Joe Robertson

I grew up playing poker at my friend’s parent’s kitchen table. It was usually 5 card draw and 7 card stud. I would work all day in their yard earning money so that they could take it away from me that night. This is probably a good time to tell you that as an adult I got it all back from them plus interest and funny, I am not usually asked to any of the family poker parties anymore.

So, I then took a long break from poker and started going to Vegas only a few times a year to play 7 stud just before Holdem became so popular. It was tough to even find a room to play poker in let alone one going with much action. That was around the late 90s. The dealers at the Excalibur gave me the nick name of Rainman. I was always calculating in my mind but also always winning. So they would say "Rainman Bet!!" in their Asian accents. We would all laugh about it and I took it as a compliment. So the nick name sort of stuck.

Then at some point after 2000 I can’t remember the date. I was in Tahoe on business. Stayed in a Harrah’s I think it was, and saw that their poker room had a tournament going to go on that afternoon. So I took the free casino chips I was comped and tried to buy in. They wouldn’t allow me to use them for that. So I went ahead and played black jack, which I really didn’t know how to do at the time. But I turned it into enough real money to buy in.

After never playing holdem in my life; I entered the tournament, which by the way I kept on repeating to everyone at my table as I kept just mopping the floor with them. I would rake in a pot and say really I have never played this game in my life. Oh they were not happy with me.

Early on in that tournament after about an hour I would say, I found myself looking down at pocket AA with 2 Aces on the board. I thought oh wow I am gonna take this pot down and that guy keeps on raising. But NO!!! I lost that freaken hand. But how could I be upset?? I was just there to have fun and besides I had never seen a royal flush before. The guy on my right racked in the pot and left me with just 6 that’s right SIX chips.

But I bounced back and later on after the day had turned into night they announced that it was time to change tables to the final table. I had a seat that was facing the wall so I never really saw what was going on in the room. Except on a pee break.

I had never had a table change instead they just kept brining people over to my table and I would knock em out. I lost track of how many I alone took out, now that I know about bounty hunter tournaments I wish this was one of them. So I stand up from my seat and look behind me and there is a sea of empty tables. I realize that all those people are gone and I beat them all to get to this point. WOW it was a great feeling.

So and this is no joke, when I got to the final table I had all the chips in the tournament. I mean ALL of them. Like a 2 and a half foot diameter circle of chip stacks and second place only had 3 stacks and third place only had 1 stack on down.

We played like one hand and then they all begged me to just settle. Never having played in a tournament I asked the floor if this is normal, ok or what? I was just having fun and didn’t want to be the bad guy. He assured me that the decision we all came to was fair and I was declared the winner and got most all the prize pool.

Funny thing was I told them all that I wouldn’t agree to settle unless each one told me that I was the winner. I look back and can see that it may have been taken as rubbing it in. But that wasn’t my intention at all. I just had never played in a tournament and being this close to winning one I thought I want to be the winner. I want to play it out so that I am officially the winner. But they each one by one assured me that I was the winner. I remember one guy; he said of course you’re the winner!!! You HAVE ALL THE CHIPS!!

That was my first tournament and my first time playing No Limit Texas Holdem. I was hooked. I called my friend all excited to give him the news. I just beat like 150 people in a tournament.

I then went on to playing holdem at home games with friends and neighbors. I was winning more than the other people to the point that I decided I should stop or I won’t have any friends left and find a casino to play at. I was near Commerce on business and had planned my trip so that I could stop by and play a cash game. I bought in at the 100 no limit table. In an hour I had 700 and said I am going to go play with the big boys. The whole table cried NO!!! They will just take your money and you’ll be back here in half an hour. I said so what its free money im playing with :)

So off to the 400 and believe it or not they let me buy in with all 700 and I didn’t know at the time that I couldn’t do that. A dealer later told me that the entire table is full of sharks and regulars. So in hind sight that’s why none complained. They thought more chips for us.

Well... I honestly never stopped wining that night. I just stacked em and stacked em over and over. I kept calling for chips to color me up and they kept calling for chips to get more bullets. It was great!!

I finished my first day there about 10 or 12 hours after getting there and cashed out about $5,800. When the floor man Eric came over and told me about the tournaments that are coming and that I should check em out.

