Hand 23: Hellmuth Cripples Himself

Hellmuth limped in with {8-Diamonds}

and Helppi also limped on the button with {K-Diamonds}

. Black completed the small blind with {A-Clubs}

. Scharf on the big blind had {A-Hearts}

and checked.

A four-way flop came {9-Hearts}

.

Hellmuth bet 7,000 and Helppi and Scharf both called.

Turn: {A-Diamonds}

Hellmuth fired again, 27,000 this time. Helppi thought for a while before calling with his flush draw and second pair, but Scharf with two pair - the best hand by some way - laid it down.

River: {J-Hearts}

With 91,000 in the pot and a stack of 29,000, Hellmuth's third bullet was going to price in any reasonable hand to call. He actually bet 24,000.

Helppi tanked for a couple of minutes before Hellmuth opened his mouth. "Do you have queen-jack of diamonds?" he asked, and Helppi replied, "If I had that, I'd have called you already."

It took him just a few seconds longer to actually make the call.

"You got it," said Hellmuth in disgust.

"If you hadn't said anything I might have laid it down."

Hellmuth has 5,000 remaining.