'Dear Geno,' a member writes. 'I got into a terrible argument with a brother and friend of mine because of a play I made in a tournament. We were at the final table and two guys went all-in. I had a pair of pocket 10s and after hesitating, I called the bet. One of the guys turned out to have pocket jacks. My brother said I was stupid to call two all-in bets with just a pair of 10s. Did I do right or wrong?" Barry D., Smyrna, Ga.
I hope Barry wasn't damaged by the recent hurricane. As for his question to me, I can tell him he has nothing to be ashamed about for calling two all-in bets with pocket 10s.
There may be some professional players who will disagree with me. I admit that the second all-in bet would make me hesitate in calling such a wager. But not for long.
If such a bet had been made before the players reached the final table, I would have said maybe his brother and the friend were on the right track. But when a player makes the final table, he is in the money. He has proven his ability to play poker and stand up to the big boys. He has every right to act on his own instinct and fly the high seas, come hell or high water.
I did a recent study that was actually triggered by Barry's email. I looked at the final winning hands of the winners of the World Series of Poker. The WSOP started in 1971. Pay-offs at the WSOP, by the way, have ranged from as low as $30,000 in the early years of poker's biggest tournament to $10 million.
Texas Hold'em has long been referred to as the only poker game where any two cards can win. This is absolutely true.
From 1971 when Johnny Moss won the WSOP with a pair of pocket 6s to present, not one premium hand of aces or pocket kings was the winner.
Here is a breakdown of some of the winning hands:
1972, Amarillo Slim Preston won with k-j offsuit.
1973, my friend Walter 'Puggy' Pearson won the big prize with A-7 suited.
In 1974, Moss again won the WSOP with a pair of pocket 3s.
In 1975, Brian 'Sailor' Roberts won the WSOP with his pocket jacks.
Then in 1976 and 1977, Doyle Brunson really upset things when he converted 10-2 into the final winning hands to win the WSOP twice in a row.
Now I am not suggesting that poor hands win poker tournaments. What I am saying is that winning players can convert bad hands into good hands by the way they play the players. In all of the winning WSOP hands, the most powerful two cards were A-K suited. Players like Bill Smith with pocket 3s won the tournament in 1985, while Hal Fowler won the 1979 tournament with 7-6 offsuit and Stu Ungar won in 1980 with 5-4 suited. He followed that up a year later by willing the WSOP with A-9 suited.
Poker players develop their own playing styles and never need to apologize for the way they play a hand. It is just as easy to lose with pocket aces or kings as it is to win with 8-4 offsuit in the right circumstances.
Most of the chips you win, of course, will come with legitimate hands. But the most important ones are at the final table when you are facing a lone opponent who may or may not have you beat. I hope that answers Barry's question.
Having been in the rarefied zone of the final table on a few occasions, I know how intense things can become. It's probably the same way a Tom Brady or some other NFL quarterback feels when he is trying to make a pass in the final seconds of a game. There he is, alone, protected by a handful of teammates, while opposing tackles are coming at him from all directions. Keeping your head and doing the right thing in such a situation is critical. Sometimes you succeed, sometimes you fail -- but you never stop trying.
Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.
(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).