Alan Keating Misreads Hand, Torches Off Six Figures on High Stakes Poker

May 03, 2023

Jon Sofen Senior Editor U.S.

Tang Bluffs Choi Off Jacks to Get the Show Started
Keating Doesn’t Believe JRB’s Story
Tang’s Turn to Take from Keating
Keating Misreads Hand
Past High Stakes Poker Recaps

Alan Keating made his High Stakes Poker debut on Tuesday — Episode 13 of Season 10 — where he did some punting, including a huge misstep misreading his hand in a monster pot.

High Stakes Poker returned to its regularly scheduled taped version, five days after PokerGO hosted what turned out to be a controversial live-streamed show.

This week's episode featured a brand new roster, except for Jean-Robert Bellande who appeared in Episode 12 last week. Joining JRB at the table were Keating, Stanley Tang, Stanley Choi, Eric Hicks, and Jeremy Stein.

Keating, perhaps the loosest player on the Hustler Casino Live stream, had everyone at the table covered in the $200/$400 cash game, as he usually does.

Tang Bluffs Choi Off Jacks to Get the Show Started

On the first hand of Episode 13, Choi opened to $1,200 with J♠J♥ and then Tang three-bet to $6,000 from the button with A♥J♣. A call was made and the flop came out K♥3♦6♥.

After action checked to the button, Tang continued telling the story that he had something decent as he wagered $4,000. Again, he received a call and both players saw the 10♥ on the turn. Following a check, Tang wagered $30,000, more than the size of the pot, on ace-high with the nut flush draw. That semi-bluff got through as the pocket jacks were sent into the muck.

On the ensuing hand, Bellande found a more favorable result with pocket jacks on a board of Q♥9♥3♠Q♦Q♣ when Hicks bet $20,000 with 9♦8♥. Bellande, with a better full house, raised it to $45,000, which convinced his opponent to fold.

Keating Doesn’t Believe JRB’s Story

jean-robert bellande — Jean-Robert Bellande

In one of the best hands from the thrilling show, Keating put the double straddle on to $1,600 and looked down at A♣8♥ and was facing Bellande’s raise to $4,000 from the button with 9♣7♦. He made the call and heads up to the flop they went.

The first three community cards were 3♦3♣3♠, nothing exciting for either player. Bellande bet $5,000, which didn’t convince ace-high to fold. After the 7♥ was turned over on the turn, JRB had top pair and bet it, this time for $18,000.

Keating continued being stingy and made the call to see the uneventful 5♦ on the river. He checked for a third time and then faced a bet of $60,000. He just wasn’t believing Bellande’s story, so he called only to find out the story JRB was telling wasn’t actually a load of B.S. as he had top pair, which of course beats ace-high.

Alan Keating Wins $1.2 Million Pot on Hustler Casino Live

Tang’s Turn to Take from Keating

stanley tang doordash founder — Stanley Tang

It didn’t take long following the ace-high call to lose some more chips. In the next major hand of note, with Tang in the straddle and holding Q♠Q♦, Keating raised from late position to $4,000 with K♥Q♣.

Tang bumped it up to $20,000 before Keating went for a four-bet to $49,000. That led to the DoorDash delivery app founder to move all in for $104,000. The pot-committed Keating made the call and both players agreed to run it twice.

With $213,000 in the pot, the first board came J♥3♥5♠3♣3♠, guaranteeing at least a chop for Tang. He’d then collect the entire pot after the second run out was 6♥3♦10♦4♥2♥.

On the next hand, Tang was all in preflop for a $189,600 pot with A♣Q♣ against Stein, who was holding Q♠Q♦. For the second straight time, the dealer would turn over two boards, and once again the pocket queens won the whole pot. Tang gave back nearly as much as he’d won from the previous all in hand.

Keating Misreads Hand

Keating attempted another play with ace-high, the second time A♦2♣, against Stein, who had A♣K♦. Neither player had a pair on the turn – both with a flush draw – and Keating bet $40,000 into an already bloated pot before his opponent jammed all in for $160,000 total with the nut flush draw.

This time around, the Hustler Casino Live fan favorite wisely chose to fold his ace-high but he still lost a large pot. He then had another misstep with 5♥5♣ on a board of 6♦3♣9♠6♠2♠ when he over-bet $45,000 into a pot of just $15,000.

Bellande, who had the nut flush with A♠7♠, raised to $100,000 and Keating then made a loose call. But it really wasn’t a bad call if you take into consideration that he apparently thought he had a full house.

“I thought I had deuces,” a shocked Keating said as he turned over his cards.

Even commentator Nick Schulman said he believed that Keating simply misread his hand. The usually mellow and upbeat Keating was not in a good mood following that misstep. He expressed frustration with his mistake, an emotion rarely seen from the high-stakes poker player on a televised poker show.

He’d calm down and collect a couple of smaller pots to pick up some momentum, however. But then Bellande would river a better top pair to crack his flopped top pair in a $101,000 pot to end the show. Calling Episode 13 a bad session for Alan Keating would be quite the understatement.