Hal Lubarsky, blind player cashes in WSOP... fair!?

ditpoker

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19733334/ wrote:

Hal Lubarsky stares down at the table as he is dealt his cards, a young guy in a baseball cap leans forward and whispers into his ear. Is this a friend on the rail, passing along a possible tell he noticed about another player, or just passing on words of encouragement? Is he stopping to say hello? Are they making dinner plans for later?

No, the young guy is telling him what cards he has been dealt, because Lubarsky is unable to see them for himself. He is blind, and he is playing in the main event at the World Series of Poker.

Actually, Lubarsky is not just playing, he is thriving, outlasting more than 5,500 players to advance to Thursday’s Day 3. He entered the day in 78th place out of the remaining 797 with $307,900 in chips.

And if he continues to play well, “In about a couple hours I’m going to be the first blind guy to cash in the World Series of Poker,” he says.


Lubarsky suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disorder that causes the retina to slowly deteriorate over time.

“You’re born with it,” he explains. “It just gets progressively worse.”

In Lubarsky’s case, it was his night vision and peripheral vision that have gradually faded away until he has nothing more than a tiny floating window to peer through.

It’s like looking through a straw,” he says.

The ailment was devastating for Lubarsky, 46, a lifelong gambler who moved to Las Vegas from Brooklyn at age 29.

“I was extremely well known in cash games,” he says. “I’ve played with all the big names except for Doyle (Brunson) and Chip (Reese), and I know them.”

He spent most of his time at the Mirage and Binion’s Horseshoe — before the Bellagio was built and became the biggest place for cash games — looking for action.

He’d play in the $150-$300 (minimum bet) H.O.R.S.E. game, enjoying life as a high-roller.

“I was a famous poker player,” he says, “I was a world champion before I went blind.”

It was the late nineties when his vision started to get worse, to the point where it became difficult to play. At first he needed to ask the dealers to help him read the community cards in the middle of the table. But it didn’t stop there.

“Then I started having trouble reading my own cards,” he says, “And I quit.”

Lubarsky fell into depression, unable to play a game he had played for most of his life. A game he loved.

Then in 2003, Chris Moneymaker came along and won the main event. Moneymaker was an Internet qualifier, the first to win the big prize. He inspired others to try and do the same, leading to a mad rush of players to online card rooms.

Lubarsky decided to give it a shot playing poker on the Internet. He’d have a friend sit next to him and tell him what cards he had. He still does play online, but says “it’s harder than live games because it goes so fast.”

Then, about six months ago, a friend encouraged him to try a live game, with a reader to help him with the cards.

He wanted to practice working with a reader first, and it was like a massive lab experiment. He tried all sorts of things, such as having his helper tap him on the back (10 times for a 10, one for an ace, etc.). Nothing seemed effective or practical.

Then he realized a major flaw in his experiments. He was practicing at home, where it was quiet. Casinos tend to be much noisier, so why not just have his helper whisper in his ear?

Lubarsky also gravitated away from his favored game of limit hold’em, switching to no-limit because there tend to be less players in any one hand, making it easier to track.

In Lubarsky’s first live game, he played $2-$5 no-limit, and says he won $2,300, surpassing his expectations.

while this is great... and fair play to him... but surely then all the other players are more or less playing against 2 players?! that said can anyone think of how else he could play!?

NickyOD

Why the **** is he looking at his cards?

valor

I think this guy was at Dave's table on day #1, although he said it was his wife telling him his cards. maybe 2 blind guys?

NickyOD

He's the big blind every hand.

ho-ho!

smilingatyou

valor wrote:

I think this guy was at Dave's table on day #1, although he said it was his wife telling him his cards. maybe 2 blind mice?

see how he runs
apologies

White Knight

There were 2 blind guys playing the tournament. And I think he is lifting the cards for his reader to see them.

Theresalwaysone

Well if all the reader was doing was telling him his cards, when it was his turn, the bets before, and who is to act after. surely its ok? No?

ArmaniJeanss

OrigArticle wrote:

He tried all sorts of things, such as having his helper tap him on the back (10 times for a 10, one for an ace, etc.).

This might be just a little bit of a tell.

oooops

good to see.

kincsem

"YOU HAVE POCKET ACES"


fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold.

The Al Lad

NickyOD wrote:

Why the **** is he looking at his cards?

PMSL

fair play to him though,

I wouldn't like to get knocked out by him, you'd never live it down...."ha ha, the guy that knocked you out couldn't even see his cards "

imagine he had a fight with the card reader guy...and he says " yeah you have pocket rockets....."

OOPS SORRY I MEAN 7 DEUCE

:cool: <--- Steo Wonder rules

mdwexford

surely the one player to a hand rule is being breached here??

they should have let the monkey play last year

The Al Lad

mdwexford wrote:

surely the one player to a hand rule is being breached here??

they should have let the monkey play last year

I thought Chris Moneymaker did play ???

