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"Fear is the "Mind Killer" and Dario Minieri of Rome, Italy at the WSOP
By Writer94566Aug 31, 08 01:26 PM
A tell can help you in a poker game; once I looked down and saw pocket Kings but when I looked at the bettor, I saw two tells and folded my hand face up to his amazement.
See, his hands were shaking and his carotid artery was beating extra hard, so hard that I thought it might burst. He was so amazed at my lay down that he showed his pocket Aces.
Physical tells are the ones that a poker player can not help but make as they have no control over their initial emotion or physical reaction to the cards.
The carotid artery tell is a good example that can be seen beating when some new poker players get exceptional hands like pocket Aces or Quads on the flop.
Mannerism tells or betting tells are very important, also; since poker is a game of incomplete information any tell can add value to one’s game.
At the 2007 WSOP Main Event, I was focused on playing my style so that I could deliver my best to any player, pro or not.
After playing more than eight hours at the same table, here is what happened:
I was waited for pairs in position against the other players that I had been patiently studying over the many hours.
I was patient; fighting back, one hand at a time.
Finally, I went against the chip leader, Dario Minieri of Rome, Italy, at our table with Ace -Queen off (off-suit). Dario Minieri had been over $100,000 three separate times in the day, only to lose his chips and regain them again through super aggressive play; Dario Minieri is a fearless player and he built his chip stack up again after every big loss.
I have played in more than 700 live tournaments and never seen this agressive of a player.
Earlier in the day, Dario had his Aces cracked by my WSOP friend, Nathan Adler of New York a couple of hours earlier, when he caught a King on the River for a set. He had been continuously firing out pre-flop bets of $2,100 or $1,800, and he usually had an Ace when he bet $2,100. I put him on AJ off suit; but this time he bet not with $500 & $100 chips but with a big stack of greens, $25 chips.
This was the first time that he had bet this way; so, I figured that he was weak because players will often be the lowest chips if they have a weak hand to appear strong by betting with lots of chips.
This simple tell led me to play a hand against one of the best players in the entire world!
I was on his left, so I had position on him for the remainder of our hand as we were the only two players left in the hand. Position is very important against an agressive player.
A rainbow flop (no flush possible) of 2-6-3 comes and he announces “$3,000” and again bets smaller denomination chips - trying to appear strong!
One very hardest techniques of poker is putting a player on two cards but the hardest thing to do in poker is trust your read when your opponent applies pressure!
We see Daniel Negreanu read people on TV almost weekly but, hey, I’m Bill "Papa Bill" Ballew from Sioux City, Iowa not Daniel Negreanu! I think of our family trip to Disneyland last year to appear calm, then, I call his bet of $3,000!
An 8 comes on the turn and Dario immediately announces with authority, “$9,000!”
I still believe that he is trying to appear stronger than he is plus I believe that he is trying to get me out of the pot by over betting the pot. Again, the hardest thing to do in poker is trust your read when your opponent applies pressure! This 21-year old Italian player is fearless. I take my time because if I am right, he just might do the betting for me; I call calmly call with two orange $5,000 chips. The dealer gives me $1,000 change, one yellow chip.
The river brings a 7 and Dariothe chip leader says, “$20,000” with his head down and so I look at him but he keeps looking at the green felt.
For the first time, I have doubts; have I just fracked off my chance to make it to the next round? My friends will laugh at me over this one, I am sure.
Fear and doubt are the mind-killers.
THINK. Rewind the betting, Billy!
If my read is right than I am going to win big a huge pot; if it is wrong, I will be smoking an El Rico Habano Maduro cigar tomorrow afternoon at Mission Pipe.
Fear is the mind killer!
I smile and say, “If my read on you is right, you have Ace-Jack or Ace-Ten; I call.”
He turns over Ace-Ten and I win a pot of over $70,000!
All from the “low chip tell”; trust your reads!
I finished that Group D flight 79th out of 1800+ players. I did not cash but I was almost there as I was 912th out of 6,358 entries.
Dario cashed in the 2007 Main Event as he finished in 96th place out of a field of 6,358 entries; Dario went on to win his first WSOP bracelet in 2008 first bracelet in the $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six-handed event, beating out a field of 1,012 players, earning $528,418!
Dario has lifetime earnings of over $1,000,000 and he is just in his early 20’s – WOW! He is a gentleman and a really great young pro; I am glad to have played with him at the World Series and I count him among my friends.
He will win more bracelets that the “Poker Brat” is my long term prediction!
But being that this is an internet blog, I can not tell you much except to watch their style and betting patterns' playing pairs in position seems to work.
AnteDeluvian
GREAT BLOG