This week, another player went broke on the GSN cash game series “High Stakes Poker.” This time, Silly Bandz creator Robert Croak had the dubious distinction of being felted. You can catch new episodes of the show on Saturdays on GSN at 8:00pm ET and 11:00pm ET.
Split pots were the name of the game early. PokerStars pro Barry Greenstein ran A-Q into retired businessman Bill Klein’s Big Slick early on for his entire stack, telling his opponent, “That’s what I was afraid of.” Luckily for Greenstein, the board ran out 2-10-7-2-7, resulting in a split pot.
Then, in a rather peculiar hand, the action went check-check on a board of A-K-5-10-J with four hearts. DoylesRoom namesake Doyle Brunson showed the six of hearts and an ace and told the table he just had a pair of aces. However, he quickly realized his mistake and scooped the pot with a flush at the expense of Treasure Island Las Vegas owner Phil Ruffin, who tabled A-K.
Brunson was up to his antics again, this time peeking down at only the ace of hearts and raising to $4,000. Vanessa Selbst, perhaps picking up on the fact that her neighbor had only looked at one hole card, 3bet to $11,000 with Q-9 of diamonds. When the action folded back around to Brunson, he looked down at the seven of hearts and called to bring a flop of J-10-K with two hearts.
Brunson checked his straight and flush draws and Selbst bet $18,200 with a straight. “The Godfather of Poker” committed his $191,000 stack and Selbst called to set up a pot worth $406,000. The turn and river were run twice in the near-coin flip situation and Brunson hit a heart on the first turn to leave Selbst drawing dead to the river. The second board, however, favored Selbst and the pot was chopped.
On a flop of A-J-K, Croak fired out $6,500 in chips with A-J for two pair and Ruffin came along with Q-10 for the nuts. The turn was an eight and the gloves came off. Croak pushed out $11,000 and Ruffin raised to $50,000. Croak, likely thinking he had the best hand, moved all-in for $121,900 and Ruffin called.
With a $268,000 pot hanging in the balance, the duo agreed to run it once. The lone river card was a seven, giving Ruffin the entire pot and sending Croak to the rail. He was the first player to exit “High Stakes Poker” Season 7 and, after a few minutes, Victory Poker pro Andrew “good2cu” Robl took his place.
In the final pot of Saturday’s 60-minute episode, Ruffin called pre-flop with K-9 and Klein limped with A-Q. David “Viffer” Peat came along with Q-5 and Brunson called out of the small blind with 8-6. Selbst checked her option with A-6 and the first three cards were Q-6-6. Despite two players making trips and two players hitting top pair, the action checked around to a four on the turn.
Brunson pushed out a bet of $4,000 with trip sixes and Selbst, who also held trip sixes, but with a better kicker, called. Klein, holding top pair with an ace, also called and the river was a king. Brunson continued firing, this time $15,000, and Selbst raised to $52,000. Klein abandoned ship and Brunson deliberated for about ten seconds before also folding.
“High Stakes Poker” host Norm Macdonald was impressed with Brunson’s laydown, telling the audience at home, “The speed of that laydown shows you why Doyle Brunson has been revered for 50 years.”
Watch new episodes of “High Stakes Poker” on Saturdays at 8:00pm ET and 11:00pm ET on GSN.
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