a total idiot would do that," he concluded.

Dave nodded and sighed. "You don't have any wit at all, do you? You just repeat everything parrot fashion and learn nothing."

"I thought that's what I was supposed to do," admitted TC.

"Think through the scenario, this time without missing any steps at all," continued Dave.

TC thought hard. "I raise to 400. The aggressive guy calls?" he guessed.

"So the really aggressive guy just calls?" teased Dave. "I don't think so."

TC frowned. He was fed up with this silly game. "Tell me what happens then."

"You raise to 400. The aggressive guy goes all-in..."

"That's what I said," interrupted TC.

"...the short stack calls, and you fold," concluded Dave.

"So I lose 300 chips that I didn't need to lose? Very clever."

"You lose 300 chips, but you gain dollar value. Instead of it being 2400-3100-2300-400-1800 after the small blind folds on the flop, it's 2100-3100-0-400-4400, and you'll have to trust me that you're better off with only four players left."

"I still don't get it," sighed TC.

"Look at it another way," continued The Genie. "Would you admit that on the first hand of that same structure, if two people clash, and one goes out, then you would be willing to pay, if only a few chips, for it to happen,."

"Yes," agreed TC, "but only a few chips."

"Well, later on, you should be willing to pay more chips. In this rare instance, you are paying 300 chips to almost certainly eliminate a player. Of course, they can chop the pot, and you might get your read wrong, but these situations do occur, and raising is preferable to other plays as long as your reads are right a high percentage of the time," concluded The Genie, finally ending the torture.

"I understand now," lied TC. "What do you call that play?"

"I call it the action bluff," explained Dave. "It works even better with better hands, as it becomes the action semi-bluff. I'm not sure you're ready for that yet."

"Action Semi-Bluff," muttered TC, and fell asleep.

TC and Dave had decided that the best course of action was for TC to play five $1,000 satellites. TC strolled up to the desk in the Rio and demanded attention. "Put me in the next $1,000 satellite," he instructed. The kind man behind the desk showed him to his seat and asked him to wait. TC took a moment to look around the hall. It was enormous — over two hundred poker tables in one room. For a fleeting moment it made him almost feel insignificant.

"I'm here for the World Series," he informed another player at his table who was also waiting for the game to start. "I'm going to try to win it," he continued. "As long as I don't get beaten by an idiot, I should be fine..."

The other player nodded slowly. The words "and in a room this size too" barely formed themselves before vanishing into the torrent of TC's monologue.

A few hours later, TC found himself in his fifth satellite. He was $4,000 poorer after a slightly cold run of cards, and even worse, nobody seemed to listen to him. He didn't seem to get the usual attention when he told people how good he was. Of course, he knew that it was just because he was the outsider. They didn't want to let on that they were scared of him and would privately discuss how amazing he was later.

Five-handed in the fifth game and TC finally found a pair of kings in the big blind. This was it, the moment he had been waiting for.

The stacks were all relatively equal, apart from one short stack, and the Cutoff made it 350 to play. The small blind called. Suddenly TC had a moment of clarity. It was as if his whole poker career had waited for this moment. He raised it up to 700. Immediately the Cutoff raised all in for 2200 and the small blind called. TC looked at his remaining 1800 chips and cackled. In one swift motion he flipped his kings face up into the muck. "I action semi-bluffed you, you stupid idiots," he gloated. Now they would know how good he really was.

The Cutoff's JJ beat the small blind's QJ suited, and TC busted out a few hands later.

A disgusted-looking Genie greeted him. "This is what I was saying about wit," he sighed.

TC and Dave watched the first few days of the main event, as Dave listened to TC's whining about being taught the wrong method for the situation he was going to be facing. The highlight of the trip for TC was watching Pete (who had won his hometown satellite) busting out with AA. "He shouldn't have gotten involved with that hand at such an early stage" was TC's conclusion.

TC watched the penultimate day downtown and then declared he had had enough. Dave talked him into staying one more day so that he could watch the final.

TC couldn't face watching the final, with all that money being dished out, so he stayed in his hotel room. After just two hours Dave arrived and he had changed his mind. "The guy never did listen," Dave said. "Come on, TC, let's go home and get you to a final table."

As they boarded their flight, a figure at the airport was making a phone call.

"The guy who attempted an action bluff, yes, the old-fashioned action bluff, is on his way home now. It looks like we are dealing with an Elder..." was all that could be heard.

To Be Continued....

Lorinda