Sometimes you can lose with aces and still end up winning. That’s what happened to Nick Schulman this week at Poker Masters.
In Event #6, a $15,100 No Limit Hold’em game with blinds of 15,000-25,000 and an ante of 25,000, Schulman, playing from the big blind with 28BB, was dealt A♥ A♣ and raised to 50,000. Jim Collopy, with 24BB, called with K♠ Q♠ from the small blind.
According to the poker odds calculator, Schulman had an 82% chance of winning the hand. However, an interesting flop of Q♣ J♣ 9♣ gave Collopy top pair and an inside straight draw, while Shulman had a flush draw to the nut ace. Collopy checked, and Shulman bet 30,000. Collopy called, and the turn came the 10♠, giving him a straight. The odds had changed in his favor: Collopy now had 75% to win.
After another check from Collopy, Shulman thought for a moment and bet 105,000. Collopy called, and the pot grew to 420,000. The river was the Q♦, and Collopy checked again. Shulman thought again and announced all-in.
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“The leader in the race for the purple jacket is one step away from a very big stack,” the commentator noted on the broadcast. Although the queen on the river blocked some full house hands, Collopy had a tough choice. He was losing to full houses, flopped straights, and A-K. Collopy eventually folded, and Schulman’s bluff with aces on the river won him a nice pot.
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Tournament Results: In the end, Isaac Haxton won the tournament for $352,800. Schulman finished in seventh place for $50,400, his second cash of the series. Jim Collopy, though he lost the hand, was able to take second place and collect $226,800. This was his fourth consecutive final table, giving him the lead in the Poker Masters and the purple jacket after his closest rivals were eliminated in the final. Looking for the latest in gambling? Check out exclusive casino news and trends right now.
