Bluffs, Hero-Calls and Lay-Downs; Check Out These Plays Against the World's Best Poker Players
In order to become the best, you need to be able beat the best. That's the same for many things, but especially so for poker.
You need to go toe-to-toe with WSOP bracelet holders and major tournament winners in order to prove that you've got the ability to play with some of the greatest poker players of all time.
That's exactly what these players did, swimming with the sharks and (mostly) coming out alive!
Ivey Puts Shahade in the Cage
The PokerStars Shark Cage television show always had the capability of throwing up exciting poker hands and this hand between Phil Ivey and Jennifer Shahade was no exception.
In the hand, you play as Shahade — unable to see Ivey's hole cards — as she defends her button with A♦Q♦.
Ivey check-calls a bet on the 8♦8♠A♣ flop and both players check the turn.
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The river was the 9♣. Ivey checked and Shahade bet 125,000 into a pot of 220,000.
Ivey then check-raised to 450,000. Shahade agonized over her decision, using three time bank chips as she tried to sniff out the bluff. She eventually called, only for Ivey to then turn over A♠A♥ for a flopped full house and he took down the pot.
Seiver's Cash Game Bluff
Switching to cash games now, and Scott Seiver was in action in a hand that didn't make it past the flop, but wasn't short of action.
Three players saw a flop of 10♣10♥K♦ and it checked to Seiver with 6♠3♠ and bet $5,800. WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem had flopped two pair with K♥J♠ and he raised to $15,500. Doyle Brunson was also in the hand, but got out of the way with 9♠8♠ before Seiver re-raised to $42,500.
Hachem took his time before folding, with Seiver showing the bluff with just six-high!
Ace-High Good for Kitai
It was heads-up in the 2012 EPT Berlin Main Event between Andrew Chen and Davidi Kitai.
In the hand, Chen opened with 4♥2♥ and Kitai called with A♣3♣ in the big blind.
The flop was J♣7♥5♠ and Kitai check-called a bet of 330,000. The 9♠ turn saw both players check.
The river was the 10♣. Kitai bet 550,000 and Chen raised in position to 1,565,000. Kitai called with just ace-high, which was good, and he took down the pot en-route to securing his first EPT Main Event title.
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Hall Finds the Lay-Down
This hand from the 2011 PCA Main Event is so good we've already written about it on PokerNews before, and it deserves inclusion in this video.
Galen Hall raised to 450,000 with 8♣4♥ and Chris Oliver called with A♦2♠. The turn 5♦3♦2♣ saw Oliver check-call 575,000. The turn was the 2♥ and both players checked.
The river A♠ gave Hall a straight but Oliver had rivered a full house. Oliver checked and Hall bet 2,000,000. Oliver then announced all in and Hall tanked before eventually folding, correctly laying down a straight against his opponent.
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Mateos' EPT Grand Final Bluff
Yet another hand features in this video with a player en-route to securing a major title. This time we're playing along with Johnny Lodden, and are unable to see our opponents' hole cards.
They were down to the final four players in the 2015 EPT Grand Final Main Event, and they all saw a flop of A♠9♣3♦. Action checked to Adrian Mateos on the button who bet 275,000. Muhyedine Fares called with Hady El Asmar folding. Lodden check-raised to 715,000 and Mateos called.
Fares folded and the remaining two players saw the 4♣ on the turn. Lodden check-called 650,000 and the river was the A♦.
Lodden checked again and Mateos moved all in. Lodden eventually folded, with Mateos showing J♠10♠ for a jack-high bluff. Mateos would go on to win the title, becoming the first Spanish EPT champion in history.
