Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 28: Calling Hellmuth with Jack-Deuce Offsuit

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May 13, 2015 5 min read Last updated Jun 07, 2015

In last week��s Hold��em with Holloway, I highlighted two of the biggest hands I played during my two days on Poker Night in America in April playing in a $25/$50 no-limit hold��em cash game at SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia. The lineup included Shaun Deeb, Phil Hellmuth, Darren Elias, Alec Torelli, Dan Shak, Tom Schneider, and Andy Frankenberger, among others.

Playing in such a game was way out of my league, and I had to turn a blind eye to bankroll management. However, playing poker on TV against some of the biggest names in the game had been on my bucket list. It was an opportunity I couldn��t pass up. Fortunately, I was able to double up straight out of the gate thanks to a set-over-set situation, and I also played an interesting one where Torelli laid down a big hand. You can read about both of those hands by clicking here.

I��ll remember those two hands for the rest of my life, but I��ll also remember one that played out in the latter half of Day 1. That��s because I got to do something I��ve always wanted �� beat Hellmuth in a pot and inspire one of his trademark rants.

In the hand, I put on the $100 under-the-gun straddle and watched as Hellmuth called from middle position and Torelli did the same from the big blind. I looked down at the lousy J?2? and easily checked my option to see the flop, which came down J?7?4?. I had flopped top pair, but I wasn��t too proud of my kicker, so I just called after Torelli led out for $250. Hellmuth then raised to $900, Torelli folded what turned out to be the J?2? (the same hand as me), and I eyed the ��Poker Brat�� suspiciously.

Hellmuth doesn��t get out of line much, but I thought he could very well be squeezing. It was an extremely dry board, and it was apparent that Torelli had enough of the flop �� possibly a jack or seven �� to lead out and then fold. I had a jack myself, so what could Hellmuth have here? There were not many jacks left, and a seven I could beat. Maybe 6x5x for an open-ended straight draw? Though it��s not like Hellmuth to limp from middle position with such a hand. If he had a set, why chase out two opponents on such a dry board?

I wasn��t quite sure where I stood, but I felt it was worth paying to see a turn and get some more information, and so I called. The dealer burned and turned the 9?. I checked, and Hellmuth quickly fired out $1,600. Again, I looked at him with suspicion.

��Chad, you read me well,�� Hellmuth said. ��Let��s see. Now��s a test of that. I��m not showing this one either, this one��s going in facedown.��

As soon as Hellmuth volunteered this my gut screamed that I was good. Granted, Hellmuth is one of the best table talkers in the game, and he��s great at manipulating people to do his bidding. However, I��ve seen him open his mouth hundreds of times �� both on TV and as a PokerNews reporter �� and in this particular case I felt he was full of hot air, so I called.

The 8? river meant a ten would make a straight, so it wasn��t a great card for me. I checked, and fortunately Hellmuth did the same. Had he fired another big bet, I��d have been hard pressed to make the call. As it was, I showed my J?2? for a pair of jacks, and Hellmuth showed that he had been bluffing with A?K?.

��Good call,�� Hellmuth offered, though I knew it wouldn��t stop there.

��You��re kind of free this summer, right?�� Shak asked jokingly. ��Forget the employee event.�� The rest of the table was very complimentary and joked around a bit. All the while Hellmuth sat there quietly with his arms crossed. You just knew it was coming.

��We��ll see if he keeps calling me with top pair no kicker,�� Hellmuth finally vented. ��I��m tempted to get $15,000 more�� he��s trying to give it away.��

It wasn��t a full-blown Hellmuth rant, but it was a mini-one. He made a few more inconsequential comments, and I simply pointed out he didn��t raise preflop with ace-king when he was first to enter the pot. It was hard for him to argue that, but for the rest of the game, even as it went on into a second day, Hellmuth harped on me about how I was going to call him down light again and pay him off. It never happened, but it was fun listening to him go on and on about it �� kind of a fan boy��s dream come true.

Now, I��ve known Hellmuth for quite awhile. Not only have I interviewed him and reported on him numerous times for PokerNews, but we also both hail from the Madison, Wisconsin area. As such, we know a lot of the same people, and our paths have crossed multiple times over the years, especially around the holidays when he returns home to visit family. This wasn��t my first experience with the ��Poker Brat,�� but it certainly was the most high-profile one.

I like Hellmuth a lot. I think he��s a superb tournament player and great for the game. I also think he��s one of the nicest and most charitable guys I��ve ever met off the poker felt. At the poker table, well you know what you get there. Part of it is for show, but part of it is genuine Hellmuth. I��m glad I got to be the hare in his crosshairs, if only for a short time.

The only thing I regret in the hand is not uttering one of my favorite lines. On the turn, before calling, I should have said, ��Phil, I may only read at a kindergarten level, but I can read you like a book.��

How epic would that have been? Problem was if I had said that and been wrong, I��d have looked like a total fool. Oh well, missed opportunity there, but I am content having won some of that sweet, sweet Hellmuth money.

I went on to cash out for $20,775 on the first day (a profit of $15,775), but ended up giving half back on Day 2, which featured a much tougher line-up and me playing less than my A-game (more on that in a future article as well). All told I profited $7,850 against some tough competition. Poker Night in America��s Nolan Dalla had some kind words to say about my appearance, and even said I��ll ��certainly be invited back.�� I look forward to that.

For those interested in seeing my hand with Hellmuth, check out the video below starting at around the 1:03:00 mark. You can also watch my entire appearance on the archived live stream, and this fall it will air on CBS Sports Network (I don��t know the exact date yet).

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PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.

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