Did this really happen at a poker table?

You have simply got to see this poker hand. It is beyond unreal. You need to see it unfold for yourself so I will put my comments in spoiler text--

The guy who folded the kings made an amazing play, but I hate that fold. I did not see his chip count and am not 100% clear on how that format works, but in a regular game there is just no way you can fold Ks there. I think he suspected he was up against a suited A-Q or A-J and thought he was about a 2-1 favorite to win. He did not want to risk going out on a 30% chance at a suck-out. Maybe it is just me, but hyper-conservative play like that is not my style. Plus, with the other player in the pot he could have been looking at a triple-up or at least playing for a pot that included the significant raise that was made by the guy who had Qs.

The queen suck-out on the river stunk, but the guy with Aces played the hand corrently. It was the folded kings that really missed out on a huge pot there.

-Jason "highlight above to see my thoughts" Evans

Spoilers if you havn't watched the video....



I think that lay down is what makes that guy a great poker player (I guess -- I've not heard of him, but he's on TV, right?) and why I'll never be on TV or even beat my home game. I am NEVER laying down that hand either.

Like you, I have no idea if that was cash or tourney, how much he's giving up if he goes out there versus beats one more person, etc. In a cash game you probably call, because you can buy back in. In a tourney though, where each place means more money, I think almost all of the good players fold.

Amongst really good players (and if that's a final table, or a pro-series, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt), a raise in first position, followed by a reraise followed by an all in, with 3 guys left to act, is almost always gonna result in someone having aces. I'd never fold that, but I'd be wrong. The $5 sit and go's on-line are full of people who would call all 4 of those guys with their A-x suited. But at those stakes, those raises mean something.

He did exactly the right thing. He suspected, and he was right, that one of the other guys had A,A. Maybe it was playing against them as long as he had, or just a hunch, whatever. But he was right. In that hand he loses 83% of the time.

Sure, on the flop he got lucky and would have won. But when you are the chip leader, and bet big, and someone else raises, then someone else goes all in, you have to think they have A,A, or A,K suited, or certainly Q,Q at the worst. In that scenario, as Jason pointed out, you are going to lose more then half the time. Folding was the right thing.

I wouldn't have done it, just because I never get K,K.

I agree with the two posts above. Great play. You have to go with the instincts that got you there and he definitely suspected the A-A. Where Jason sees hyper-conservatism, I see a man who is confident in his own perceptions.

I was in a similar situation, one month ago, and I was sitting at the table with kings. There were THREE pre-flop raises on top of mine and I went all-in despite my heavy suspicion that rockets were lurking. I was right and ended up in fifth place as the rockets took me down. Never again!

It'd be hard to lay down KK, especially short-handed, but after being re-raised twice I can see how a good player would do it. I think we'd need to see more than one hand. Hard to tell based on one hand, but the guy with AA seemed to overdo the acting, even appearing to look at his cards again while thinking. Depending on his image, KK very likely could have sniffed it out. Or not. Maybe he just figured that, if both players call, he has at best a 65% chance and at worst about a 20% chance.

Its always hard to lay down pocket Kings, especially pre-flop (and I don't know if I personally would be able to do it). However, the guy with the kings bet from the under the gun position, representing a very strong hand, since he had everyone still to act after him. To get not only raised, but then re-raised after representing such a hand, I can see how the guy must have thought at least one of the raisers had aces. There was a similar hand that was just televised on one of the WSOP no-limit events (not the main event). Final table, I believe there were 8 people left, and a guy bet from early position with kings. Beth Shak went all-in, and Phil Hellmuth insta-called. The way they were celebrating, they both looked like they had Aces (which they did). Still, the original bettor called, and wound up losing all his chips and busting out.