River Card Kills the Action in What Could Have Been an Enormous Pot
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Alan Keating and Lex Veldhuis appeared to be all set to potentially play a $500,000 or bigger pot, until the river card killed off all the action during an interesting episode of the PokerStars Big Game on Tour.
The ninth episode of Season 2, released Sunday on YouTube, brought Luke Moy, the "Loose Cannon," one step closer to walking away with money. Moy, a low-stakes player who was staked $100,000 to enter the $200/$400 cash game, must play 150 hands and can only leave with profits won.
He made it through Episode 9 with an $11,500 overall profit through 122 hands. If he can hold on through next week's show, he'll go home with money.
Oh, What Could Have Been
Chance Kornuth, who entered the game last week, went all in on the flop with bottom set against Keating's nut flush draw for a $198,000 pot. Both players agreed to run the turn and river twice, and both runouts went Kornuth's way.
Kornuth would later run into some big hands and tough spots against Keating, and would end up turning just a small profit before the episode concluded. Comedian Morgan Jay, who brought his guitar to the table and serenaded his opponents, continued to struggle and is now down $85,400 overall, thanks in large part to losing a big pot with a seven-high flush against Keating's nine-high flush.
But the hand of the day was also, strangely, the dud of the day. Veldhuis, who began the hand with $334,000, opened the action with a raise to $1,000 from an early position with A♠9♠. Keating, the cutoff, went for a three-bet to $4,000 with Q♥Q♣ and a larger stack.
Veldhuis called to see a flop of 7♥10♣J♠, a little something for both players. Action checked to Keating, who bet $6,000 with the over pair, and he received a call.
The turn was the Q♠, the perfect action card as it gave Keating top set and his opponent the nut flush draw and a straight draw. Not only that, but these two players have some recent history on the Big Game, and they've each made it clear they're looking to win a monster pot against each other.
A massive clash seemed to be on the horizon. Veldhuis, a longtime poker streamer and PokerStars ambassador, checked again. Keating, seeking value from his monster hand, bet $18,000, to which the poker pro called, opting against a semi-bluff check-raise.
The river A♦ was the worst card in the deck for action. Both players, afraid of the straight, checked back the $57,000 pot that could have been much larger.
Keating, who started strong during this table's first episode a few weeks ago, battled back from recent struggles to finish the episode up $80,500. Veldhuis remains in the lead with a $114,000 profit heading into next Sunday's finale.
Current Results (122 Hands Played)
