During the main event of the World Series of Poker, I mentioned to one of my field reporters that Barbara Enright is in his section and he should follow her. He replied that he knew and jokingly said, “Who cares about Barbara Enright?” Well lets see, just a majority of the poker world and the Poker Hall of Fame. That’s all. Enright just took down her third title of the year on sunday when she won the Ladies Event at Legends of Poker. So far this year, Enright has three wins, 6 final tables, and a cash at this past World Series of Poker. Maybe it me, but that sounds like someone worth following.

Great job Barbara, keep up the great work. Let’s see a deep run in the LOP Main Event!

Barbara Enright is a legend of the game of poker. She has 3 bracelets and finished 5^th in the 1995 Main Event, which to this day is the highest finish by a woman in the Main Event. Barbara is also a fantastic person and a true pleasure to play with. I had the pleasure to meet her in April 2006 during an Omaha Hi-Lo event at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. She was very friendly and engaging. We sat there for about 20 minutes discussing things from Fremont Street in Vegas to proper Razz strategy. At this point in my life, I still had not been to Vegas, so she was giving me the lowdown about what to go see and do out there. She also gave me a little of what to expect at the WSOP that year since it would be my first WSOP.

I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to talk with someone with her track record, but I was doing my best to keep from looking like a kid in a candy store. Unlike a lot of people, I get much more excited with talking and interacting with the older poker players, such as Barbara, Mickey Mills, John Bonetti, etc. Players like those have been around the block more times than any of us probably will ever imagine and the knowledge you can gain can be invaluable.

After a while, people started to join our table as it was getting close to time for the event to start. Everyone that came to the table all of a sudden started just staring at me and checking me out. I figured they were just being astute poker players trying to get some type of read on a future opponent. During this time, I’m still talking away with Barbara just like I’ve known her for years, but at this point I had known her 20 minutes.

The event begins and we start going through the song and dance of a normal tournament. I started to notice something about the 3^rd pot I was in. People were playing extremely passive against me. If I checked, they checked. If I bet, they got out. After a few hands, I noticed they were doing the same with Barbara. Maybe this was just a very passive table I thought. The next few hands convinced me otherwise. The 6 seat and the 9 seat were raising and reraising almost every pot. They fired away like mad at the flop turn and river, unless Barbara or I was in the hand.

I was a bit confused about what was going on, but I tried to take advantage of whatever it was. I bet weaker hands and got a lot of free cards. The aggressive player in seat 6 finally decided he was going to try and make a play at me sometime during the 2^nd level. I was holding A, 2, 4, 6 with one suit. The final board was 3, 4, 10, 5, J. I showed down a 6 high straight with a wheel. Everyone at the table started shaking their head when I showed the hand and the six seat said, “I should have known better.” He had A, 3, 6, J.

The end of the level came as did a break and a woman in the 4 seat looks at me while Barbara was away and asks, “So how long have you and Ms. Enright been friends?” The other people all look at me intently for my answer. When I answered, “I just met her today”, they all gave me the “yeah right” look and started talking about different things they had heard about her.

It then finally clicked in my head what was going on. These people were convinced that I knew Barbara Enright well and therefore thought I was a player. Throughout the next level, I tried to put this to the test. Sadly, the only player that would give me any action was Barbara. She beat me every hand we played together but one. I raised with A, A, 4, 5 pre-flop. After the flop, she checked and I bet. She looked at me and said “You haven’t raised since I sat down here. You must have Aces.” She was right.

Barbara lasted through about half of the field before getting eliminated. Shortly after, I was moved to a new table. My table image was gone and it turned into a game at that point. Half of the players at my table were excellent players including Taxi Molina, Ronnie McMillan, and a couple other California locals. I busted out about 20 spots out the money, but the experience was priceless. It taught me a thing or two about player perceptions at a poker table and using their perceptions to my advantage. It also allowed me to meet and make friends with one of the great people in the game today.

I get the chance on occasion to play with Barbara out in either LA or California, mostly in Stud or Mixed games. She is always as friendly to me and others as she was that first time I met her. She truly deserves her spots in the Poker Hall of Fame and the Women’s Poker Hall of fame, not just for her poker ability, but for her class and charm as well.

I sit down to my table. Seat 1 was a kid that looked like he could be Chris Moneymakers younger brother. Seat 2 and 3 looked to be either to be locals or maybe tourists holding a low profile. Seat 4 was a woman in her late 50’s, maybe early 60’s. She was a known Stud High player according to what I heard later on. I was in seat 5. Seat 6 was a guy around my age that had the “I’m smarter than you and I know it” look on his face. He was very well mannered and actually a pretty good guy. Seat 7 was a NL Holdem player who was playing this event because his backer made him, or at least that was his claim. Seat 8 was a guy that had Stud High player written all over him. He had the gruff demeanor, the 25 year old suit, glasses, and the large cup of coffee to help keep him awake. He was in his 60’s at least.

