Columnist Jeff Haney: Old Pro Tony Grand, 81, lets the youngsters know that the poker tournament grind is nothing like television

Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005 | 7:14 a.m.

Now 81 years old, poker pro Tony Grand has been playing the game at a high level of competition for three decades.

Since no-limit Texas hold 'em bullied its way into the public's consciousness in the past several years, Grand often finds himself the senior player at a given table -- sometimes by about 50 years.

But Grand will gladly put his experience on the line against his opponents' youth, he said.

"You got a lot of kids of playing, and some of them are pretty lucky," Grand of Chatsworth, Calif., said recently at the Bellagio. "You'll see a lot of them play any two (starting) cards."

Grand knows as well as anyone that while televised poker events highlight outrageous bluffs and dramatic all-in confrontations, tournament poker remains a game of percentage plays that's won and lost in the trenches.

A glaring difference between old-timers and novices on the tournament circuit, Grand said, is that the youngsters don't hesitate to push all of their chips in on a "coin flip" -- a situation where two players each have virtually an equal chance of winning the pot.

Veteran players will show more patience, Grand said, waiting until they sense an advantage -- even if it's just by a couple of percentage points. To a beginner, a 50-50 matchup might look about the same as a 55-45 matchup.

"No, that can make a big difference," Grand said. "A man with experience -- if he's a good player -- will try to get into a position where he has the best of it by 60-40. An inexperienced player will get his chips in when it's just 50-50, (which is) not nearly as good."

According to "Phil Gordon's Little Green Book," a low pair (say, two 7s) is usually a 51 percent to 49 percent favorite against two higher cards that are connected and of the same suit (a king and a queen of spades, for instance). That's as close to a coin flip as it gets.

Grand prefers to get his chips in with a hand such as an ace and a deuce against two intermediate cards such as a queen and an 8. The hand with the ace is a 58-42 favorite, according to Gordon.

"They can always get lucky, though," Grand said. "If you're lucky, you can win at this."

Grand's calculating style has paid off this year. He won $96,560 for a sixth-place finish in the most recent World Poker Tour event at the Bellagio, then last week beat a field of 275 players for the top prize of $29,210 in a smaller no-limit hold 'em tournament at Hollywood Park Casino, as part of the ninth annual National Championship of Poker.

A New Jersey native, Grand plays frequently in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and California cardrooms. He plans to continue mixing it up with poker's leading professionals for at least a few more years.

"I think you can count on that," he said.

* * *

A new poker show succinctly titled "High Stakes Poker" that's being filmed at the Golden Nugget today through Friday has an intriguing format.

Instead of a tournament -- the usual vehicle for televised poker -- the program will portray an old-fashioned no-limit Texas hold 'em cash game. Invited players must put up $100,000 to participate. They will have the opportunity to buy more chips if they "bust out," or lose their initial stake.

The show is scheduled to debut at 9 p.m. Jan. 16, on GSN, The Network for Games (Cox cable channel 344).

The show's concept was inspired by the private high-stakes, no-limit games that regularly take place in the Hollywood Hills homes of actors and wealthy business executives, GSN spokesman Dennis Johnson said.

"The difference is when guys like you and me play poker home games, we reach into our pockets to buy in for another $20," Johnson said. "These guys reach into their pocket for another $100,000."

Among the 20 players scheduled to appear are poker greats Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Johnny Chan, Barry Greenstein, Jennifer Harman and Phil Hellmuth, and Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss. The game will be eight-handed, with players participating on a rotating basis.

Traditionally, high-stakes, no-limit hold 'em is a waiting game, with an optimal strategy of playing very few hands to a showdown, especially when the blinds are small relative to the amount of cash in play. (A blind is a forced bet, similar to an ante.)

But skillful editing figures to make "High Stakes Poker" a compelling show.

The taping sessions are closed to the public.