Caleb Larsen Makes Gutsiest Call of the Day Near Bubble Against Bluffing Bin Weng
Caleb Larsen made the best call you'll see all day on Sunday, and it probably won't even be close when you take into consideration the pressure situation we're about to describe.
The hand in question transpired during the Day 2 session of the $5,000 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) bestbet Scramble in Jacksonville shortly before the dinner break.
Here's the situation entering the hand to give you an idea of just how brilliant and gutsy the call was. The tournament was just a few spots away from the money with the blinds at 4,000/8,000 and Larsen had a big stack, as did his opponent Bin Weng, who entered the session with the chip lead.
What a Sick Call
As reported by WPT.com, Larsen raised to 18,000 from under the gun with Q♥Q♦ before then calling a three-bet to 54,000 from Weng, who was getting frisky with 9♥8♣ in the hijack. The flop came out J♣3♥2♦ and, following a check, Weng continued his aggression with a 36,000-chip bet.
Larsen made the call to see the 2♥ on the turn. He again checked and then faced a wager of 138,000, again making the call. The river was the K♦ and he checked for a third time before being put to the test — all in for 385,000.
If he were to call and be wrong, that's it. He'd be out of the tournament just a few spots from the money following a hand that he started with a big stack. After tanking to ponder his move, he correctly called, took down a pot of 1,246,000 (156 big blinds), and left Weng with only about 15 big blinds. No doubt it was a great call under any circumstances, but especially given the situation.
PokerNews caught up with Larsen on dinner break to find out his thought process during the biggest and most entertaining hand in the World Poker Tour event thus far.
"(Bin Weng) made a comment earlier referring to me not wanting to play for it all, so that kinda played into it," Larsen explained.
Larsen said he put his opponent on a hand such as Ax5x or another small likely suited ace combination. But when the over-card to his pocket queens hit on the river, he wasn't worried even when facing a sizable bet for his tournament life.
"When the river king came, it's a pure bluff card for him, so I came to the decision to call against him," Larsen continued.
"Against him," he reiterated, explaining that against Weng, a loose-aggressive player, he's more likely to just call the three-bet preflop instead of four-betting queens, and calling off the river in that spot versus Weng as opposed to a standard player, given Weng's aggressiveness.
The specific opponent wasn't his only consideration when facing the all in bet, however. In that spot, making an incorrect call would have sent him home just short of the money.
"It was a heavy consideration," Larsen said of the bubble approaching at the time he faced a difficult decision. "But at the same time, he's earned that call."
Weng has been poker's top tournament performer this year, and he'd been pretty much unstoppable all day and throughout Day 1a (after his first two bullets, of course). Larsen, more or less, respected Weng's game enough to make the call, and it was the right play.
The tournament went on a 60-minute dinner break just before 7 p.m. ET at bestbet Jacksonville. Only 48 players remain and the bubble will pop after the 47th place finisher is eliminated. Weng will now have to hold on with barely more than 10 big blinds or go home without a cash.
*Images courtesy of WPT/Drew Amato
