The Kid, the Skateboard, and the Deal

On Wed., June 10, I went to the Golden Nugget to play the $230 HORSE event. For those of you who are not poker savvy, HORSE stands for Hold'em (limit), Omaha (high-low), Razz, Stud, and Eight or Better. If you're not familiar with the games that make up HORSE, my book 1000 Best Poker Strategies and Secrets can teach them all to you. One reason I love the multiple games is that they are limit so you can't go bust in the first few minutes but the most important reason I love such games is that they are "old fashioned" so to speak. These games have been around for eons, unlike the most popular game of no-limit hold'em. The "kids" have learned to play poker on the Internet and the game they have learned is no-limit. They love that game because that is what they watch on TV. I have actually met folks who think that the definition of poker is no-limit. So, in a mixed game, the field is usually made up of "seasoned players."
Back to the tournament at hand. The turn out was good for this event, a little over 120 players. There was ONE young gun. When I say young, I'm not kidding. I don't think he was shaving yet and he came in with his mode of transportation under his arm - a skateboard! It was a big sucker. Looked like a small surfboard with wheels. He was cocky and proud. He had been studying HORSE and this was his first live tournament. I'll give him this credit, he played rather well, especially Razz. The kid has potential. He happened to be at my table from the beginning and he was pleasant enough, in the mist of his elders. I'd say the average age in this tournament was 50ish. I believe his goal was to show the old folks that a young man could win this event. On the dinner break, the kid laughed and asked if anyone wanted to ride his skateboard down the parking garage ramp. He had no takers as none of the "adults" wanted to risk broken bones or death.
We started play at noon and hit the money around 10 PM. As is the norm, the first eight players got paid a small about starting at $280 and gradually increasing until the final table when the money took larger jumps. I was the last woman standing from 13 players. (Love that). We got to the final table around 11 PM. The Skateboard Kid was still with us. It was a fun and happy table for a few minutes. Larry, the chip leader was buying rounds of drinks for the table. The drink of the night was "Sex on the Beach." I kid you not. I don't know what is in it but it is quite tasty. One guy said, I can't wait to get home (back East) and tell my friends that I had Sex on the Beach with Susie Isaacs. He was our elder at 76 years-old.
We played another fifteen minutes or so. I didn't mention a deal as Larry had such a tremendous chip lead, however when we were at 7-ways, Larry suggested that we each lock up $2,000 and play for the rest which put about $4000 on top, changing first place from $7,080 to $6,000. Since the next payout was $780, we all thought that was a generous offer ... except for the child. "I want the final table experience," he explained, aggravating the hell out of the rest of us. And so we played on. I beat the kid in a huge Omaha hand, scooping the pot and leaving him with the shortest stack at the table. I was delighted, the cocky kid needed a spanking.
Now I realize that there are many pros who will not make a deal of any kind. These pros are wealthy and most of what they are playing for is recognition and fame. They make tremendous amounts of money on their poker sites and/or their endorsements. While an average player is trying to make a living and during this economy, a few thousand dollars locked up could mean their house note! The kid had no respect for money or the requests of his tablemate's offer. At this point, with the kid very low on chips, much to my surprise, Larry offered the kid the same deal! Again, the kid was negative as his plans were to make a comeback and beat us all. Larry (in his 60's) stood up and gave a polite but firm sermon to the boy. He said something like this, "You are young and inexperienced. You have admitted that this is your first poker tournament. You know nothing about the business of poker. You have no respect for money. You know that everyone of us are tired and you may think that you can outlast us because of your age, but you now have negative energy coming at you from every person in this room. I will not make you this offer again." Needless to say, the Skateboard Kid was the next one eliminated. He collected $780 (rather than the $2000 offered him twice) and left the room dragging his giant skateboard. The next deal Larry offered was $4000 each if we each then gave him $200 on top. Done deal and I have another nice cash for this tournament season!