Tom Dwan Explains the Famous Bluff That Fooled Eastgate and Greenstein
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Tom Dwan, a poster boy of the poker boom, has played some of the most iconic poker hands in history. From playing the largest televised cash game pot in poker history to battling BetRivers Poker ambassadors Phil Hellmuth and Phil Galfond on High Stakes Poker, Dwan's name has been immortalized in poker history many times over.
One of those moments resurfaced recently during a Q&A on the Run It Once YouTube channel, where Dwan revisited the thinking behind one of his most famous bluffs.
Dwan Gets Two Better Hands to Fold
One of the most recognizable hands Dwan played on High Stakes Poker was when he managed to fold out the two better hands that belonged to 2008 WSOP Main Event champion Peter Eastgate and Poker Hall of Famer Barry Greenstein.
To refresh your memory, the hand started with Greenstein A♥A♠ kicking things off with a raise to $2,500, with everyone coming along to create a family pot. Greenstein continued for $10,000 on the 10♦2♣2♠ flop before Dwan's Q♣10♣ raise to $37,300 folded out the table until Eastgate 4♥2♦ cold-called with trips. Greenstein also stuck around.
It checked to Dwan on the 7♦ turn. He fired out $104,200 into a pot of $133,500 and managed to get the two better hands to hit the muck.
As Dwan pulled in the pot, Eli Elezra commented that Greenstein had folded the best hand. Dwan immediately shut that down, saying Eastgate had the winner, a read he later explained during the Q&A after being asked how he knew Eastgate had a better hand than Greenstein.
Finding a Spot
“I didn’t know that [Eastgate had a better hand],” Dwan said. “But it made sense he [Eastgate] had a deuce.”
Dwan explained that he believed Greenstein could continuation-bet too frequently on the flop, which led him to make what he openly called his flop raise a “really f****** weird play.”
“It’s terrible on paper” Dwan said. “It’s terrible if you put it into a solver, I’m sure. Although I never did.”
When Eastgate called, Dwan thought the hand was over until Goldstein decided to see the turn.
“I’m like, my money’s gone. I’m ready to leave the casino,” he said. “Then Greenstein calls too, and I’m like, this makes no sense. When Eastgate calls, he almost for sure has a deuce. I’m like, I might have a spot,” he said. “I think it’s plus EV to bluff there.”
Dwan admitted he wasn’t sure the play was technically correct, even with perfect reads.
“I’d been making a lot both online and live..and in hindsight, I don’t know if this was plus EV,” he said. “I'd decided if there's a spot I can do something degen-looking, where everyone thinks i'm losing $50k and I think I'm losing $2k, I'm just gonna for it and hope."
Why Eastgate Would Fold
A big part of Dwan’s confidence came from his history with Eastgate.
“Eastgate was really good,” Dwan said. “We’d played a lot of $25/$50 online. Though the stakes [on HSP] were big for him.”
Additionally, Dwan believed his recent form against Eastgate mattered more than the cards.
“I’d probably made like 10bb/100 against him for the last month. It was one of the best runs I ever had versus anyone,” he said. “I just didn't think the guy’s finding it.”
That assumption proved correct.
“I think he’s just gonna be like, ‘fuck you Tom,’ and fold,” Dwan said. “And that’s exactly what happened.”
Forgetting About Greenstein
Once Eastgate folded, Dwan felt confident the pot was his. “I was like, once Eastgate folds, I win,” he said. “I kind of forgot to consider that part.”
As Greenstein tanked, Dwan still expected the fold. “Even if he’s calling 10% or 20% of the time, what a torch,” he said. Looking back, Dwan said he was nearly certain he had identified the situation correctly.
“I was 90% sure Eastgate had the best hand,” he said. “Greenstein has an overpair, Eastgate has a deuce, almost for sure.”
The bluff worked, the read was right, and the hand remains one of the defining moments of Dwan’s rise to poker stardom.
