There is hardly a better feeling in poker than rivering a sneaky three of a kind that your opponent can’t really put you on. That feeling can quickly turn sour, however, when instead of agonizing over calling they turn the tables on you and jam over your bet.
This is exactly what happened to Tom Dwan during one of the big Hustler Casino Live games. With effective stacks of $680k and blinds $1,000/$2,000, Tom got involved in a big pot against Stanley Tang, the billionaire DoorDash co-founder.
A Sick Runout
The action folded to Stanley, who looked down at two black kings in the small blind. He made it $10,000, and Dwan in the big blind made the call with 5♣4♦, closing the action.
The flop was a good one for Tang, as it came K♥7♥6♠, giving him the top set. He fired a pot-sized bet of $20,000, and Dwan quickly called with his open-ender. So far, nothing out of the ordinary.
The turn brought the 4♣, which paired Tom’s bottom card. Although this was a bit of a scary card, Stanley was undeterred, betting $50,000 into the pot of $62,000. Tom could have turned his hand into a bluff at this point, but he opted for a safer route, and with a pair and the same straight draw, he called one again.
The river was a brutal one, though, as it came 4♥, giving Dwan trips, and the confidence that he had the best hand. This card also completed the flush draw that came on the flop, so Stanley wisely checked, giving Tom some rope to bet, either with a weaker made hand or with a bluff.
With his three of a kind, Dwan did not need too much encouragement, so after a short thought, he fired for $111,000, bringing the pot to over a quarter of a million. At this point, Stanley finally sprung the trap and moved all-in for $600k!
This was a development Tom certainly didn’t expect. There are many better hands Tang could be doing this with, but he’s also more than capable of pulling a big bluff. It took Tom a while to figure out what the best play was, and you can find out where he landed in the video below!
