2015 WSOP -- Ofer Zvi Stern looks to make last-minute decision pay off

November 6, 2015 « 2015 WSOP -- Blumenfield looks to overcome the odds at final table | 2015 WSOP - November Nine Day 1 recap »

Just a week before the 2015 World Series of Poker main event was set to begin, Israeli Ofer Zvi Stern did not have a flight booked to Las Vegas.

“I almost didn’t play in the main event," he said. "I was 99 percent sure that I would go back, but then I started to think about it. The flights were so expensive. Then United Airlines suddenly posted a cheap flight and I booked it right on the spot on Friday morning. Friday night, I was on the flight.”

As fate would have it, that drop in airfare ultimately led to Stern's inclusion of the elite fraternity of the 2015 November Nine.

The 37 year-old was a self-professed “late bloomer” in the world of poker. He started playing poker almost by accident in late 2005.

“I was visiting a friend for coffee at his house and saw him playing poker on his computer and asked him what it was," said Stern. "I found it fascinating, picked up the game fairly quickly, and suddenly poker became a passion for me. I signed up for an online account and started learning whatever I could about it from books and videos. I also watched the ESPN WSOP main event shows and it was so inspiring and exciting.”

Stern works in the software industry with his own consulting business, but poker has become an integral part of his life, allowing him to feed his competitive spirit in a recreational activity.

“Poker is a major passion of mine, as it is rewarding and frustrating at the same time," he said. "I’m very competitive in a lot of areas in my life. And I found something that I can be enjoy without being so entirely committed but still being competitive. I can play it on the side recreationally, but at the same time still aspire to be the best at it.”

As a true novice in poker, the Israel native traveled to the WSOP in 2006. He found success immediately as he cashed in two $1,500 no-limit hold ’em events back-to-back, finishing in 96th place and then final finishing third in the next one. Although the result left him disappointed, the solid result made him want more.

“It was very frustrating not taking down the event," he said. "I was really, really new at this. I came to the WSOP after reading a couple of books and playing a little bit online to see how I would do against all of these pros. I really wanted to meet Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem. I came into the final table of a preliminary event first in chips. I remember that I was all-in with aces versus pocket 5-5 and he got a four-card flush on me. That player actually won the event. I also enjoyed meeting and playing with all the players during the event, but having a good result made me feel that I might be pretty good at it. I definitely got hooked.”

Due to work and other commitments, Stern was unable to return to the WSOP every year. When he did play, he failed to gain substantial results, only cashing once since his big run -- a 63rd place finish in a $1,500 shootout in 2008. Even though he had not posted significant results prior to this year, he learned from his experiences.

“You realize that when you play in more and more tournaments, there is so much you can learn every time," he said. "Every hand, every round, every tournament. You realize all the mistakes you make and all the failures and you learn from them. Then, you come back next time and try to apply what you learned and try not to repeat the same mistakes.”

Stern is constantly working on his game, as he watches lots of videos on YouTube and Twitch. He also reads numerous books, speaks with fellow poker players and plays online. As there is no live poker in Israel, Stern likes to travel to play poker, especially if he wins a satellite.

Earlier this year, Stern decided to make the trip to the 2015 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure where he fortunately won a $2,700 satellite to earn a seat into the $25,000 high roller event. He cashed in 34th place for $44,500, which was at the time the largest cash of his career.

“That was really huge for me," Stern said of his run in January. "This was the first time I got into such a huge buy-in event. It was a dream for me to play against some of the best players in the world. I enjoyed it so much. I made a bunch of mistakes there, but I learned a lot from it.”

When he returned to the WSOP this year, Stern came out for the first couple of weeks to play in the preliminary events, which he felt had so much value. He cashed in the Colossus (1,085th place) and made the final three tables of the $3,000 six-max no-limit hold ’em event, but was ultimately eliminated in 18th place. He left Las Vegas and decided that he would not come back for the WSOP main event this year.

“I have a limited budget and I thought it was a better investment to play in the preliminary events," he said. "I told myself that I wouldn’t consider even playing in the main event unless I had a really good score. So originally, I wasn’t planning on coming back.”

After some time at home, he had a change of heart. At the 11th hour, he made the one decision that would change his life forever.

Stern had a very solid run with an above average stack during the first few days of the main, but was very fortunate to even make it through Day 5.

“Day 5 was a roller coaster for me," said Stern. "It was a really rough day. After dinner break, at one point, I was down to 11 big blinds, but then, I doubled up with 9-9 versus A-K. Then, I had A-K and this guy flats me. After I missed the flop, he bet and I folded. He told me that he had aces.

"At that moment, I knew that if he had raised preflop or a king or ace hit the flop, I would have been out of the tournament right then and there. It was exactly what I needed to hear as I felt I was on a freeroll. From then, I had some great spots, played aggressively and told myself ‘Let’s go!’”

As seen on the WSOP on ESPN broadcasts, Stern played very aggressively in certain situations later in the tournament, especially on Day 7. Some of the hands worked out in his favor, such as his 10s-8s flush, eliminating George MacDonald (with his Q-Q) in 12th place, while other hands did not (his all-in turn shove with Kc-Qd that left him drawing dead to Neil Blumenfield’s Ac-7c and the nut flush). Nevertheless, Stern fondly remembers those final couple of days of the WSOP main event at the Rio.

“Every day, walking down the hallway going to the Amazon Room, you are so uplifted and excited. I’m so passionate about it and still excites me to think about it.”

Stern’s unpredictable style of play allowed him to build his stack to 29.8 million, which is good for second in chips. Entering the 2015 WSOP main event final table, Stern fondly remembers watching his fellow countryman Amir Lehavot finish in third place in 2013.

“He is one of the top pros in Israel, he is very accomplished," he said. "I don’t think there was one Israeli poker player that missed watching him in the 2013 WSOP main event final table.”

Now, on November 8th, it's Stern's turn. The entire country of Israel will be watching their next superstar to compete at the final table, and this time, they're hoping the ending is just a little bit different.