Adam “Roothlus” Levy is a professional poker player from Orlando, Florida with well over $1 million in online tournament earnings. But like many of his internet cronies, Levy has made a smooth transition to live poker and his results certainly back up the argument that the online crowd has some serious game.
Levy made a deep run in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, and along the way collided with several well-known pros. One happened to be the “poker brat” himself, Phil Hellmuth, and the two played an unforgettable hand at the ESPN featured table.
PokerNewsDaily got a chance to speak with Levy about the hand, which took place on Day 4 with only 350 of the original 6,844 players remaining in the field.
PokerNewsDaily: First, can you go over any history you’ve had playing with Phil Hellmuth? What do you think of his No-Limit game?
Adam Levy: I have played with him before. Briefly in the $1,500 no-limit event in 2005 and then again in the $25K WPT at Bellagio. We played for the entire day on Day 1 and we sat next to each other; even got into it a few times. I think he is an amazing player with certain fundamental preflop leaks that generally do not come into play too often live. He is the best player ever at sucking up the dead money and getting good players off of their game at times. I later found out after the hand he did not remember me but I obviously remembered him.
Hand setup:
Blinds: 2.5K/5K
Phil Hellmuth raises to 15K from early position (with around 500K in chips) and in typical fashion gives a speech before he puts his chips in: “Oh no I’m gonna do something here. This hand wasn’t very good for me yesterday.” Adam Levy calls on the button with Qc 10c (with around 460K in chips) and play is heads up.
PND: Does Phil’s constant jabbering give away anything?
AL: I think it does here and there but it helps him more than it doesn’t. In (this) hand he muttered something about Q10 on the river and I really had no idea what it meant. I thought it was a possibility he had the same hand but it didn’t change anything in the hand.
PND: What’s his image like at this point and how wide is his opening range here? Also, what’s your thought process before making the call with Qc 10c?
AL: Well he had shown down J4 offsuit in late position. I knew he wanted everyone to think he was super loose and that really he wasn’t but having seen how he played in the $25K (WTP event), he still opens a lot of pots regardless of what he wants his image to be. I was debating folding it but having the button and the fact that both of us had 90+ big blinds made me lean towards calling. Also, you never know what can happen with Hellmuth in a hand (laughs.)
FLOP: Jh 9h 6d
Hellmuth bets 20K.
Levy calls.
PND: How often do you think Phil makes a continuation bet here?
AL: It’s a moderately connected flop with three straight draws, two relevant gutshots (K10, KQ) and heart draws out there so I’d say he has to have a little something to bet this flop. And by a little something I mean as little as two overs.
PND: Did you consider putting in a raise with your straight draw?
AL: I did not consider putting in a raise on the flop. I did not want to make it a big pot on the flop especially when he gave me such a cheap price. If anything, with this weak bet if he checks the turn to me I can bet the turn and take the pot away.
TURN: 8d
PND: What is your initial reaction when you make the nuts on the turn and what course of action do you plan on taking if he bets/checks?
AL: Well clearly I’m ecstatic. I didn’t want to make a plan just yet. Wanted to wait for him to act and see his bet sizing before I made my plan. So when he checks I feel like he’s giving up and doesn’t have much. He probably would’ve bet the turn with a flush draw. He could be pot controlling with a jack or even a decent 9. But with two flush draws out there now I did not think he would check really big hands. So I made a smallish bet to lure him in to try to value town the river.
TURN: 8d
Hellmuth checks.
Levy bets 37K.
Hellmuth calls.
PND: You bet nearly half the pot and he quickly check/calls. What range of hands can you put him on now and what cards are you hoping to avoid on the river, if any?
AL: I did not like my bet on the turn looking back at it. If anything with two flush draws out there I should’ve bet 40-50K on the turn but regardless I didn’t think he was strong. I thought a small possibility that he had a flush draw even though like I said I really thought he would bet the turn with the flush draws but he can be very tricky at times. I still think he is not that strong. Top pair at best. Maybe an overpair but I ruled that out when he bet so small on the flop. On the river I never want to see the board pair because then I no longer have the nuts. I don’t want to see a Q, 7 or anything that would roll off to make the board really scary. Pretty much I want an offsuit deuce.
RIVER: 2c
Hellmuth bets 60K into a pot of 156K and utters “I’m not tricky enough to play queen-ten this good am I?”
PND: Is there any chance he does in fact have the same hand as you? What is he more likely holding?
AL: I thought that for a brief moment but it was inconsequential when I’m still raising regardless of what he has. At this point I’ve upped my range to as good as a weirdly played two pair. Maybe he made a loose call on the turn and got there with 22. I really wasn’t sure.
Levy raises to 155K.
Hellmuth calls.
Hands Revealed:
BOARD: Jh 9h 6d 8d 2c
Adam Levy shows Qc 10c (straight to the queen)
Phil Hellmuth shows 8s 8h (set of eights)
PND: Hellmuth is immediately disgusted upon seeing your hand and begins a lengthy tirade: “He called my raise with a (bleeping) queen ten.” What is your honest opinion about the way Phil conducts himself, especially at a featured television table? Should he be penalized for breaking rules that are clearly stated in the tournament rulebook?
AL: It’s great for TV. Love Phil or hate Phil he gets people to watch. I really enjoyed playing with him even with all his tirades. It makes it fun. I do think that he should be penalized at times like any other player. But if you notice his tirades, he NEVER slows the game down. Everyone can spend an extra couple of seconds before tossing their cards in the muck. Even after the tirade against me he didn’t miss the next hand. Regardless, there comes a certain point where it’s just too much. But I don’t think he should be penalized for any tirade.
PND: You handled yourself very well, especially after being called a “(bleeping) internet player that won’t last another hour.” You ended up making it through Day 4 and all the way into Day 6 before busting in 48th place for $135,100. How would you grade your play at the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event?
AL: I’d give myself an A. It wasn’t my best tournament played but I definitely played very well. From the middle of Day 2 when I had 12K at 300/600 I was in a groove up until Day 5 and 6. I went card dead and things started not going my way. I have a few regrets about spots I could’ve taken and spots that I shouldn’t have taken but I can’t live in the past. Forty-eighth place is an excellent accomplishment and I hope the guy who busted me, Ivan Demidov, goes on to win it all. I’m pretty sure he’s the best player left.