So I played poker yesterday with Phil Kessel of the Toronto Maple Leafs at Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort. We started off playing $2/$5 nl. The game was just horrible. There were some deep stacks however most players at the table had fewer than 300 dollars in front of them (sign that the game sucks). I ended up bluffing (with 6 high) into 3 other players when one guy had quad kings. I was really not in the mood to nit it up at the $2/$5 game. So I dusted off a few hundred and encouraged the floor to open a $5/$10 game.

Anyways I encouraged Phil to come play. He was playing the $2/$5 with his dad. I was surprised to see that Phil played pretty solid once he came to the $5/$10 table.

At the $2/$5 game he was playing like the rest of the table (except me of course, hence why I dumped money). They were all limping in and hoping to catch the nuts. It was pretty tough to bluff into 5 guys who would call anything pre-flop. There was just zero fold equity.  

At the $5/$10 game Kessel entered pots with raises and did a lot less limping in (good job Phil). He played a pretty solid tight ABC style game and that is usually a winning style when there are only two above average players at the table. Although he was easy to read (checked his draws, bet when he hit draws etc.) he made some good money because he woke up with the nuts like 5 or 6 times.

For a hockey player I would say he played pretty solid. When the game got shorthanded and there was only two other players left at the table he immediately picked up his chips. I tried to convince him to keep playing however he told us that we would just crush him (I didn’t blame him for wanting to leave).

Half of the table didn’t know who he was. But when they found out they started chatting him up.  Phil was very nice about it. Seems like a good all around kid. He even hinted that the Toronto Maple Leafs will probably make the playoffs this year.

Cheers,

Errol