So I came back a few weeks later and entered the first tournament. I was busted out early and someone pointed out that there was a super satellite about to go down. Whats that I asked? And I entered the super satellite it was like 200 entrys and allowed rebuys for the first hour with an add on.

I was busted down to 6 chips just before the rebuy and add on period. It was pointless I said. I still won’t have many chips compared to all the people at my table so I passed on the rebuy.

Well once again I made a comeback and got to the final table. I think this time there were about 200 people in that super. At the final table I only had a few chips. They were only giving away one seat to the main event of the series. It was a 5k or 10k buy in I don’t remember. But second I remember was like $2,200 and 3rd was $600.

So I am down to 4 tied basically for last with a guy that had 6 chips and I had 8. I look down a pocket QQ and fold preflop. The guy with 6 chips is in the blind without enough chips to even call a full big blind and I am hoping he gets snapped and I at least win $600. Well he does get snapped and I go on to move all in for 10 hands in a row now. At first I have no choice because of the blinds. But then it was just that I saw they were waiting for great hands and folding. So I kept pushing. It was great. I didn’t care what I had or what my position was. Every time someone called I won and every time they folded I won. After 10 hands they realize that they are now in trouble we are all about equal in chips and they stop playing scared or safe and folding but now it’s too late. I have chips and a lot of them and I can afford to fold one or two hands and then play a good one. And most importantly I could and DID move all in on them frequently and that if they would call it would now knock them out. So they folded and folded until it was way to late to take a stand. And I won. WOW 2 first place finishes with over 150 people in them in my first 3 tournaments. I am thinking man I must be good at this game.

Aggression and Luck was on my side when I won that tournament. Which allowed me to play in the main event. I only lasted 12 hours by the way. But I was bitten by the bug, I was hooked, I was now going to play poker a lot more often. It was fun and I was apparently good at it.

Well I eventually learned that I had a lot to learn still. In fact I believe I will always have a lot to learn. But my game has improved since then and I have played mostly cash games the last 3 years. I like cash games cause you can play for however long or short you like and take your chips with you when you’re tired or hungry or sick. The bummer of a tournament is that you may play for 2 or 3 days and just miss making any money. But they are more fun and it would be nice to win a big buy in event at least once.

You can now find me playing the top limits available at San Manuel since its closer to my home. Otherwise I am at Commerce playing the $400 game and occasionally the $200 and occasionally at the Bike. I also enjoy the cash games that happen at Harrah’s during the World Series.

Maybe one day I will go into the other room at Commerce but for now I am comfortable where I am at. I also can't wait till I can take the time to play in a few big tournaments again.

Name: Joe Robertson AKA "Rainman" Location: Victorville, CA, United States Cashes: 4 Total Winnings: $6,202 Marital Status: Widowed Children: 1 Started Playing Poker: Playing seriously since about 2004 Favorite Poker Game: No Limit Holdem - Cash Games for the money but tournaments are more fun!! Ambition: To play poker just for the fun of it and not have to rely on it to pay the bills. Then I could play more tournaments. It of course would be nice to win a few WSOP braclets and take a few WPT titles along the way as well. Hobbies: The water, boating, diving, kite surfing but havent been able to do that much since I moved. I enjoy turning my yard into an exotic garden. Miss my house in WH that I did that to. Exotic Birds, Poker was a hobby but it turned into a job. My real job Comme Poker Players I Respect Most: Allen Cunningham, Ted Forrest, they are both really very good and yet seem like kind and humble people as well. Oh and then there is Hoyt Corkins, I played against him at the WSOP and respected him as a player and a person. Just a real nice guy. If I could change anything in the poker world: Making online poker legal and legit, and that dealers and floor persons could some how never make a bad deal or bad decision :)

Joe Robertson Poker Results EVENT PLACE PRIZE DATE Big Poker October No Limit Hold'em XTRA Sports 27th $330 Sep 30, 2006 California State Poker Championship Event #1 - No Limit Hold'em 7th $4,882 Sep 5, 2006 Heavenly Hold'em No Limit Hold'em 27th $810 May 18, 2006 Seneca World Poker Classic No Limit Hold'em 22nd $180 Jan 27, 2006 See an error in the results? an email

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