Ensan, Livingston, Sammartino Plot Strategies to Capture WSOP Title
You've seen how PokerNews' comprehensive coverage of the 2019 World Series of Poker Main Event has included a lot more than just live updates and chip counts. There's been a steady stream of features and other reporting as well.
Much as Hossein Ensan, Alex Livingston, and Dario Sammartino have emerged from the huge field of 8,569 players to battle tonight for the $10 million first prize and most coveted title in poker, below find some selections drawn from our Main Event coverage highlighting each player's strategic approach to the game.
Hossein Ensan (326.8 million)
Of all the players making the final table, only Hossein Ensan brought with him the kind of high-pressure tournament experience that begins to rival that of Sammartino.
A German resident originally from Iran, the 55-year-old Ensan has long been a familiar face on the European Poker Tour where his list of accomplishments include a third-place finish in the EPT Barcelona Main Event in 2014 and a victory in the EPT Prague Main Event in 2015. Winnings from those two finishes comprise about two-thirds of the $2.67 million he has earned in his tournament career.
Ensan has been the big stack throughout this year's final table, and for much of it he has enjoyed an especially large lead ahead of the chase pack.
For one brief moment early on yesterday after Sammartino doubled through him to survive, Ensan's lead shrunk to just over 19 million ahead of then-nearest challenger Garry Gates. But Ensan immediately won the next two pots to start building again, and for long stretches had more than 50 percent of the chips in play when it was still five-handed.
Last night during the ESPN coverage a quick bio shown on screen quoted Ensan describing the principle guiding his approach to the game as "strategy over mathematics."
While that phrase might seem enigmatic, he has demonstrated great instincts and timing throughout the final table thus far while using his chips to pressure opponents. More than one pro commented over Twitter last night how Ensan seemed at times able to pinpoint exactly what hands his opponents held and accordingly play just the right strategy.
Experience is more important than books. Poker is from skill, luck, good run and strategy
Speaking to PokerNews on Day 7, Ensan cited his experience as an important factor contributing to the ease with which he's handled the pressure of a deep Main Event run.
"I am experienced since 2002 in hold'em," said Ensan. "Experience is more important than books. Poker is from skill, luck, good run and strategy. So, this is the point."
As is true for many poker players, part of Ensan's motivation to play and win the Main Event has to do with how the achievement will validate his study and skill as a player.
"This confirms my game, and I know I can play poker," he said, referring to his having outlasted 8,000-plus opponents to move within reach of the title. "This is nice!"
Alex Livingston (120.4 million)
Hailing from Halifax, Canada, 32-year-old Alex Livingston had more than a decade of poker experience and over $730K in tournament cashes coming into this year's WSOP Main Event.
Livingston also had one very specific experience of great use to someone making the Main Event final table — he'd almost made it this far once before.
In 2013 Livingston finished 13th out of 6,352 for a better than $450K cash. When speaking to PokerNews, he highlighted that journey all of the way to a Main Event Day 7 as especially valuable for helping him maintain his focus this time around.
"I'm obviously super lucky to be here again in this situation, but the experience has been a lot easier because I've been here before," said Livingston.
He described having trouble eating well, losing weight, and failing to get adequate rest as having affected him six years ago, though this time he's managed to avoid those pitfalls.
"I'm trying to just stay focused on the tournament... just stick to my close friends and focus on what needs to be done, which is just playing a poker tournament," he explained. "At the end of the day, it's just a poker tournament. I'm just taking it a hand at a time, a decision at a time and what happens, happens — can't control the rest."
I'm just taking it a hand at a time, a decision at a time and what happens, happens — can't control the rest.
In contrast to Ensan, Livingston was forced to persevere with a short stack for much of the period leading up to the final table, then again Sunday and part of Monday before finally pulling even with Gates and then surging past him in the counts into second position.
A key hand on Monday saw Livingston correctly call a big river bluff by Gates, enabling Livingston to push up over 110 million after having started the night with 45.8 million.
It was another hand against Gates on the first night of the final table that drew a lot of scrutiny, one in which Livingston opened with pocket queens and saw Sammartino call, then after Gates three-bet from the blinds Livingston folded his big pair — and quickly at that — to the surprise of many watching at home. (Gates had pocket tens and won the pot preflop after Sammartino also folded pocket eights.)
After play concluded on Sunday, Livingston discussed the fold with PokerNews.
"Just because I ran into tens doesn't mean it was a bad fold," said Livingston. "I put [Gates] on a range that consisted of tens-plus and ace-king for the most part. And with ICM considerations, I really didn't like getting it in in that spot. And I also feel like I'm a pretty strong postflop player and I wanted to preserve some flexibility with my stack."
Check out "Hand of the Week: Livingston Folds Queens Preflop at WSOP Main Event Final Table" for a full analysis of the decision.
Dario Sammartino (67.6 million)
Dario Sammartino of Italy was the best known player to make the final table this year, and for many was regarded the most skilled as well, making him a favorite for some despite having entered the final table sixth in chips.
With more than $8 million in cashes including a third-place finish for more than $1.6 million in the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop at the 2017 WSOP, the 32-year-old poker pro's résumé of results was easily the most impressive of the group.
Like Ensan, Sammartino is a constant presence at the EPT where he's collected four titles and made numerous final tables, including in high rollers and super high rollers.
Meanwhile like Livingston, Sammartino has also endured being low on chips at the final table, having been consistently below the average and relatively short-stacked the entire way thus far. Even so, while he had to survive that all-in against Ensan mentioned above, he's mostly managed to avoid danger while slowly chipping up to maintain enough chips to be able to maneuver without inordinate risk.
Perhaps Sammartino's most important hand in the Main Event came early on Day 6 versus Antonio Esfandiari with 87 players left. After raising with A♠Q♦ and calling a three-bet from Esfandiari who had A♥K♠, Sammartino check-called a continuation bet after the K♥10♥5♣ flop, then check-called a shove from Esfandiari after spiking the J♦ on the turn for Broadway.
The river blanked and soon after that Esfandiari was out in 82nd. Sammartino suddenly had a big stack and enough momentum to carry through to the final table.
I change all the time and play my opponents differently. I hope it makes it hard for people to know how to play against me.
"That hand was so sick," Sammartino said to PokerNews afterwards. Sammartino was himself pretty sick with the flu for several days early in the Main Event, but is now healthy and plenty strong to bring his hard-to-combat approach to the endgame.
"I change my play a lot," Sammartino explains. "I change based on the table, the stack, the player. A lot of things help me decide how to play."
"I don't have one basic strategy, and that is good. I change all the time and play my opponents differently. I hope it makes it hard for people to know how to play against me."
Sammartino will have 33 big blinds when three-handed play starts tonight at 5:30 p.m. local time. As he's shown already, Sammartino has both the patience and imagination to know how to make the short stack work for him, and still has to be considered a contender despite his current chip disadvantage.
Indeed, all three remaining players bring strong games to tonight's finale. Be sure to stick close to PokerNews tonight for every hand (and a whole lot more) to find out which one of them will be the next WSOP Main Event champion.
