During the 2016 Super High Roller Bowl held at ARIA in Las Vegas, a notable event took place where 49 competitors each invested $300,000 for a chance to seize a $5 million first-place reward along with one of the most prestigious titles in the poker world. poker Recognizing that the intense action was captured for a global audience through NBC Sports, 888poker decided it would be entertaining to not only highlight the most significant hands but also provide thorough analysis on these key moments. straight from the pros.
In the fourth episode of the 2016 SHRB, Dan Shak found himself attempting to bluff Fedor Holz, who is widely regarded as one of the finest young players in the game. How successful was his attempt?
Continue reading below to discover the outcome, along with some of Shak's reflections on the hand.
The Setup
As Day 3 unfolded, the game was down to five players, and Holz made a raise to 65,000 with Q♥Q♦. Shak, holding J♠10♣ and with a stack of 1.918 million, chose to call from the big blind. blinds at 12,000/24,000/3,000. Action folded to Holz (813,000) in the small blind Interestingly, both competitors found themselves with solid hands, making for an engaging blind-versus-blind confrontation. Holz’s raise from the small blind suggested he had a strong hand, while Shak was eager to see the flop with his drawing hand.
When the flop presented 9♠9♣K♣, both players opted to check, and after a burn card, the turn revealed 10♥. Holz then placed a bet of 60,000, which Shak called, having hit a pair with his ten. poker hands Shak later remarked, \"What was I hoping to call the turn with? I had to convey that I had a king or a nine, or at least that’s what I wanted Holz to perceive. Luckily, I just had a gutshot with a ten-jack. Since his turn bet was minimal, I felt it was worth trying for the gutshot. I'm relieved I didn’t hit, otherwise he would have completed his hand.\" raise Although Shak only had a slim 4.55% chance of winning the hand by pairing another ten, he believed that a queen could potentially win him the pot, and possibly even hitting a jack would suffice. Holz’s smaller bet on the turn hinted to Shak that maybe he could catch a break and he confidently called on the river given he still had chips to play with.
The Flop & Turn
On the river, Shak watched as Holz placed a bet of 120,000 into a pot of 265,000. While many might expect Shak to simply call due to having showdown value, he chose instead to make a small raise to 300,000. gutshot .
"I figured there was a chance I could make him fold a king if he was indeed ahead, but I also thought my ten could hold up,\" Shak explained. \"Deep down, I wasn’t truly confident I was ahead, or else I would have just called. I suspected he might be holding a weaker king while thinking I had a stronger one or possibly a nine.\"
After some contemplation, Holz decided to use his time extension before ultimately calling, securing the pot for himself.
The River
The 7♦ was a blank \"Honestly, I felt he might have been bluffing,\" Shak said. \"Had I made a larger raise, he could have called more quickly. However, if my raise was too hefty, it might make him wary. Seeing him call for half of his remaining stack was significant in my eyes. I was genuinely surprised when he called with queens. As a player who typically plays tight, I think most players would have folded queens in that spot, as I wouldn’t raise without a strong holding. It was honestly an impressive call from him.\"
So how did Shak feel about clashing with one of the most talked-about players of 2016?
"I believe he’s running well, but I also think that was an exceptionally good call,\" he noted. \"I don’t think either of us would have made that call ourselves. Given the dynamics of the hand, the only hands he could realistically beat were ten-jack or a complete bluff. In my opinion, it was a truly commendable call on his part.\"
Amazing Call
Don’t forget to come back frequently as we continue sharing more hands from the 2016 SHRB 'Straight from the Pros.'
Chad Holloway, a winner of a WSOP Bracelet in 2013, has previously served as a managing editor and live reporter for PokerNews.
888poker-EGR-logo-Mobile-Header-2021-white
888poker-EGR-logo-Mobile-Header-2022-white