How to Punt a $1 Million Pot with Junk on High Stakes Poker

Rick Salomon went to conflict with ace-rag in opposition to his new rival for a $1 million pot throughout Monday’s Excessive Stakes Poker episode, the twelfth of Season 14.

The at all times free high-stakes poker participant introduced the motion within the $500/$1,000 no-limit maintain’em money sport on PokerGO. Final week’s roster returned to the felt with a recent set of garments and stacks, minus Vinny Lingham, who was changed by Sam Kiki. Salomon, Alan Keating, Peter Wang, Justin Gavri, and Nikhil “Nik Airball” Arcot have been the returning gamers. Chip stacks at first of play are listed under.

Salomon Does not Wish to Fold

The present began in an unsurprising style with Salomon enjoying any two playing cards aggressively. He raised the flop on the primary hand with an open-ended straight draw, forcing Airball off a small pair.

Salomon straddled the second hand for $4,000 with J♥9♦. Peter, on the button with Okay♣6♠, raised it as much as $12,000, receiving a name solely from the straddler. The flop got here out 4♣7♠6♥, and the unique raiser continued with a $12,000 wager. His opponent, who flopped no pair and no draw and was out of place, determined to name anyway.

“AJ, that is outdoors the field from Rick, what are we doing?” Excessive Stakes Poker commentator Nick Schulman requested his broadcast associate, AJ Benza.

The flip was the 3♦, which introduced four-to-a-straight on the board. Each gamers checked, and the Q♥ appeared on the river, bettering neither hand. Salomon, with jack-high, wager out $35,000, sufficient to make the difficult-to-bluff participant fold the perfect hand.

Will Keating Name Off with Ace-Excessive?

Keating, who gained the biggest pot in High Stakes Poker historical past for $1.4 million two weeks in the past, performed a couple of attention-grabbing pots throughout Episode 12, as per regular.

In a single such hand, Gavri raised preflop to $5,000 with A♥J♦. Kiki, holding Okay♥Q♠ on the button, three-bet to $15,000. Keating referred to as from the massive blind with A♦4♦, whereas Gavri, who has been running hot in recent weeks, folded.

The flop got here out 5♦Okay♠2♠, prime pair for the button. Motion checked to Kiki, who wager $15,000. Keating, on a straight draw, bumped it as much as $40,000. Kiki wasn’t going wherever with prime pair, so he referred to as earlier than the 7♣ appeared on the flip.

Keating determined to barrel once more, this time for $80,000, not sufficient to entice his opponent to fold. The 5♣ landed on the river, leaving Keating caught on ace-high. He checked, after which confronted an all in wager of $309,000.

“I am presupposed to name. I feel I am presupposed to name,” Keating mumbled as he contemplated making the decision, placing his opponent on a missed flush draw. He would, nevertheless, inevitably appropriately fold. However he’d get a few of these chips again later with pocket aces in a $223,000 pot that went his method.

A New Rivalry is Born

Keating and others performed some attention-grabbing pots. However Episode 12 was actually all a couple of rivalry brewing between Salomon and Kiki. The 2 gamblers battled in a number of monster pots, beginning with a juicy hand that picked up on a 2♠J♣A♠ flop.

The pot had already hit $28,000 preflop. Salomon, holding Okay♠8♠, checked his flush draw. Kiki wager $12,000 with A♣Q♦ just for his opponent to check-raise to $37,000. He referred to as, after which the J♦ hit on the flip. Salomon determined to steer for $80,000, which did not drive a fold. Kiki moved all in for $178,000, and he obtained a name. Each gamers agreed to run the river twice, each instances blanks, which meant Kiki took down the $458,000 pot.

Salomon returned the favor moments later when he bluffed a six-high missed flush draw to drive Kiki, founding father of the Monkey Tilt on-line sportsbook, to fold a king-high missed flush draw. However the pot of the night time occurred proper on the finish of Episode 12.

Keating raised to $4,000 with Q♦5♠, adopted by a three-bet to $20,000 from Salomon’s A♣3♣. Peter simply referred to as from the massive blind with Q♥Q♣, whereas Kiki made it $140,000 to go together with A♦Okay♣. Salomon then jammed all in, which satisfied Peter to fold. Kiki, nevertheless, referred to as it off for his $492,000 stack.

The gamers agreed to run the board twice for a $1,008,500 pot, with the primary bringing a possible unhealthy beat after the board confirmed 8♠4♠A♥3♠, giving Salomon two pair heading to the river. However the ultimate card — 4♦ — ensured Kiki would get at the very least half the pot. He’d scoop all of it after the second board got here J♥9♦6♦Okay♠9♠.

Kiki, making his debut look on Excessive Stakes Poker, took down the second largest pot within the present’s 14-season historical past. The 2 largest pots in HSP historical past, and the one two to crack $1 million, have occurred throughout the present season.

Previous Excessive Stakes Poker Season 14 Episode Recaps

_{*Photos courtesy of PokerGO/Antonio Abrego}