A couple of years ago, many on my website were asking questions about
NLH and small blinds. I don't play these games and was not up to
answering the questions in full earnest. I decided to spend a week
playing so I could relate and answer my customers. The nearest place
to play was an hour and 1/2 away with long waits at times. Too far for
old me today
I made a post on RGP and he found me.
The following is the result. Please realize the following. I wasn't
out to break this person on the hand (i could have easily).
This is also the last chapter in my book, though it has been edited
slightly and all spelling corrected.
Russ Georgiev------here it comes
_________________________________________
So about a week and a half ago, I was scanning through some old PaulP
Posts on RGP. I don't contribute to the site, and I only very
occasionally visit it. I was reading phillips posts 'cause I find the
man to be utterly hilarious. While I was at RGP, I desided to see what
was brewing with Russ G, what pot he had been stirring up. My first
exposure to RGP was to read about some scandal or another about Russ,
and I have to say that I've never really viewed poker the same from
those first posts I read. They were, shall we say, eye opening?
Anyway, I read his posts in the caro poem thread ( don't quit your day
job, mike) and then I read a post entitled "small stakes NL". Other
than the scandal posts, I loved Russ's Strat posts on RGP, and clicked
on the thread. Russ went into detail about a game with a very odd
blind and buy in structure that was very familar to me. It was 5-5 nl
with 10 to bring it in. 100-300 buy in, and if you bust, you can buy
in 500. He also stated that he was playing in wa****ngton state. This
hit me like a thunder bolt, as a local casino spread this game, and Wa
state has very few NL ( well, spread limit) games indeed. So I shot
Russ an email,( as i figured he didn't want me outing him to RGP as
playing at this casino) asking if this casino was indeed the one he
was playing at. He neither confirmed nor denied that it was in the
post, but said he would say something to me ( as I described myself
physically, I'm a rather unique looking guy, as I've very tall, very
broad and have a huge head) if he saw me at he casino.
So on thursday I headed out to the game. As far as I know, there is
only one pciture of Russ that is anything near current. And there was
only one man at the 5-5 game that came close to this picture, a non
descript looking bearded man wearking gl***** ( The only other option
was if russ had grown a giant beard, started wearing very dark sun
gl*****, and put on about 200 pounds.. which I considered till I saw
the man play, and instantly knew that it couldn't possibly be Russ).
So I was in the 1-2 game, and I went to get some coffee. The bearded
5-5 player stood up and said " you getting some for me?" I replied,
with a grin " You take cream or sugar'. He laughed, and gave me a
knowing smile, and said "Live.. and in person". It was such a wierd
moment for me. When I sat back down at the table, I literally had a
****ver up my spine. A famous ( and infamous) world class poker playr,
and world class cheat was actually playing at my local casino. I soon
moved to the 5-5 table. Perhaps it was questionably table selection,
as the 1-2 game certainly had no WCP's at it, but I had to watch Russ,
I had to watch him play. I've never had a chance to see a WCP up
close, and while his play is "dumbed down" for the structure of the
game, it was still a marvel to watch. Russ eventually moved to the
seat next to me, and starting telling me some fantastic stories, gave
me an amazing tip about how to fly for a fraction of the cost, and in
general was very, very personable.
What I noticed first about him was how very, very tight he played.
Extremely tight. I was only involved in one pot with him. I was on the
button with KK. Russ raised to 25 ( maybe 20) in the cutoff seat in an
un opened pot. I knew from his posts on NL what his range of hand were
to open, and while they opened up a bit in late position, they didn't
open up much. I figured he was on a big pocket pair, or AK AQ and that
I was in very, very good shape against that kind of hand. I figured if
I would make a big re-raise, it would only define my hand, and allow
Russ to either get away from his hand, or just crush me if he truly
had a monster. So I called his small raise, as did the small blind.
The flop came QJ9. This was an absolutely terrible flop for me ( I
thought) as this was right in the wheel house of hands Russ could
have. JJ, QQ, 99 kill me and 10 10 is drawing quite liv e. The big
blind checked, as did Russ. This sent a few bells off in my head. A
typcial player would perhaps check if they hit the flop huge. I
hightly doubted russ had K-10, but the other hands were definate
possibilites. Perhaps he had something like a smaller pocket pair.
Perhaps he was slow playing his set, though I thought that was
unlikely as a set is vulerable to that board, and I know from Russ's
posts that he beilives in building big pots when you flop big. SO I
couldn't figure that check out at all. Perhaps he had AK, and checked
also. I figured I was either way ahead, or way behind, so a free card
couldn't hurt ( though a 10 would hurt some if he had AK). On the turn
came a 9 ( I beileve.. perhaps the blank came on the turn, and a nine
on the river, really doesn't matter to the hand). The big blind
checked again, and then Russ bet 30. I found this bet to be very odd
as well. It screamed a value bet from a lesser player. Being that it
was Russ, though, It seemed more likel y that it was a "slow down" bet
like with AQ or AJ or 10-10. I figured again, I was either way ahead,
or way behind. THe blind folded. On the river came a blank. Russ bet
out 40. Again, a very wierd bet, and I said aloud " Oh god, what did
you flop. " I figured either I was smoked, or he had AQ. Then russ
said "if you're thinking this long, you should fold" and I said" yeah,
but I have a big hand." I called, primarily to see if I could trust
Russ. It turns out that I could. He turned over AA, and I laughed a
bit, and showed him my KK. At the time, I felt like I had dodged a
serious bullet, thinking that if I had pushed pre flop or on the flop
that I would have stacked off. However, in retrospect, I think I
played the hand poorly. I think that I was too worried post flop about
Russ trying to trap me. And I think just smooth calling pre flop is
disasterours. I just should have put in a big raise. If he has aces,
he has aces. I shouldn't have tried to "out play" a WCP post flop.
