Player's Stories

Don't Be a One-Hit Wonder
By Dr. Mark Burtman

Do you remember the song The Night Chicago Died? It was a big hit in 1974 by Paper Lace. I was in 5th grade and I bought the 8-track tape. That was the only big hit they had. They were a "one-hit wonder". VH-1 often shows videos of these "one-hit wonders". These performers record one great hit and are never heard from again. In my two years of playing tournament poker I am finding the same phenomenon.

I am now in the throws of a tournament losing streak, having been shut out at the Commerce in six events and scoring only once in about a dozen events at the WPO. I begin to look at my origins in tournament poker, and consider what would have happened, if my start had been as abysmal as my recent run. I made a final table in my first major tournament, in a game I had never played above the $1-5 level. Out of my first 4 events I had one final table and another money finish.

By the time I had played eight events I had 2 final tables with that other money score. This included a $21,000 second place finish in a no-limit Hold-em event, which was the second I had ever played. Think of how eager I was to extrapolate my success, with a 25% final table rate. Now contrast that to what I would have felt, if my start had been my results in LA. I would have shrugged my shoulders and said, "Maybe this isn't for me," or "I better work on my game some more before I try that again." Instead I found myself extrapolating my present win rate into fame and fortune on the tournament trail, and a new obsession was born.

If you have been following my articles you have seen a myriad of triumphs and set-backs. I have gone from being a lifetime tournament loser, to winner and back to loser again all in the span of 6 months. At times I have seemed rather optimistic, but over time I have learned to temper that optimism with the realistic fear that I could run bad and be broke. Now I am running bad, and that's part of the game; A part of the game I hate. But I realize that I am not the only one.

It seems that I have observed this same series of events in many other players. Those of you who are out there know it. Some relatively unknown player makes a big score in a tournament. Then they think they are a tournament deity and they shift all of their energies to the tournament arena, only to go bust a few months later. I have also seen players who ranked high in Player of the Year rankings one or two years ago, who can't even scrounge up an entry fee for a tournament. I see them hitting up other players for entry fees into one table satellites. This is a tough business. Good players who I have admired are broke and on the rail.

I realize now I knew very little about poker and tournaments in 2001 compared to what I know now. Yet I was initially very successful. Here are a few things that I think contributed to my success and the success of other newcomers. Let's use Robert Varkyoni as an example. How many of us experienced tournament players can claim that, "If I had the cards that Robert had I would have won the WSOP." How many of us would have put our money in with Q-10 against Phil Hellmuth at that stage of a tournament? I would say many newcomers might, but few true tournament pros would have. Robert overplayed some marginal hands. He nearly got himself eliminated early in the final table by over playing a middle pair. He won because he played aggressively. He may have played aggressively because he over valued certain hands that I would likely muck. To his credit he bet with those hands, rather than calling.

Nonetheless, many pros would have failed to win with his cards, because they would have mucked them. Early in my career as a tournament player, I also over played some marginal hands. When I took second place in no-limit, I overplayed pocket 4's, and ran into a bigger pair, only to flop quads. This January in Tunica at the main event, I mucked pocket 4's after a raise and reraise ahead of me, and I would have flopped a set. I wish I would have been too stupid to throw them away.

Now, onto my point. Tournaments often reward players for playing badly and catching good. When you are counting your $50,000 you may not realize this. All you know is that you have won the equivalent of your annual salary, and you are ready for more. I have written this before. It is very difficult to criticize your own play when you are running good. That tends to be saved for when you are running badly. Instead you rest on your laurels, and go for it over and over again. Only now you can't hit that set against the over pair, and you're A-K's can't hold up against under pairs, and you burn through that 50K in two venues. Suddenly you find yourself reaching into your pocket again. You have neglected your professional life, and have nothing to return to. Your bankroll is now depleted and now you are on the rail, waiting for someone to put you in.

Many of you following the accounts of my forays into tournament poker will be lured into the arena, and I encourage you to try it. There has been no thrill like it in my life, and I have an exciting vocation outside of poker. But heed this advice: Don't be a One-Hit Wonder. You may score the first time out. That's the whole point of my articles. I did it, so can you. But don't do what so many others have done. Don't let it ruin your life. Take it for what it is, a win, not a sign that you need a career change.