Part two of poker pro Matt Stout's blog about the recent World Poker Tour Legends of Poker main event at the Bicycle Casino.

I was glad to see only two familiar names at my table on Day 2: Gavin Smith and Mike McClain.

Gavin clearly needs no introduction, but some of you may not know/remember Mike. He was the "Agony of Defeat Guy" at the 2004 WSOP, and the "I Got It In Pre with Aces Against Raymer's Tens and Busted Ninth Guy" at the 2005 WSOP.

He seems like a very nice guy, and is easily one of the tightest poker players ever to roam this Earth. This basically made the fact that he was on my immediate left a nonissue.

However, Gavin poses an issue no matter where you put him.

First of all, here is an interesting side note: Gavin and I had a double-or-nothing bet from a $1,000 last-longer bet I lost to him during the WSOP, which we made before play started on Day 1.

So if Gavin had the honor of busting me, not only would I have to ship my stack his way; I would have to give him $2,000 cash as well.

Needless to say, he loved the opportunity and was making jokes about the "extra juice on this one" while he called my raises.

Gavin Smith: poses an issue no matter where you put him.

However, it was hard to even tell if he was really going out of his way to play pots with me, given his style of play. Saying that Gavin likes to see flops is an understatement. But it makes it extremely hard to put him on a hand, and he usually plays extremely well post-flop.

Not coincidentally, most of the hands I played early on Day 2 were against him. Few of our hands went to showdown and none of the pots were huge, but I managed to get the best of him on that day with a combination of big hands/draws and two well-timed bluffs.

However, I was only able to chip up by about $10k in just over three levels before the table broke.

My new table included John Phan, Will "hAAydon/potstabber" Haydon, and Gabe Kaplan. I hopped right back in the saddle from the WSOP and three-bet Phan my first hand at the table (I had A♣ K♦). As always, he tanked for no less than six weeks before folding.

I lost a $50k coin flip against Haydon shortly after arriving at the table, holding 9♠ 9♣ against his A♥ K♠. It didn't take long to get it back, though - I doubled through the mark of the table with T♣ T♦ vs. 8♠ 8♥ after getting it in on a 5♣ 6♣ 7♣ flop and holding.

But as they say, "easy come, easy go." Haydon and I stacked off again, this time with him holding T♠ T♣ against my A♣ K♠.

This time the pot was over $100k, and I only had him covered by $8k. He proved that he's a better coin flipper than I am yet again, and I was crippled to under five big blinds with a level and a half left to play on Day 2.

Needless to say, I never mentally gave up, and grinded my short stack back up to a workable $30k during the last level of the night before this hand came up.

With the blinds at $1k/$2k ($300), the under-the-gun player limped. Gabe Kaplan completed from the small blind, and I checked my option. Both opponents were about $100k deep. The flop came T♠ 7♠ T♣. I bet $3k after Gabe checked, and the UTG player folded. Gabe took little time to call.

The turn card was the 5♠. Gabe let out a slight, but audible, grunt and checked again. I bet again, this time $6,500, and again he took little time to call. The river was the 5♣, and he checked again.

Gabe Kaplan: Grunter.

I waited about five seconds before moving all-in for $17,800. He thought it over for about two minutes before folding.

Once he folded, I was finally able to breathe again ... since I had the 3♣ 4♦!

I managed to finish Day 2 with about $56k - significantly below average at that point with only 80 players remaining, but not bad considering how badly I was crippled after losing those two flips. I had given myself a fighting shot on Day 3, at the very least.

Unfortunately, Day 3 turned out to be such a short day that I'm not even going to bother talking about the table draw and my opponents. I'll just get straight to the point.

With the blinds at $1,200/$2,400 ($300), I opened to $6,700 under the gun with A♦ A♥. It folded around to the player in the small blind, who had a lifetime total of $325 in major tournament cashes.

Since he was older and didn't look like an online player, I assumed he was very inexperienced. As he called my raise, he actually shrugged as if to say, "I guess I'm supposed to fold here, but whatever ... I call."

I honestly thought this to myself: "He probably has like K-Q or something ... how cute." Obviously his range is a lot wider than one hand, but that is exactly what ran through my head.

Needless to say, a flop of A♠ J♠ T♠ was not exactly what I had in mind. But that's what came.

He checked, and I bet $10k. He check-raised to $30k, and for a second I actually considered putting him squarely on K-Q and laying it down.

But with a stack of about 20 big blinds and about 50% below average, I just couldn't risk folding as a dominant favorite over a smaller set, two pair, or a pair/royal draw. Even if he had flopped a straight or flush, I'd be about a 2-1 dog to fill up on the turn or river.

I moved in for just under $50k total. He called, showing K♥ Q♠ of course. I can't tell you what the river was, because the turn was the K♠ and I was drawing stone dead to his royal flush!

I can't even remember losing to a royal flush in live poker in my lifetime, let alone for a $120k pot deep in a WPT event.

Anyway, I'd like to congratulate John Phan (and the second- to fourth-place finishers actually, who are all good online players and nice guys) on yet another win in this event, and an absolutely sick year so far. Phan currently sits atop the world rankings, and deservedly so.

On top of that, he does a lot of charity work and is one of the nicest guys I've had the pleasure of meeting on the tour.

That being said, I'd like to bring up some controversial stuff that went on late in that tournament.

The first thing involved the "all-in button" that is used by some casinos, especially in California. When a player is all-in, the dealer takes this button out of their tray and places it in front of the player.

During final-table play, there was a live update that said Phan had asked the dealer for the button a few times during hands, but apparently this didn't mean he was actually all-in. He received a warning from the tournament director that the next time he asked for the button, it would count as an all-in.

This made me think of a hand that occurred late on Day 2 while he was at my table. In a multiway raised pot, Phan was first to act. He asked the dealer for the button after the flop. His three opponents all folded, and the dealer shipped him the pot. Did he never make a bet???

Phan: Crafty.

The second was much more controversial, and has caused a stir in some online forums. The action folded around to Paul "uclabruinz" Smith in the small blind.

While he was deciding whether to call or raise with his T♠ 8♠, Phan turned to him from the big blind and said something to the effect of, "You have to be careful, Paul. I can see your cards."

Paul then asked if he had seen his cards right then during that hand, and John responded affirmatively.

Clearly, it's a bit difficult to play a pot out of position against someone who knows your cards, so Paul folded. Then, realizing that Phan may have been full of it, Paul asked Phan what his cards were. Phan didn't respond, and laughed it off.

Please post your opinions below on whether you think either of these actions is angle-shooting, and whether this type of behavior is acceptable/ethical.

--Matt Stout

"All In At 420"

More blogs from Matt Stout:

• WPT Legends of Poker Part 1
• Running Bad Part 1
• WSOP Event 32: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em
• WSOP Event 29: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Part 1