The Black Hat meets the p0ker h0
Posted: 2007-11-05 17:27:33
So one day you decide to stop by the local pub for a beer and a burger after a tough day at the office. We all do it right? Well for most of us we don't leave with destiny in the works. Here is the story of how a Black Hat met a p0ker h0.
There must be something in the water in Madison Wisconsin because it spawns very successful poker players. If you have turned on your TV the last 10 years then you know of Mr. 11, Phil Hellmuth. If you have logged onto Ultimate Bet the last 5 years, then you know of Mark "p0ker h0" Kroon. Both are extremely successful players and teachers of the game who are featured instructors at many different World Series of Poker Academies. We would now like to introduce you to Brad "The Black Hat" Smithson. Brad has been playing poker for about 5 years. This is a standard time for the majority of poker players. What you will also find out is that Brad isn't the majority of poker players and has a remarkable story to tell.
Mark and Brad met around the local poker scene in Madison and have become very close. Mark saw something he doesn't see in every player and that is passion. He saw passion and potential in Brad and took him under his wing in a mentor role and taught him everything he knows (well maybe not everything, he has kept some to himself). Mark then introduced Brad to Ultimate Bet and has since been a regular on the tables.
Fast forward to the day Brad walked into the Player's Bar (the owner, operator and cook is p0ker h0). The $100 Rebuy Aruba satellite was about to begin and Mark asked Brad if he wanted to play. Mark is a daily player in these satellites and has won upwards of $500,000 in Aruba satellites alone the past 5 years. Brad explained to Mark that he didn't really have that kind of bank roll to play in a $100 Rebuy. This is when Brad's destiny was formed. P0ker h0 quickly sent him $300 TD's (Tournament Dollars) and said "if you win a seat I get half your travel money and half of you in Aruba on what ever you win". This is a great deal. He doesn't have to pay Mark back, and if he wins he is going to Aruba for free (keep reading, it wasn't really for free). Brad really isn't a stranger to playing big events as he cashed in the WSOP this year. So Brad takes the tourney dollars, and 3 hours later he wins a seat and leaves Player's knowing he is going to Aruba.
Fast forward again to landing in Aruba. The Madison Posse is invading the Radisson with 11 players in total (I am sure more then just one Mark Kroon has a piece of) and of course everyone is having fun. A couple of days later the Madison Posse and the rest of the 550 player field hit the felt. Brad wasn't really nervous he says, but he did have a few butterflies in his stomach, but they quickly disappeared. As the tournament progresses players get knocked out, the party begins along with the ridiculous side bets, $10k buy-in 1/2 No Limit poker games, and of course golfing for what some people make in a year with Phil Hellmuth. The good news for Brad is that he didn't get caught in this mega fun stuff. Strange we know, but what he did do was stay focused and make the final table.
How does a kid who was backed into a $100 Rebuy make the final table of such a prestigious event? Well here is how Brad puts it. "I attribute my success in this tournament to a few things. One would be the support network that I had. Another would be my focus and determination to succeed in this tournament since I sacrificed partying and staying out late the entire time I was playing in this tournament".
If you didn't have a chance to check out the live feeds on Ultimatebet.com that Bluff put on we asked Brad to walk us through a few hands that were important to him.
"One hand I had called Jordan Knight's all in with AK against his 77 and got a A-K-K flop sending Mr. Knight to the rail. Another hand was where I had knocked out Jason Grey by getting pretty lucky against his AA. With a flop of 8-9-6 my 77 were looking good enough to me to get my money in and hit a miracle 7 to send Mr. Grey to the rail. The biggest hand for me unfortunately was very bad for me. At dinner break I had the chiplead with 2.2 million in chips and had realized that the only way I was going to be able to beat Travis was by setting a big trap. So a few hands after the dinner break I received pocket AA and decided to slow play them before the flop. On a flop of j-8-8 Travis fired 100k and I check raised and made it 300k to go. He called, then I fired 400k at the pot on the turn when a blank came and he smooth called again. Finally on the river I fired another 600k into the pot quite possibly being the worst bet I've ever made because I had pot committed myself to his all in reraise. I had to call and to my disgust Travis had flopped a full house while holding j-8".
After Travis hit his sick full house against Brad the hand that did him in was when he had ace jack and decided to reshove on Jim Mordue who called me instantly with an AK. The jack in the window gave him and his posse lots to cheer about but after the ace and king came next. There was little hope for his tournament to continue. A blank turn and blank river ended his miracle run at the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic.
For his quick stop by Players Bar in Madison on the way home from work Brad "The Black Hat" Smithson turned a beer and a burger into $252,000. Remember when we told you this Aruba trip was free? Well he kept his word to Mark Kroon and gave him $126,000.
When asked what Brad was going to do with the money he said buying a nice new watch was first, and the rest is for his future and his bankroll. Ultimate Bet wants to send out a big congratulations to Brad for sharing his story with us and all of you, and to Mark Kroon for believing in the UB players. You really are a true ambassador to the game and to the brand.
