Former ‘Survivor’ makes a big fold
When you think poker, you probably think of big hands, all-in moments and stunning bluffs. One aspect of the game that often gets overlooked is the ability to lay down big hands. In fact, it’s one of the qualities that separates poker pros from amateurs.
Every so often, a poker pro will make such a big fold that it leaves you wondering, “How on earth did he do that?” Case in point: a hand from the Live at the Bike $50-$50-$100 no-limit hold ’ em cash game live stream from California’s Bicycle Casino.
The hand was between Andy Tsai and Garrett Adelstein. You might recognize the latter as a contestant on “Survivor: Cagayan” back in 2013. It began when Tsai raised to $300 from the hijack seat (two spots to the right of the button) with Qd 10d, and Adelstein defended his big blind with 10s 7c.
The 8h 2d 9c flop saw Adelstein check his open-ended straight draw and then call a continuation bet of $300 from Tsai, who flopped a gutshot to a jack.
The Jd turn gave both players their straights, but Tsai’s queen-high was just ahead of Adelstein’s jack-high. Adelstein checked the second nuts, and Tsai bet $475 with the nuts (the best possible hand). Adelstein then sprung to life with a check-raise to $2,500, and Tsai reraised to $7,875. Adelstein called.
The 5h on the river completed the board. Adelstein opted to check for the third time, and Tsai bet $14,500. With $31,550 in the pot, Adelstein neither snap-shoved nor called, which is what most players would do. Instead, he carefully assessed the situation while talking aloud.
“This is disappointing,” he said. “This is a disappointing situation we have here. What do I want to do? … Actually, I am thinking about putting no more money in. It’s a crazy, crazy thing to do.”
Adelstein spent so much time in the tank (the term for when a player thinks about a decision for a long period of time) that a clock was called. That allowed him a predetermined amount of time to act, and with 10 seconds remaining Adelstein did the improbable and laid down his hand.
“Yeah, I’ll fold it, sure,” he said before sending his cards to the muck.
Adelstein’s hand was incredibly strong, and yet he knew something was amiss. Even so, getting that feeling in your gut and actually heeding it are two very different things. It takes a player of experience and extreme confidence to lay down the second nuts in a hand like this. For Adelstein, who plays high-stakes poker regularly, it was just another day at the office.
“There’s been some chatter lately about me being kinda lucky in recent poker hands,” Adelstein said on social media. “What’s missing from this discussion is that I’ve been running this hot for 16 years. Seriously. If it’s any consolation to the keyboard warriors, I too think I’m a complete and undeserving joke.”
One thing is certain: That disciplined laydown was no joke — it was the envy of poker players around the world.