Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Ray Brewer:

Scene at the Rio shows a winning poker hand is a lot of luck

It's a scene that has unfolded time and time again during television broadcasts of the World Series of Poker.

A player who is running short on chips desperately wagers everything he has, only to be called by another player who easily has him covered. He has one of those towers of chips everyone watching at home dreams of having — neatly stacked, full of colors and impossible for the amateur eye to count.

The two players flip over their cards and the short-stack is in clear trouble. He has an ace-three off-suit and is facing elimination against a pair of jacks. Five cards later, however, the short stack doubles up, catching an ace on the river (last card) to remain alive.

"Nice hand," the loser sarcastically says, repeating the famous bad-beat phrase to let the opponent know he got lucky.

Welcome to the Rio.

The 57-event World Series of Poker began last weekend, bringing thousands of gamblers to town with hopes of leaving as the next multi-million-dollar poker star. The above-mentioned hand unfolded Tuesday during event No. 6, the No-Limit Hold'em Shootout.

The 2,000-player-maximum tournament included several players who surely dream of becoming the next Joe Cada.

Cada, then 21 years old, bested 6,493 players in winning last year's Main Event and pocketing $8.5 million. He's in elite company and should have enough money to avoid getting a real job the rest of his life.

But Cada was lucky. Everyone who wins money gambling has luck. Poker, like every game in the casino, is a game of chance.

Some people surely will disagree, claiming the players with the most experience and knowledge will eventually outlast those who lack skill — you know, that guy who takes your money every week in a home game by consistently playing nine-two off suit.

The scene in the hallway during the tournament's 20-minute break included several people on their cell phones rehashing their hands. "Can you believe he got that card," one player said when describing his apparent bad luck. "He had one out."

One out is all it takes. And that one chance has helped the game grow in unprecedented popularity over the last seven years.

A beginner like you or me, or a player who calls the game his career, can walk away with a life-changing profit on any given day .

Now, that truly would be a nice hand.

No charge to watch

If you are looking for a cheap entertainment option this month, the World Series might be your safest bet.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board requires all gambling tournaments be open to the public, meaning there is no fee to be a spectator at the Rio.

However, there are a few rules: spectators must be 21 or older, no cameras with flashes and no interrupting the game.

Spectators were literally feet away from the outer tables during Tuesday's No-Limit Hold'em Shootout, with notables such as Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu in action. One table featured professionals Kathy Liebert and Chris Ferguson as the last two remaining players — the winner of each table advanced to Wednesday's second round.

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