Paul Pierce Built His Chip Stack to $200k Late in Day 3, But Busted Out on the Day’s Final Stage
Washington Wizards forward Paul Pierce had a strong run in the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event. Many professional athletes have entered the WSOP Main Event in the past 10 years, but few have advanced beyond Day 2.
The same split-second decision making and aggression that makes a pro football, basketball, or baseball player an All-Star can hamper their advancement in poker. One of the common mistakes poker players make is playing too many hands, so aggression has to be controlled. Often, the ability to take decision action in an instant causes problems at the poker table.
“I really enjoy the game of poker,” Pierce said when asked recently about his poker playing. “I enjoy the competition. I enjoy the thrill of the chase. I enjoy the mental warfare. It’s a beautiful game. It’s one that’s tough to master.”
Day 1: Doubling His Chip Stack
To begin the tournament, Pierce lost about half of his $30,000 in one of the first hands played. Pierce held K-Q suited against an A-K offsuit. When the flop came Q-Q-J, he check-called a $1,000 bet. The turn brought a 10, giving his opponent a strait. Pierce raised to $10,000 on the river, but his opponent had him dominated at that point.
Pierce did not give up. Instead, he doubled up soon after and was holding $40,000. Pierce had 8-8 and the flop came A-8-5. The next two cards were 9 and 9, giving Pierce a full house. Pierce went all-in with $15,575 and said, “I guess it’s time to go home.”
Paul Pierce maintained his activity throughout the day, ending with $60,400.
Day 2: Day of Survival
On Day 2, Paul Pierce built his chip stack to well over $100,000. He lost to pocket kings, which took his stack down to $81 thousand. He lost another big bet and dropped to $50 thousand. He ended the day with $48,600, but had survived.
Day 3: Bounced Out
Day 3 began with a nice double-up over Gary Lent, so Pierce held $81 thousand again. On Level 13, Pierce went all-in with an A-K against a Q-Q. He received a king on the flop and a third king the river. The win gave him $160k. Not long after, Pierce moved to $200k after busting Jorn Walthaus of Belgium.
A buzz was starting to build around Pierce at this point, and he got to the final level of the day: Level 15. This is when it all crashed at once. Pierce was holding A-4 against Michael Binger’s A-J. When the flop came A-J-3, Pierce was dominated, but didn’t know it. The turn came 6 and the river came 4, which was the worst card Pierce could have seen.
Paul Pierce made the all-in call. Bilger took time to consider his play, but eventually chose to call. Pierce left to applause from the gallery, and said, “Good run.”
Poker Compared with Basketball
One similarity between tournament poker and NBA basketball at the highest level is the ability to grind. From watching the NBA Finals many years, you start to realize that the champions consistently play both ends of the court. Nothing is easy for the opponent.
When Paul Pierce won the NBA title in 2008, he had been joined that year on the Boston Celtics by fellow All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. While Garnett was considered a solid defensive player, both Pierce and Ray Allen had reputations as offense-first players. Their lack of defensive prowess might have been a misconception at the time, but it’s the consensus opinion that Paul Pierce became one of the toughest defenders at the small forward position in the years the Celtics were championship contenders. He had to learn to grind.
Poker Grind
Poker players have to learn to grind, too. In basketball, the mental and physical exertions are both great. In poker, the mental exertion might be far greater than the physical one (though that’s there, too). The concept is the same. The problem is, the World Series of Poker Main Event is a bigger grind than any tournament in the world, because players have to continue through as many as 10 days of gambling. The combination of luck, stamina, and mental focus needed to play day-in, day-out is impressive.
In the hand Pierce busted out on, he held the top card, but he would have had to have guessed his opponent had two pair. Two cards were showing that could have beaten Pierce (jack and six) in that scenario, but holding two pair himself made it hard to fold. The wear at the end of the day made the hand all-the-more dangerous.
About Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce played for the Kansas Jayhawks in the NCAA. He is best known for his stint with the Boston Celtics, where he won one NBA Championship and reached the NBA Finals a second time. Last year, he played for the New Jersey Nets, but just became a member of the Washington Wizards, who have an up-and-coming team.