For the first 2 rounds I don’t think I a single hand. I split one 3 way hand when my 7 low held up against someone’s 8 low. In the 3^rd round, there was a 4 way hand. I looked down to a 2, 4, and 6 of diamonds. My 2 was up, so I was the bring in. Seat 8 raised, as he tended to do with any big pair or ANY 3 low. Two other players called and I called. Seat 4, the woman who was a Stud High player, was one of the people in the hand. She had a Q up. Fourth Street gave me the Ace of diamonds. I checked my monster draw, hoping to get bets. My wish was granted as it was bet by seat 8 and raised by seat 4. I smooth called. Fifth street gave me an 8 of clubs for an 8 low. Seat 8 had a J and a 10 showing and the woman beside me had a KQ, so I knew I had low virtually sewed up, so I bet. I was then raised and reraised. I looked again at the board quickly before capping the bet. Seat 8 had a J, 10, 3 as his up cards and the woman beside me had Q, 9, K. Neither hand was suited. With this action I figure I’m facing 2 pair and either a straight or an open ended straight draw.

Sixth street gave me a pair of 8’s showing. I have a pair of 8’s with an 8 low. Seat 8 caught a 6, and seat 4 caught a K to pair her board. She bet, I raised, Seat 8 looked at me, and then looked at seat 4, and said that his pair of 10’s were no good he guessed and folded. Seat 4 looks at me, snarls, and then calls. She says “You probably have Aces up.” She really did snarl at me. Seventh street came the three of diamonds. Gin! I now have a flush and a 6 low. Unless she has 2 pair and hits a full house, I am NOT losing. Finally seat 4 decides that she should slow down and check to me. I bet, and she calls. I show my monster hand and she starts grumbling and shows everyone 2 pair, Kings and Queens. She started with Queens.

As the next hand is being dealt, seat 4 looks at me and says, “You have an interesting strategy. You ONLY play good hands.” I do not educate players at the table like some poker players have a tendency to, so I gave the typical “I really haven’t gotten much in the way of cards etc.” The truth is, she was right. I was ONLY playing good hands. Stud High Low Split is a game that is about scooping pots, not finishing with the highest hand only. This lady, as many other players tend to do, was playing Stud High and only paying attention to low when it was convenient. What happens in those situations is that players like myself who play proper strategy will more times than not clean house. It doesn’t always happen because poker does involve luck, but over the long haul, people like that woman will lose money to me. Stud High Low Split rewards proper play more so than most other poker games due to the way the game is setup.

Seat 4 continued to jaw on an off at me about my play. She asked me things like, “Do you actually make any money at this game?” She also liked to point out that she had been playing Stud longer than I have alive. Over the course of the game, it became apparent that only seat 6 and 8 had any clue what to do. Seat 8 played very loose and at times looked like he didn’t know what he was doing, but if he got in trouble or short stacked, all of a sudden he played textbook Stud 8. Seat 6 was a very calculating player but he was relatively inexperienced and it cost him later in the event. Seat 1, Kid Moneymaker, was NOT a Stud 8 player by any stretch of the imagination, but he seemed to be a decent Stud High player. He wound up getting a lot of chips when he was moved to a table with several Stud High players. I played my normal tight aggressive style and got some chips. I was about an average stack when the following hand occurred.

In round 7 I look down to 5, 6, 7 offsuit. Seat 1, Kid Moneymaker, was the bring in. Seat 4 calls and then I call. Immediately she says “Oh hell, you’re in. You must have a hand.” I just did my cockeyed “We will see” nod and moved on. By 5^th street I had a 7 low made with a 7,6,5,4, A. Seat 4 bet on both 4^th and 5^th streets and Kid Moneymaker called. On 6^th street Kid Moneymaker caught an open pair and bet out and seat 4 put her last chips in. The last card came and gave me an 8 for an 8 high straight and a 7 low. Kid Moneymaker checked and I bet. Seat 4 started throwing a fit. Kid Moneymaker actually folded at this point and I showed my straight. Seat 4 started spewing off how that she had Aces up but she KNEW she was screwed because I was in the hand. She gave me another snarl and gave me a sarcastic “Good luck to you” and went on her way.

Only 2 people from that starting table cashed, Kid Moneymaker and myself. Seat 8 got deep but his loose play bit him one too many times. Seat 6 got into a few situations where he made some bad reads and cost himself a pot or 2. Personally, I got moved to a table with about 40 players left with a bunch of good Stud 8 players. I took advantage of a few situations against other tight players late and got some chips and caught a couple of decent hands and then made the money. I finished 19^th in the event. Not a huge payday, but it was a payday, and a ton of fun. Of course, I never saw seat 4 again, so I didn’t get to gloat. In the end, I didn’t care. My “interesting strategy” paid off. That’s what the game is all about.