Jonathan Zaun | January 30th, 2015
Weaving through the field to reach the final table of any poker tournament – from your local casino’s daily shove-fest to the game’s big buy-in bonanzas – is a metric that most players use to measure success. Many successful pros experience long droughts during which the final table is nothing more than a mirage, shimmering elusively on the horizon at the start of every tournament before vanishing in an instant. Even the most consistent performers in poker only make a handfulof final table runs per year, demonstrating the feat’s enduring difficulty.
All of which is to say one thing: the final table streak Brian Rast has strung together during the last five months is a sight to behold.
Beginning in September of last year, the Zen Poker Mentoring Lead Pro has made at least one final table every month, and his last six cashes over that span have resulted in third or fourth place finishes. Rast has added a staggering $1.4 million to his bankroll as a result of his historic roll, but that number could nearly double pending the results of yet another final table run.
A total of 668 players ponied up the $10,600 buy-in to compete in the 2015 Aussie Millions Poker Championship Main Event – including legends like Phil Ivey, Chris Moorman, and Joe Hachem. By the time Day 4 was in the books only seven players remained in contention for the $1.24 million first prize payout, with Zen Poker Mentoring’s Co-Founder and Lead Pro representing the brand in fine style. Rast secured a seat at his seventh final table in just five months’ time by playing the calm, precise style of poker that has become his signature during a highly successful career on the felt. Combining a modern analytical approach with natural hand reading instinct, Rast showed his peers in the poker world what Zen Poker Mentoring has to offer by making what may have been the best play of the entire tournament.
Rast eliminated Michael Pedley in 27th place by correctly calling down his opponent’s all-in river bluff with just third pair. According to PokerNews’ live coverage of the proceedings, after taking a flop of 9d-4d-7c three ways, Rast bet his Jc-9d and top pair to see where he stood. This cleared out the third player and left Rast heads up against Pedley, with the Ks falling on fourth street. Pedley then check-raised Rast’s 115,000 wager, making it the minimum of 230,000 to play. Rast stuck around and flatted the bet, and when the Qh completed the board on the river Pedley shoved all in for his last 390,000, putting the pro to a tough test for right around half of his remaining chips at a crucial stage in the tournament.
“It was a big decision,” explained Rast during an extensive, informative hand analysis interview with PokerNews’ Sarah Herring. “And eventually… I’ve learned when I play to just go with my heart. You know, I’ve been playing for a long time. And when I think through a hand and I feel like this is the right decision, I’ve learned to just say ‘let’s go with it.’
Maybe he’s gonna show me he slowplayed sevens, maybe he’s gonna show me like king-nine, but let’s go with it. So I called.
”After several minutes in the tank to deliberate while replaying the hand in his head, and with only third pair to fall back on, Rast made a courageous call – and a correct call to boot. His pair of nines had Pedley’s pocket eights beat, and just like that Rast laid claim to a sizable stack with the final table in sight.***(If you want to learn more about how Rast read this high-pressure situation to perfection, you can review the hand with the man himself by attending Zen Poker Mentoring’s debut session in February. for more information.) <- LINK TO SIGN UP PAGE HERE
Rast cooled off a bit during the latter stages of Day 4, but he still managed to parlay the massive pot he pilfered from Pedley into his seventh final table appearance since September. After enjoying a well-deserved day off, Rast returns on Sunday, February 1st – bringing 1.185 million chips to bear with only six opponents standing between him and more than a million dollars. Although he will be the short stack when play resumes, Rast will have the clear edge in terms of experience, and he will be looking to add a seventh consecutive fourth-place-or-better finish to an already sterling résumé.Fans and followers of Zen Poker Mentoring can track Rast’s progress via PokerNews’ live coverage of the Aussie Millions Main Event. We will also be sure to provide an update here when the tournament concludes, so check back in with Zen Poker Mentoring’s home page to find out if Rast finishes things off with a million dollar score Down Under.
Zen Poker Mentoring will hold the first of its two-day instructional sessions in Las Vegas during the weekend of February 21st-22nd, providing poker players of all skill level personal access to Rast and his elite team of pros and coaches. Since launching the Zen Poker Mentoring project Brian has been traveling and cashing in tournaments – and now he’s ready to share his strategy secrets with you.