Calling all gamblers

>> Poker legend Howard Lederer comes to town to raise the stakes for the second annual Montreal Texas Hold ’Em tourney

by ERIK LEIJON

Twenty seats in Las Vegas will be up for grabs at the 2007 Montreal Texas Hold ’Em Poker Open from March 26–29 at the Windsor hotel. Organizers of the second-ever open devoted to the fast-growing card game sensation are expecting 1,500 would-be Kenny Rogers-es to know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em.

“I was totally shocked [about last year’s tournament], in a good way,” says American poker legend Howard Lederer, who has two World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets (given for official tournament wins) and is on the design team for Full Tilt Poker, a poker Web site and the Open’s title sponsor. He will be on hand along with WSOP 2000 main event winner Chris “Jesus” Ferguson to give a seminar and bestow wisdom on fellow card sharks.

“After seeing that many people playing a tournament outside America, it made me realize just how much of a world game poker has become,” says Lederer. “It may have been the largest I had ever seen outside Las Vegas.” Last year’s tournament at Marché Bonsecours had 800 players.

Vegas, baby!

Texas Hold ’Em Poker has exploded in popularity in recent years, with its major tournament, the World Series of Poker $10,000 buy-in main event in Las Vegas, receiving national television coverage comparable to major sports events. Last year’s grand prize totalled $12-million and had 8,773 participants.

In Hold ’Em, each player holds two pocket cards, while three community cards are initially dealt face-up after opening bets, called the flop. Next comes the turn card—another card added to the community, and the final card, called the river. A winning hand would be the best combination of any five cards from the player’s own two cards with the five community cards, but as with any poker game, the best players typically win with appropriate raises and cunning bluffs. The Montreal Open has a buy-in of $300 (with re-buys, meaning if you lose early, you can pay to re-enter), a grand prize of $12,000 (U.S.) and a private lesson from a pro from Full Tilt Poker.

Players will have to ace qualifying before reaching the green felt tables of the World Series. Round One occurs during the first three evenings, where the field will be whittled down each night to around the 100 best players. The 300 winners will have a chance to return on Thursday, March 29, and the final 20 will be flown to Las Vegas on Victoria Day weekend to compete for cash and other prizes, including nine highly-coveted WSOP main-event seats in July.

Head games

Lederer, who is also an avid chess player, believes it’s the mental aspect of poker that attracts players from all walks of life. “Chess and poker are quite different. Chess is a calculating game, and all the answers are right in front of you. Poker is about getting inside your opponents’ heads and about figuring things out even though not all the information is available to you.”

Nicknamed “The Professor” by poker commentator Jesse May, Lederer does have some advice for Montrealers dreaming of millions in Vegas: don’t expect pocket aces on every hand. “There are only a few winners, so it’s important to be realistic and not go in expecting to win. Just have fun and try to hit some cards.”

Also expect some white-knuckle moments. The Open’s senior advisor, Chris Papp, participated last year, and recalls the tragic hand that knocked him out of the tourney. “I was low stack and the big blind was coming around to me. I had Ace-6 off-suit and decided to go all in under the gun. I got called by one player who turned over Ace-9 off-suit. Neither of us hit our cards and he ended up winning with the 9 kicker. There is nothing like the thrill and anticipation of an all-in moment.”

(A translation: “I was low stack [least number of chips] and the big blind [a large ante, since only the two players to the left of the dealer pay large and small antes respectively—the dealer button moves each hand] was coming around to me. I had Ace-6 off-suit [the Ace and 6 were different suits] and decided to go all in [bet all of my chips] under the gun [first person to bet]. I got called by one player who turned over Ace-9 off-suit [when someone bets all-in, they turn over the two pocket cards they are holding since no more bets can be made]. Neither of us hit our cards [after the all-in bet came the flop, turn and river, and neither a 9 nor 6 were among the five community cards] and he ended up winning with the 9 kicker [they both had Ace-high, so the 9 the opponent was carrying meant he had the better hand].”)

Proceeds from the tournament go to the Miriam Foundation, a local charity that provides services for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

If space is available, walk-ups will be permitted, but last year’s event sold out, so interested players should register in advance at www.themontrealopen.com, or by calling the Miriam Foundation at (514) 345-1300.