Championship Chat

The past three World Series of Poker Champions talk cards, chips, and playing like an idiot.

Joe Hachem (2005 champ): Chris, when you played the World Series, mate, was that your first live tournament?

Chris Moneymaker (2003 champ): That was my first live tournament. I was definitely nervous. My objective the entire first day was just to get through the first day. If I made it through the first day I was going to be the happiest man in the world, playing only premium hands where I flopped sets or straights.

Hachem: You flopped that many hands?

Moneymaker: I flopped a lot of hands, yeah.

Greg Raymer (2004 champ): That's not really a long-term strategy to be a winning tournament player.

Moneymaker: No, it's a bad strategy. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. I remember the year I won, I was raising out of position with jack-10. Back then, I thought jack-king was a monster. Now I realize it's not. Someone would move all in and I'd call with pocket deuces. Now I lay down a lot of hands where before I would call. It's hard to say when you're ready to go for the World Series. It's the point where you're willing to lose the $10,000.

Hachem: A lot of people make the mistake of thinking. "I'm playing with $10,000. I'm going to hold on to day two to get my money's worth."

Raymer: They're afraid that if they raise 150, it's essentially equivalent to $150. They've got to pretend they're playing Monopoly. We're getting Monopoly dollars. They're not worth two cents on the dollar. They're just part of the game, the equipment of the game.

Hachem: We're talking about people who decide to play their first live tournament as a main event $10,000 event. I'm sure Greg and I have similar backgrounds. I started playing $10 tournaments. You build yourself up the ranks, so by the time you have $10,000 you've already played a $3,000 tournament. But to walk fresh off the street and say, "Bang, I'm playing in a live $10,000 tournament?" I wish you all the best.

Moneymaker: One thing I would say about winning the World Series is I can remember everything. I can remember every single hand I played in the World Series. I can remember hands I played yesterday but next week I'll probably forget those. For some reason I remember every World Series hand I've played.

Hachem: They're so important. Moneymaker: Yeah, it's just that important. It is the one tournament you don't want to get put out of. Winning it is probably the third best thing that has ever happened to me.

Hachem: People always ask, "Is it about luck to win the World Series?" It's about your aces not getting cracked. Rather than use the term "good luck" or "lucky," it's good fortune.

Moneymaker: You also have to be fortunate enough to have a guy that has a good enough hand to call you. You have to get lucky in that respect too.