Blair Rodman vs. Barry Greenstein WPT

[restrikt]

So Barry, is it true that Negreanu is the biggest winner in the Big Game? =)

[ApeAttack]

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1. I didn't call the small pot with Ace high because Blair had been playing relatively tight (the two days I played with him), and he had been making continuation bets, except for this hand. When a good player checks the flop heads-up with the betting lead, it raises a red flag. I decided to give up the small pot, since I didn't have the luxury of seeing his hole cards.



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I did notice that Blair made continuation bets quite often. There was a hand with Jesse Jones where he also didn't make a continuation bet. It seemed very out of character.

Can someone please post the size of the pot and the size of Blair's river bet in this particular hand. I didn't record this episode and I am curious to see what odds Barry was getting.

Barry, would you have bet the river like Blair did on that particular hand? Made a continuation bet on the flop?

[illegit]

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1. I didn't call the small pot with Ace high because Blair had been playing relatively tight (the two days I played with him), and he had been making continuation bets, except for this hand. When a good player checks the flop heads-up with the betting lead, it raises a red flag.

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I thought this was likely your thought process, though I thought that since it WAS such a small pot, and you only had to call 1 river bet to get to a showdown on a board that was a relatively good one for your hand that you may have called. But, to your credit, the only other hand i remember from the episode where Blair took the lead preflop and checked in position was when he had flopped trip aces.

And while it's true that i had the luxury of seeing his cards, even if you were to explain the action to someone who hadn't seen his hole cards I think they'd find the fold to be somewhat strange.

Ape, if I remember correct it was somewhere between a 3/4 pot and full pot sized bet on the river.

[Lawman007]

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3. I don't hold up beer bottles because someone wants me to. I don't want kids to think that drinking is the correct way to celebrate. I don't drink and I have actually never had a beer. (I have had alcohol, but my profession does not mix well with it.) I didn't want to be a hypocrite. Mike Sexton said, "They're paying the bills." I said, "When they add money to the prize pool, I'll hold it up."

Barry

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Wow! How cool is that? I post a question and hear the answer right from the horse's mouth within hours.

Thanks for responding, Barry. I figured it was something like that. Although it looked odd, I respect you for standing up for your principles. Your comment about Budweiser not adding money to the prize pool is dead on, too.

[MicroBob]

I way respect Barry for standing by his principles on this.

I would hope that Mike would have said (or perhaps later DID say) something like, "That's fine Barry. We don't want you to do something that you're uncomfortable with."


There's almost no way that the players on the WPT should feel pressure to have to endorse one product or another.

Baseball and football players who endorse Budweiser or Coors Light or Pepsi or something do so on their own.
I don't think they do it for free just because the league or even their team has some sort of contract with them.

So, to that end, I'm not even sure that Barry should feel obligated to hold the beer even if budweiser really did add money to the prize-pool.


Thanks for sharing your insights on the tourney and on the endorsement thing Barry.

[jd2b2006]

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[ QUOTE ]
1. I didn't call the small pot with Ace high because Blair had been playing relatively tight (the two days I played with him), and he had been making continuation bets, except for this hand. When a good player checks the flop heads-up with the betting lead, it raises a red flag. I decided to give up the small pot, since I didn't have the luxury of seeing his hole cards.



[/ QUOTE ]

I did notice that Blair made continuation bets quite often. There was a hand with Jesse Jones where he also didn't make a continuation bet. It seemed very out of character.

Can someone please post the size of the pot and the size of Blair's river bet in this particular hand. I didn't record this episode and I am curious to see what odds Barry was getting.

Barry, would you have bet the river like Blair did on that particular hand? Made a continuation bet on the flop?

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I believe there was about 190,000 in the pot and Blair bet 100,000.

[ApeAttack]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
1. I didn't call the small pot with Ace high because Blair had been playing relatively tight (the two days I played with him), and he had been making continuation bets, except for this hand. When a good player checks the flop heads-up with the betting lead, it raises a red flag. I decided to give up the small pot, since I didn't have the luxury of seeing his hole cards.



[/ QUOTE ]

I did notice that Blair made continuation bets quite often. There was a hand with Jesse Jones where he also didn't make a continuation bet. It seemed very out of character.

Can someone please post the size of the pot and the size of Blair's river bet in this particular hand. I didn't record this episode and I am curious to see what odds Barry was getting.

Barry, would you have bet the river like Blair did on that particular hand? Made a continuation bet on the flop?

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I believe there was about 190,000 in the pot and Blair bet 100,000.

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These odds would make me want to call.

[BLdSWtTRs]

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2. I had raised every hand heads up on the button, and had raised when he limped on the button every time. A-10 suited was the best hand Blair had, and he had an in-between number of chips to raise and fold to an all-in. Why didn't anyone criticize Blair and Allen when, earlier, they went all-in against me with A-9? Answer: they won the pots.


Barry

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I would say there were a lot of mistakes at the final table, but because there were so many, I think analyzing 3 at one time is OK.

Overall, the players reacted to Barry's style extremely poorly. Barry didn't look capable of 3 bet bluffing preflop or postflop because he didn't have to. He was played back at so little, that he could be 90% sure that they had the goods.
Against Barry if I'm in the blinds and have an amount were I can get away from a 3 bet, I will reraise his button raise over 50% of the time. If I call his raise, I will c/r his continuation bet almost every single time. I will make him change his game or atleast get him out of his comfort zone before I stop raising him every single time.
Do you really think Barry is capable of playing for his whole stack on a bluff if he is outchipped or it would cripple him?

He had raised every hand on the button, but there is no excuse for going all in to win the 120k in chips. Going all in for 870k to win 120 k in chips is as stupid as it gets.

These tournament pros make mistakes that online cash game pros would never ever make. And once they get to the final table, they can't change gears from their normal weak tight style to a style that is optimal for final table play.

[drewjustdrew]

I doubt barry has one speed. Prepare to be trapped with your "counter" strategy. Poker is not automatic decisions.

[illegit]

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He had raised every hand on the button, but there is no excuse for going all in to win the 120k in chips. Going all in for 870k to win 120 k in chips is as stupid as it gets.


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Wrong, re-raising to 270K with the plan of folding to a 3-bet (getting 2-1 with a very strong hand heads up and far behind in chips) which was your suggested plan of action is much, MUCH stupider. ESPECIALLY if your opponent is world class, which in this case he was.

Shoving > Calling >>>>>> re-raising to 270K and planning to fold to a 3bet.