From there, the next challenge was the World Series of Poker, where he planned to play in a preliminary event. He called tournament officials to alert them to his situation, and was surprised when he met resistance at first.
The excuse? You can’t have aid at the poker table, and having someone whisper in your ear what hand you have, what cards were showing on the board, was considered aid.
Lubarsky was not to be deterred. He mentioned a player he had seen a couple years ago who played with no arms. That player hired someone to raise his cards for him.
“Wasn’t that aid?” he asked. “Are you going to discriminate against blind people?”
He continued to push, hinting at the possibility of a lawsuit.
“I’m not trying to give you trouble,” he told them, “but I could probably make more money suing you than playing in the poker tournament.”
Eventually, tournament officials relented, altering their rules to allow for handicapped people, and opening the door for another blind player, Jason Holbrook of Bakersfield, Calif., to also compete. Holbrook was eliminated on the first day of the main event.
Not everyone has been eager to play against Lubarsky in the past. They’ll tell him, “you slow down the game and take our money.”
But he says his opponents have been good to him in the main event, one player even calling him an inspiration. But inspiration or not, Lubarsky is just happy to have poker, his true passion, back in his life.
“I play poker every day. It’s what I love to do.”
He’s hired two readers to take turns aiding him when he plays. They’ll tell him what he has, read the board for him, and help him stack his chips when he rakes in another pot. He says it’s not as easy as people might think working with a reader, but not to buy too much into his inability to pick up physical tells while at the table.
“I’ve never been big on tells in no-limit hold’em. I don’t even believe in them.”
Instead, Lubarsky examines betting patterns, how long an opponent takes to bet, the amount they bet or raise. He tries to figure out what they have by their actions, then make quick decisions.
“I get my tells on how people play,” he says.
And as of Thursday morning, his methods have taken him further than 86 percent of the field for this year’s main event. He’s confident, rejuvenated and back on his game, all with the help of a little voice in his ear.
“My day isn’t over,” Lubarsky says with pride. “I’m back.”
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