High Stakes Poker S8 E13: Dwan Crushes While Hellmuth & Steven Struggle

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Mar 11, 2021 5 min read

"High Stakes Poker" was back Wednesday night on PokerGO, and featured the likes Tom Dwan, Phil Hellmuth, and Jake Daniels, just to name a few. The game being played was $200/$400 no-limit hold'em.

In the first hand of the episode, which turned out to be a small one, players spent most of the time talking about Doug Polk’s much talked about laydown of the second nuts to Hellmuth’s nut straight in last week’s episode.

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Here’s how the stack sizes broke down at the top of the broadcast:

Phil Hellmuth vs. Jake Daniels – One Almost Folds a Flush

James Bord raised to $1,100 from early position with the 7♣6♥ and Daniels called next to act holding the K♠J♥. Hellmuth came along from the big blind with the 7♠4♠ and the flop came down 8♠9♠7♦.

Hellmuth checked his pair and flush draw, and Bord continued for $2,000 with his pair and straight draw. Daniels had the worst of it but called nonetheless, and then Hellmuth woke up with a check-raise to $5,000.

Bord folded, Daniels called, and the Q♠ appeared on the turn. Hellmuth checked his flush, Daniels bet $7,100 with a king-high flush draw, and Hellmuth wasted little time in making the call. On the 2♥ river, Hellmuth quickly led out for $14,000 and Daniels, who missed his draw, paused for a few beats before bluffing it by raising to $57,000.

It was $43,000 more to Hellmuth, who had $82,000 in his stack. The “Poker Brat” then hit the tank for several minutes.

“I keep thinking I’m going to fold this, he’s going to show me a bluff, and I’m going to quit,” Hellmuth said before Daniels called the clock. The floor gave Hellmuth a two-minute clock, which seemed to confuse both Daniels and commentator Gabe Kaplan.

“I don’t think you say clock if you’re bluffing,” Hellmuth said. Eventually, Hellmuth called and took down the $144,100 pot.

Tom Dwan vs. James Bord – Running It Twice

After Polk departed, both Tom Dwan and Rick Salomon took a seat in the game for what looked to be $500K and $1 million respectively. They also talked the table into raising the stakes to $400/$800.

Salomon put on a $1,600 straddle before Bord raised to $3,200 from the button with the K♠10♦. Dwan called from the big blind with the A♥4♥, Salomon put in an additional $1,600 with the 4♦3♥, and the trio saw a flop of 3♣2♥10♥.

Two checks put action on Bord and he continued for $10,000 with top pair. Dwan, who had straight and flush draws, then check-raised to $35,000, Salomon folded, and Bord immediately jammed for the $70,000 he had behind. Dwan snap-called and they agreed to run it twice.

“The old Tom Dwan would scoop both of these,” Hellmuth chirped.

On the first run, the 7♠ turn was of no consequence but the A♣ river was as Dwan made a bigger pair to lock up half the pot.

“I’m dead,” Bord claimed. The Q♠ turn on the second run out didn’t make it so, and neither did the 7♦ river. With that, Bord and Dwan chopped the $171,000 pot.

Brandon Steven vs. Tom Dwan – Impossible to Bluff

Brandon Steven raised to $2,400 from middle position with the K♠4♠ and Dwan called from the cutoff with the 9♦5♦. Bryn Kenney came along from the big blind with the 10♥7♠ and it was three-way action to the A♦5♣4♦ flop.

Kenney checked, Steven continued for $5,000, and Dwan raised to $18,000 with his pair and flush draw. Kenney folded, Steven opted to call, and the 9♣ peeled off on the turn. Steven checked, Dwan bet $33,000 with two pair, and Steven woke up with a check-raise to $87,000.

Dwan hit the tank for a while and seemed to be in the pressure cooker. Eventually, he decided to move all in for $227,000.

“You guys are impossible to bluff,” an exasperated Steven said before folding. “It’s amazing.”

“I didn’t know what the hell to do,” said Dwan, who won the $164,400 pot.

“If you call you get it all on the river,” Steven claimed. “I had a four, so I was alive.”

Brandon Steven vs. Tom Dwan vs. Jake Daniels

Dwan straddled to $1,600 and Salomon double straddled to $3,200. Steven then raised to $10,000 with the J♣10♣ on the button and Daniels called from the big blind with the A♣K♦. Dwan looked down at the 9♥7♣ and called, as did Salomon with the 9♠8♠.

With $41,200 in the pot, the flop came down 7♥K♣2♥ and three players checked to Steven, who continued for $17,000. Daniels called with the best hand, Dwan came along with middle pair, and Salomon got out of the way.

The 9♣ turn was interesting as it gave Dwan the best hand with two pair, but he checked behind after Daniels had checked. Steven, who picked up a double gutter straight draw along with a club flush draw, thought for a bit but ultimately settled on taking the free card, which was the J♠ river.

Daniel checked, Dwan bet $43,000, and Steven folded. Daniel called with top pair and watched the $178,200 pot pushed to Dwan.

Tom Dwan vs. Rick Salomon – Both with River Flushes

Salomon straddled for $1,600 with what turned out to be the 9♣4♣ and Bord raised to $3,200 from the button with the A♠J♥. Daniels then three-bet to $10,000 total with the J♣10♦ in the small blind and Dwan called from the big with the Q♣10♣. Salomon came along, Bord got out of the way, and it was three-way to the 7♣2♣5♠ flop.

Daniels continued for $12,500 and Dwan called with his flush draw. Salomon called with his inferior flush draw and the J♠ appeared on the turn, which gave Daniels the best hand. He bet again, this time $33,000, and again both Dwan and Salomon called.

The 8♣ turn brought in the club flush draw and Daniels checked. Dwan bet $75,000, Salomon insta-called, and Daniels folded. Dwan tabled the better flush and won the $320,500 pot.

Here’s a look at the stack at the end of the episode:

_{*Images courtesy of PokerGO.}

PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.

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• Tags Tom Dwan Rick Salomon PokerGO Phil Hellmuth High Stakes Poker Gabe Kaplan Bryn Kenney
• Related Players Phil HellmuthTom DwanBryn KenneyGabe KaplanRick Salomon