Scott Montgomery needed to dodge one card to stay alive at the final table of the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event. He couldn't.
Busted after Peter Eastgate spiked a cruel one-outer on the river, the Canadian pro takes home $3,096,768 for his efforts. PokerListings.com talked to Montgomery in the middle of the post-game press scrum shortly after his elimination.
That's a pretty tough beat. You must feel rotten.
You would think so, but I saw it coming. I actually said, "Oh, so the six of diamonds is the only six left, so I'm going to have to catch a diamond on the turn so when the six comes on the river he won't beat me," but I didn't catch the diamond on the turn, so when the six did come on the river I was out.
I mean, I was behind when I put the money in, so I don't consider that a suckout.
Were you getting tired?
No. I was getting more relaxed; I was pretty nervous at the start of the day, but no. The more that I got into it the more relaxed I felt. I was feeling good. I wasn't tired.
How do you feel that you played?
I mean, I told myself to play tight and against my image and I did, except for one big bluff. And that big bluff got immediately called, which means I probably shouldn't have done any big bluffs. Playing tight all day would have been a little smarter.
Was there anything about this final table that really surprised you?
I was surprised at how aggressive Ylon Schwartz was at the beginning. I mean, I had him pegged as one of the tight players, so when he comes out blasting in those first few hands, taking like $8 million off of me, I was a little surprised. You adjust to it.
Who is the toughest of the players remaining? (At this point, Ylon Schwartz and Dennis Phillips had yet to be eliminated)
Going in to the final table I thought Peter and Ivan were the best players. So since they're both still in and Ivan's got so many chips, it's definitely going to be one of those two at the end.
How did you feel about the 117-day break in between Days 7 and 8?
I wasn't a fan of it. It gives you a lot of time to build up nerves and makes it a lot more stressful going into the final table.
Did nerves play a factor in how you played today?
I mean, yeah, I was really nervous for the first couple hours. But I didn't notice it affecting my play, because I was planning to play tight anyway and I did play tight.
I don't know. Maybe I would have played some hands differently, but I didn't mind any of the plays I made during the first three-quarters of the day.
What did you do to prepare for the final table?
A whole lot of nothing. I did very little preparation. It was probably bad on my part, but whatever.
Do you have plans for the money?
I don't know. I'll have to think about it. It wasn't quite as much money as I was hoping to have.
At the very least, now you're spared having to get a tattoo of the winning hand.
I would have preferred winning. I'll take a tattoo and $9 million over not having $9 million.
What's next for you?
Just keep playing. Nothing's going to change. I'll probably take a month or two off to relax and then get back on the circuit once the New Year starts.
Thanks, Scott.
Thank you.
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Montgomery was clearly disappointed with his finish, predicated as it was on a massive failed bluff against Ivan Demidov that saw the latter pick off the former's A♦ 9♦ with a pocket pair of kings. Still, $3 million is nothing to laugh at and with Montgomery's sick tournament record, is sure to be just a drop in what will eventually be a very big bucket.
To learn more about Sco-Mo, check out our exclusive interview on PokerListings TV.
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