NBC 2006 National Heads-Up Championship - Spooky Ted Knows When He Is Beat

  Ted Forrest is known in the poker community as a "spooky" player. He is considered to be spooky good and spooky lucky, as the cards always seem to fall his way whenever he needs them. To hear this kind of quasi superstition coming from the mouths of pro poker players, people who know that it is how you maniupulate your luck that determines your success and not supernatural forces, just shows how good Ted Forrest really is. When he faced off against Sammy Farha in the 2006 NBC National Heads-Up Championship, he once again showed his spooky nature as he dodged elimination again and again.  In this hand Sammy was under the gun with: ... He made a $12,000 raise, which is typical of Farha, who likes to move chips around. Ted, with: ... made the call.  The Flop came: ... and now Ted was under the gun. He checked the hand to see what his opponent would do. Sammy bet out $20,000 with his second nut flush draw.  Ted, putting Sammy correctly on a flush draw but incorrectly on a small flush draw, came over the top with a check-raise of $70,000. In most situations this would be enough to get an opponent to fold, but not Farha. Sammy moved all in.  Ted folded the hand, realizing he was up against a more powerful hand. While technically he was winning at the moment, there were two more cards to come and nine more Spades in the deck, giving Sammy the odds to make his flush and the win. Ted showed in this moment that spooky means knowing when you are beat as well as winning when you need it.