Kakhmazov Makes an Agonizing Fold

With a half of the Las Vegas summer poker season in the books, it's safe to say Nadar Kakhmazov has been one of the most successful players so far. Winning a big MSPT tournament in town, Kakhmazov topped it here at the Rio with a victory in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed, taking home his first bracelet.

With two major wins worth $1,000,000 combined, Kakhmazov's confidence must be reaching the pinnacle. It's been seen many times before; when players are on a heater, everything comes through. Their reads are sharp, as if they can see through opponents' cards.

But sometimes, even champions have to give up. What makes them different is that they know the right time to step back. Kakhmazov seems to follow the pattern of the greats, as he showed in the hand below.

Sitting in the cutoff, Kakhmazov bet 3,200 on the flop. Mike Sowers, however, woke up with a check-raise, making it 10,500. Kakhmazov thought about the situation and called.

The saw Sowers bet small, firing only 8,500.

Kakhmazov was agonized. He cut out calling chips and put them beside his remaining stack. He changed his position in the chair several times, then leaned back and forth. After about three minutes, he threw his cards into the muck.

"Good fold," Sowers said.

"Good fold?" asked Kakhmazov. "Jacks fold," he added.

Sowers didn't show anything, but Kakhmazov seemed to be happy after the chat they exchanged.