Captain Tom

The Al Lad wrote:

I thought Chris Moneymaker did play ???

(tumbleweed blows past)

phantom_lord

if i was the reader guy every so often i'd lie about the hand, tell him he has a monster and watch as he pulls off an awesome bluff with no fear...

sendic

maybe the onus should be on the casino to supply an impartial reader for him. They legally have to cater for other disabilities.

As to whether or not its a breach of the "one player to a hand" rule, there's no way Harrahs (or and other business) would want the PR fallout of not letting the blind guy play.

fair balls to him anyway for cashing

GrangeUtd

he is still in headin to day 4 with 409000 chips. Fantastic achievment considering
he can't look at people for tells.

Cuban Son

phantom_lord wrote:

if i was the reader guy every so often i'd lie about the hand, tell him he has a monster and watch as he pulls off an awesome bluff with no fear...

That would be sick-lol.

Why don't they just have a braille deck? they are available. I don't think it would compromise the game as the others still wouldn't know what he has.
I wonder if he's had much problems with his helper whispering too loud?

careca

Like to hear a bit more about this alright. Does he just tell him his two hole cards and thats it. Obviously the dealer must call out the flop cards, but its still some going to remember them if his 'pal' isn't allowed talk during a hand.

The Al Lad

everyone of us sould be banned

NickyOD

careca wrote:

Like to hear a bit more about this alright. Does he just tell him his two hole cards and thats it. Obviously the dealer must call out the flop cards, but its still some going to remember them if his 'pal' isn't allowed talk during a hand.

Apparently the guy tells him all the action as it happens. I would really hate to be at this guys table. It would totally put me off my game.

Cuban Son

sendic wrote:

maybe the onus should be on the casino to supply an impartial reader for him. They legally have to cater for other disabilities.

As to whether or not its a breach of the "one player to a hand" rule, there's no way Harrahs (or and other business) would want the PR fallout of not letting the blind guy play.

fair balls to him anyway for cashing

Its definitely not a breach of the one player per hand rule. All the guy is doing is telling him his cards.
If his helper advises him on how to play, e.g. he says 'I'd raise here', or 'fold that pile of crap' then there are two players playing one hand. As is, the guy is a professional card player and is acting accordingly.
I know in the Fitz there are players who have helpers with them, their helper can see their hand, place chips on the table for them, but thats as far as it goes. They never comment on how the player should act.
Anyway-do you know any player that likes being told how to play their hand?:D

insafehands

Cuban Son wrote:

Its definitely not a breach of the one player per hand rule. All the guy is doing is telling him his cards.
If his helper advises him on how to play, e.g. he says 'I'd raise here', or 'fold that pile of crap' then there are two players playing one hand. As is, the guy is a professional card player and is acting accordingly.
I know in the Fitz there are players who have helpers with them, their helper can see their hand, place chips on the table for them, but thats as far as it goes. They never comment on how the player should act.
Anyway-do you know any player that likes being told how to play their hand?:D

If he has to speak quiet enough so no-one can here what cards your man has, how does anyone know he's not giving him advice?

That said, unless the guy is a friend, I think it's fine and fair play to the guy.

hotspur

Just imagine the equity his helper would have if he got down to the final 2 -
"I dunno Hal, I'm finding it kinda hard to see the cards myself, maybe a couple of million dollars would improve my visual acuity!"

RoundTower

I played with a different blind player, Jason Holbrook (google Jason Holbrook poker, there are lots of links). The reader would tell him his cards very quietly and then tell him the action a little bit louder. I was in seat 1 and he was in seat 2 and the reader was in seat 1.5 so I could hear every word she said (apart from the hole cards obviously). I found it helped me to concentrate on the action too. I don't think anyone had a problem with him playing.

Jesus Wept

If the read was good enough to be giving him good advice, he may as well play himself instead...

I really really really doubt they are doing anything below-board.

DeVore

The monkey did play last year. He won it....

Btw, Hal just exited in 192nd I think. He doesnt need any advice, from listening to him being interviewed in the press room, he's a pretty accomplished player.

Also, the bbc ran an experiment recently where they asked people to judge is someone was lying with full audio & video. Then they reran it with just audio and in the latter case they got about 15% higher correlation with the correct results...

DeV.

insafehands

In fact, as he's probably only allowed say his cards before any action takes place, I was pretty wrong in what I said about possible cheating...

mdwexford

RoundTower wrote:

I played with a different blind player, Jason Holbrook (google Jason Holbrook poker, there are lots of links). The reader would tell him his cards very quietly and then tell him the action a little bit louder. I was in seat 1 and he was in seat 2 and the reader was in seat 1.5 so I could hear every word she said (apart from the hole cards obviously). I found it helped me to concentrate on the action too. I don't think anyone had a problem with him playing.

really?? i thought it would be very off putting. same kinda thing as the guy last year who had no arms or something and had to use his feet and a little block of wood to look at his cards. i always thought something like that at my table would make it very hard to concentrate