Poker Table Talk Tips From the Master - Scotty Nguyen

With $11,702,955, @Thuan B. "Scotty" Nguyen ranks 12th in the world by live winnings. He has won FIVE WSOP bracelets - the most coveted decoration in the world of poker. He is the only player to have won both a WSOP Main Event (1998) and the H.O.R.S.E. Championship (2008) and has several WPT titles. Yet despite all of these accomplishments, Scotty Nguyen is likely to go down in poker history with the way he played and 'table-talked" his winning hand at the 1998 WSOP and his classic line: "Call it, and it's all over, baby".

Scotty has always acknowledged that #PokerTableTalk is an important part of his game. Here are some of his own thoughts and tips on the subject:

As the poker world knows I love to talk at the poker table and it’s not just for effect baby. Opponents often think too much about what you say to them, and if you can get into their heads, you can control their actions at the table.

If you have a good read on your opponent, and you can figure out what he is probably holding, then sometimes it doesn’t matter what two cards you have in your hand, because you can just play his.

The key is not to listen to what your opponent might say, but how comfortable he is when saying it. That is when you look for neck throbbing, slurred words, or a shaky voice.

Scotty Nguyen discussing poker with @Oliver Ali Nejad:

Scotty Nguyen impression by @Daniel Negreanu  :)

Read on:

WSOP Final Hands - Scotty Nguyen in 1998

WSOP Final Hands - Scotty Nguyen in 1998

In the distant 1998 @Thuan B. "Scotty" Nguyen, then 37 year old, emerged as the champion over a field of 350 players who had come to the @Binions Horseshoe to play the Main Event, forming a prizepool of $3,500,000. The hand that won Scotty one million dollars is still considered one of the most interesting ones in #WSOP history. It has also been the beginning and end of hundreds of discussions, comments, and articles on the subject of #PokerTableTalk . The hand was played very well by Scotty, as acknowledged even by his final challenger, @Kevin Mcbride.

Here is how Scotty came out victorius with the combined use of slow play, reverse psychology, acting and table talk:

Nguyen: J♦ 9♣ 

McBride: Q♥ 10♥ 

McBride opens the betting with $50,000 and Nguyen calls.
Flop comes 8♣ 9♦ 9♥ .

Nguyen checks and McBride bets $100,000. Nguyen calls.

The turn card is 8♥ giving McBride a possible flush and straight draw, while Nguyen already has a full house.

Nguyen checks again, and McBride bets another $100,000.

The river is the 8♠ and now there is a full house on the board. Scotty goes all in.

Immediately after his all in, Scotty got up from his chair and raised his beer at Kevin Mcbride with what has now become his classic line, "Call it and it will be all over, baby". As evident from McBride's shocked expression, the taunt got at him and he later admitted that Scotty's words was what made up his mind to call. "I'll play with the board," he said. And lost.

You can watch how the whole hand unfolded (note the presence of another great veteran - @Mike Matusow - on the rail; Mike had reportedly staked Scotty for one third of his 10K buy-in):