BUt, since I did call, hiding the stregth of my hand somewhat ( I was
playing quite tight, and Russ had to know that I only would have
called his raise, his raise in particular, with a very big hand but
not nessisarily that big). If I had raised russ big on the turn, if I
would have put him to the test that a "slow down" bet would warrent,
then he would have had a very hard time calling my push. QJ 9 is just
as bad a flop for AA when a tight player smooth calls your raise as it
is for KK. If I pushed on the turn, I don't know that russ would have
folded, but I would have protected my hand against AK, and 10-10, and
would have put AA to a serious test. But this was the kind of thing I
was looking for, hands I could learn from.
Russ played that table like a maestro that night. There was an
aggressive and "tricky" asian player who sat down in the game, whom
russ got posistion on by sitting next to me. By "tricky" I mean that
he likes to bluff alot, and push with nothing, but when he has a big
hand he plays it slow, one of the stupidest NL strats around, I think.
If you're going to be a bluffing, aggressive player, part of the VALUE
of that is to get action when you have a big hand. Often when you slow
play hands like aa and kk you only trap yourself, and you lose value
you would have gotten if you'd played it like the rest of your
marginal hands you push. So the AZN player limps in middle position,
and Russ makes it 35 to go in mid-late position. The pot becomes heads
up The flop comes 8 high, un connected with two diamonds The Azn
player checks, russ bets 75, the player calls. Instantly I knew that
the player had to have a realitivly big hand, as he wouldn't have
called such a large pot bet with nothing, and would have played a draw
more agressively. The turn comes a blank, the player says " You"
pointing at Russ, meaning "check" and russ says "no, you" and checks
instantly behind him, lightening quick. On the river comes a lowish
diamond that also paired the board The Azn player reaches for his
chips, and Russ reaches for his, Azn reaches again, russ reaches again
and says " you know that trick, I know it to." Egging the guy on So
the guy then, being fooled into thinking Russ was weak, pushes in his
entire stack, which Russ calls instantly. THe AZN showed KK, and russ
showed AK of diamonds, stacking the guy off. In another hand, I don't
really remember the action, but the gist of it was that russ had AK,
flopped a king, bet it big the whole way and stacked the guy off when
he was holding K-10 one pair. It was like he used a jedi mind trick on
this guy to get all his chips. It was pure art to watch.
As tight as russ plays, he plays very aggressive and the other players
at the table seem to be gunning for him. He gets AMAZING action on his
hands that I can't figure out still how he gets, since he plays so
tight. Some players just can't get away from their one pair hands, and
russ PUNISHES them like you wouldn't believe.
I played with him again on that saturday, against the man Russ
mentioned was dark raising all the time. Though Russ got stuck, he got
rather unluckly to be stuck ( it seemingly takes a great deal of bad
luck for russ to lose at this game, as he's been cru****ng it since he
started playing it) He's the thing, the thing I didn't realize about
playing in a full ring game with a WCP. While there are still plenty
of fish, when russ gets one of their stacks, it's like it's now gone
into a black hole, never to return. The money might as well be in the
drop for as much chance as I have of getting it at that point. THat is
the real disadvantage of playing in a game with a player you know is
great. It doesn't matter that you stay out of his way, stay out of
pots with him. Other players don't stay out of his way, and get
PUNISHED for it. I doubt I'll be playing in this game too often while
russ is still in town, though I may. There are still a great deal of
weak players, and what I give up in equity from having him in the
game, I gain from watching the man play, and the amazing stories and
insite that he has.
Russ is also very talkative, and very bragadocious, and though trying
to maintain a low profile, will still make crypic refrences to how
much he's made playing poker, and about various players in the poker
world. I think the other players in the game just think he's nuts and
a braggart, having no clue that Russ actually has played huge limits
and actually does know about the people he speaks of. I think his
gerneral chit-chat only makes players dislike him more, which seems to
have worked nicely to his advantage. I honestly can say, Russ isn't
the norm when it comes to psychological make up, and I really have no
idea how much of what he says is true or not, as I have no persoanl
experience with the high stakes poker world. What I do know is that
Russ absolutely smashes my local 5-5 nolmit game, and seems bored
while he's doing it, like he's in cruise control. It's been a pleasure
watching you Russ, and I look forward to more watching in the future.
Thanks again for approaching me in the casino, and thanks again for
the member****p to your site ( I"ve absolutely been eating up the strat
posts with a spoon.).
-Juinor Dectective and Juinor poker player.
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