The Weight of ICM Decisions
The action was picked up on the river with the board reading 9♦Q♣A♥7♣K♠ and around 100,000 in the pot. Masanori Izu checked as first to act, and Rodrigo Jim moved all in, covering Izu and putting his tournament life on the line.
As players inched closer to the money, the ICM pressure began to rise, and Izu clearly felt it. He let out a sigh and stood up from his seat, visibly conflicted. For nearly three minutes, he stood motionless, eyes fixed on the board. Then, in a surprising move, he turned over one card, the A♣, without saying anything, still holding his cards in the hand.
The dealer immediately called the floor. Since no one at the table reacted and no action had technically occurred, a second floor was called. During the confusion, Izu revealed his second card, the A♦, still holding both cards in his hand and saying nothing. Technically, his hand was not tabled, and it wasn’t considered official action.
A third floor supervisor arrived, and after another few minutes of silence, Jim called the clock. The floor gave Izu 30 seconds to act.
Instead of making a decision, Izu asked, “Can I take a picture?”. He pulled out his phone and recorded a video, filming his pocket aces, the board, himself, and his opponent. With a grin into the camera, Izu finally tossed his cards into the muck, giving up the hand, but not without leaving the table a story to remember.
After the hand, Izu received a two-round penalty.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
330,000
26,000
|
26,000 |
|
115,000
57,000
|
57,000 |