The prestigious 2016 Super High Roller Bowl at the ARIA in Las Vegas attracted 49 competitors who each invested $300,000 for a chance to claim the impressive $5 million top prize and one of the most sought-after titles in the poker world. poker Since the entire event was recorded for global transmission by NBC Sports, our team at 888poker thought it would be enjoyable to highlight the most significant hands and provide in-depth analysis from seasoned professionals.
During the later stages of the 2016 SHRB, Matt Berkey, who was short on chips, found himself in the big blind with a weak hand. He decided to call a modest raise from Bryn Kenney. What made him choose that route instead of going all-in or folding? We thought it would be insightful to hear his reasoning.
The Setup
With only six players left in the competition and the blinds at 30,000/60,000/10,000, Bryn Kenney (holding 2.09 million chips) raised to 135,000 from the hijack position with an A♥10♥ in hand. Berkey, sitting with 835,000, called 75,000 from the big blind holding 5♣4♣.
"At this stage of the game, the bubble had burst, meaning there was no longer pressure from the Independent Chip Model (ICM) as I was clearly the player with the fewest chips,” Berkey explained. “Now, my decision revolves solely around whether I can play effectively out of position with a 4-to-1 chance. With an SPR of exactly two, I faced minimal tough choices post-flop. Given my chip count, there's no need to preserve my stack; my goal is simply to find opportunities to build my chip count. The odds I have here make folding a clear mistake.\" ICM For those who may not be familiar, the term SPR was introduced by Ed Miller in his book Professional No-Limit Hold’em: Volume 1, describing the ratio of effective stack sizes to the pot size on the flop. price To illustrate, if you raise to $8 in a $1/$2 game and the player on the button calls, both starting with $100, that leaves $92 behind for each player and creates a $19 pot. Therefore, the SPR can be calculated as 92 divided by 19, resulting in 4.84. Stack to Pot Ratio In Berkey's situation, his low SPR simplified his post-flop decisions. With limited options, he was either all-in or folding.
When the flop came down 7♠9♣10♣, Berkey checked, prompting Kenney to bet 145,000. Berkey then moved all-in for a total of 695,000 chips with his hand.
"It's crucial for us to consider, ‘Why am I choosing to go all-in instead of checking?’ The straightforward answer is that we want our opponent to fold,” Berkey detailed. “But let's analyze which hands Bryn might actually consider folding based on what we know so far. He opened from the hijack with a comparably sized stack while seated next to strong player Fedor Holz. Plus, with Erik Seidel nearby holding a 15-big blind stack, he poses a danger for a potential re-shove, while I’m in the big blind with already 7% of my stack in play.\" No-Limit Holdem cash game Berkey elaborated, \"It's reasonable to conclude he has a solid opening range. Given the board's structure, many hands in that range, likely dense with high pairs and strong cards, wouldn’t simply fold to my all-in. We might have some leverage over his ace-high hands, but those are likely to be played cautiously, allowing us to realize our equity affordably. Essentially, taking the all-in route minimizes the chances for Bryn to misplay his hand.\"
After the chips were put in, the turn and river revealed a 6♣ and 5♠, giving Berkey a flush and a double to 1.72 million. It was a favorable outcome for him, but what if Kenney had opted to check the flop instead?
The Flop
"The nature of the turn card is critical,” Berkey responded regarding that scenario. “On a board like this, it’s rare to find hands outside of a select few that would lead to a check-back. However, I would likely check with the intent to shove on most turn cards, regardless of whether clubs come out. If a king, queen, or jack of a different suit appears, I would realistically lean towards check-folding since I wouldn't expect many hands in Bryn's check-back range to bet and fold on those cards. The drop in equity with only one card left means I would need fold equity to keep being aggressive. If Bryn had checked back and I bricked out, I’d be fine with allowing my stack to play another hand while retaining some equity.\" flush draw , and Kenney called.
For those not aware, Kenney finished the tournament in sixth place, earning $800,000, while Berkey outperformed him by taking fifth place for $1.1 million—the largest payout of his career.
Stay tuned as we continue to share more hands from the 2016 SHRB, brought to you 'Straight from the Pros.'
The Turn & River
Chad Holloway is a winner of a 2013 WSOP Bracelet and has previously served as both a managing editor and live reporter for PokerNews.
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