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Ciaran 'Big C' O'Leary (photo courtesy IMPDI)
They’re a crew of veteran professional poker players, well-known at Bay Area casinos and respected by their peers. They scratch and claw in their chosen profession, and all of them crave the spotlight and financial boon that would come with a victory in the main event of the World Series of Poker.
They invited me inside their world as they seek fame and fortune in the world’s biggest tournament.
Here is their story.
AFTERNOON
Bryan busts out soon after the afternoon session begins, and disappears from the room. Ciaran and Cooper don’t expect to see him for awhile today, if at all. It’s tough to bust out early in a big event like this, especially for a pro who doesn’t play a lot of them. So Bryan has gone off to lick his wounds.
Cooper is playing tight, playing solid, just like he said he would. No reason to push your luck when you double up early. The blinds are still very low, and there are no antes until after dinner break. Through selective play, he builds his stack up to about $53,000 by dinner.
Ciaran continues to grind away. He’s not getting a lot of cards to play, so he’s been pretty inactive. The other players pick up on this, and tend to avoid him when he does play a hand, making Ciaran’s winning pots fairly small.
But he’s feeling good, getting up to bounce around on occasion, get some water or use the restroom after he mucks a hand. He pops some M&Ms for some instant energy.
Through some table chatter, he finds out that there is a reason the dour-faced player to his right is somewhat reckless. Turns out the guy is an Internet mogul. Guys who don’t care if they lose a lot of money are always dangerous, and Ciaran makes a note of it.
With dinner break about 15 minutes away, Ciaran and Cooper both leave their tables, sacrificing a couple hands, and possibly some blinds, to get a jump on the crowd out the door.
They’ll get back to their rooms more quickly that way for some food, some rest, and maybe even a shower. This tournament is not a sprint, it’s an endurance test, and they’ll look for any edge to stay fresh.
They’ve already outlasted some big-name pros like Greg Raymer, Mike Matusow and Phil Ivey, who bust out in the afternoon. But there’s a long way to go.
An announcement comes over the speakers saying they started with 1,743 players today, the most of the three Day 1s so far. The fourth Day 1 is Monday, and 1,300 are already signed up for that, likely pushing the total number of entrants to around 6,000. That would be the second most ever.
EVENING
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“I’ve got to mind my Ps and Qs,” he says.
Ciaran changes gears and gets aggressive for a bit, going all in twice after being raised, both times forcing his opponent to fold. He’s up to $25,000.
About 12 minutes before the 10:30 break, Cooper storms over to Ciaran’s table, red-faced and looking ready to punch someone. Another player went all in on him with ace high. Cooper called with a pair of queens, plus a flush draw, but his foe got lucky with a straight on the river.
“(Bleepin’) donkey,” Cooper fumes, using the term for a dumb poker player. “If I win that hand I’m at $75,000.”
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Instead, he’s at $35,000. Ciaran calms his friend, pointing out that he’s still in good shape. Cooper laughs, but it’s obvious he’s frustrated after losing a hand he should have won.
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Ciaran walks over and shows that his reads on other players are still sharp. He points at the Internet mogul, who is currently in a hand.
“He’s got a king but he’s not in love with his kicker (second card),” Ciaran says. “And see how he goes check-call, check-call, check-call? He gave him (the other player involved in the hand) respect because he raised under the gun (early position).”
As the hand concludes, the player in early position turns over pocket aces to win the hand. The Internet mogul doesn’t have to show his hand, but he does, revealing a king and a seven.
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At the 10:30 break, Cooper is still steaming about his bad beat, but it’s more of a therapeutic venting then full-blown rage.
“That’s what’s so tough about this game,” he says, shaking his head and taking a drag on his cigarette. “You gotta remember you played eight hours and made all your money on two good hands.”
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
