WSOP Hand of the Day: Phil Hellmuth vs. Robert Mizrachi

World Series of Poker / Short-Stacked Shamus / 01 July 2011 / Leave a Comment

The most misunderstood player on the planet? (Photo credit: PokerNews / WSOP.com)

Yesterday was another busy day at the World Series of Poker, with no less than six different events happening at some point during the day. A couple of bracelets were won yesterday, including one in Event #49, the $2,500 Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw event in which Leonard Martin outlasted Justin Bonomo to win. I'd love to offer a Hand of the Day from that final table table, but losing hands are mucked so often in that game, it would be hard for a novice 2-7 TD player such as myself to make much of a hand here.

Instead I'm going to share a hand from another game with which my strategic knowledge is limited, one from Event #51, the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha/8 event that began yesterday with a whopping 946 runners. I happened to have been assigned to help cover this event for PokerNews, and it was a hand I saw involving Phil Hellmuth and Robert Mizrachi that I found interesting enough to share as our WSOP Hand of Day.

Both players were eagerly anticipating this event. "LOVE today's WSOP event," Hellmuth tweeted earlier in the day. "Pot Limit Omaha 8/b!! Final tabled it last year." Indeed, Hellmuth took seventh in this one, yet another deep finish in a non-hold'em event for the Poker Brat.

Mizrachi also sent out a tweet early in the day expressing excitement about the event and the large turnout. "Didn't even know 1000 people knew how to play pot limit hiLO," he said. "Should be the easiest field ever!!!!!!"

As it turned out, both Hellmuth and Mizrachi struggled somewhat yesterday, with both players spending much of the day battling with short stacks and neither ultimately making it through to Day 2. Hellmuth's day was actually especially short-lived, given that he only arrived at the end of Level 4 (as is his fashion), and was busted in Level 7 just about two-and-a-half hours later.

Shortly before Hellmuth was eliminated came the hand I wanted to share. With the blinds 200/400, Hellmuth was down to just 2,000 chips when the big blind reached him, leaving him just 1,600 behind. I happened to be at the table for this one, and watched as Mizrachi raised the pot from middle position and it folded back to Hellmuth.

Hellmuth checked his cards and grinned. Seeing I was there, pen and pad in hand, he looked up and addressed me directly, saying "If I fold this hand heads up and you put it on the internet, there will be fireworks." And that's precisely what he did... sort of. He showed three of his cards -- Ac-2c-2s -- then afterwards told me the fourth was the 7c.

More talk followed, with Hellmuth pointing out how PLO/8 is "the most misunderstood game on the planet" and that only a half-dozen players (including Mike Matusow) would understand his fold there. "And they're all broke," chimed Mizrachi in response, unable to resist the opening.

While just about any hand with A-2 is often considered playable in fixed limit O/8, such is not always the case in the pot-limit variety of the game. A thread on 2+2 has already begun in the PLO/8 forum regarding Hellmuth's fold in this spot. Position is of no consequence here, of course, given that if Hellmuth were to play the hand he'd certainly be all in before the flop. But putting the situation and stack sizes aside, it's true that in PLO/8 the hand Hellmuth was dealt probably shouldn't be automatically considered as strong as some of us might think.

It reminded me of another hand of Hellmuth's I happened to have reported from Event #40, the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed event in which Hellmuth finished 36th. Down to just 11 big blinds or so, he opened with a small raise from UTG, then a player in late position made a small reraise behind. He then folded 9d-9c face up, again making a speech about how "the rest of the planet" would not have been able to make the fold. In that hand, his opponent showed his Ac-Kc, meaning Hellmuth had avoided accepting a coin flip for his tourney life.

As I say, my understanding of PLO/8 is limited -- I'm more of a PLO high player -- but I believe Hellmuth essentially made a similar decision by folding his Ac-7c-2c-2s here. Of course, with just four big blinds left, one would think it might be time to take accept such an opportunity to double up, even if one's chance of doing so is only 50-50 or thereabouts. That said, Hellmuth's long term success as a tourney player has been well proven, and an important element to his game has always been avoiding at all costs ever putting himself all in.

Another thing Hellmuth has proven over the years. Love him or hate him, he certainly possesses what seems to be an endless capacity to amaze and entertain.

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