Did Ambitious Amateur's Banana Bluff Convince 'Jungleman' to Fold?
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A recent Bally's Big Bet Poker LIVE stream provided some wild hands and potentially a new rivalry broke out between Dan "Jungleman" Cates and amateur Keir Sullivan, who showed no fear against the legendary poker pro.
The table also featured international poker sensations Masato Yokosawa, a Japanese vlogger with even more subscribers than Brad Owen, and Johan Guilbert (aka "YoH Viral").
Masato on the Chad & Jesse Poker Show
But the spiciest action of all was between Cates and Sullivan, whose read on Jungleman seemed to be spot-on, although it didn't always work out for him.
Calling His Bluff
The two new rivals played three entertaining pots together on Big Bet Poker. In the first, Cates called $500 from the cutoff with A♥10♣ before Sullivan raised it up to $3,100 with 7♠2♣ from the small blind. And, yes, the seven-deuce game was on.
"Purple" also called on the button with 2♠2♦, and three ways to the flop they went, which came out 7♥J♦Q♥. Jungleman, with a gut-shot straight draw and backdoor hearts, bet $2,500 before Keir check-raised it to $8,000.
Unafraid of the raise, Jungleman made the call while Purple mucked his cards. The turn was the 3♣ and Cates would check before calling a $7,000 bet. When the 5♦ hit on the river, Cates jammed all in for $31,800 and was snap-called by the two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner. Sullivan then stood up, danced and celebrated as if he'd just won the Super Bowl.
Poker Pro Wins in the End
Sullivan may have won the battle, but Jungleman, a grizzled poker veteran and future Poker Hall of Famer, had a few tricks up his sleeve later in the stream. And also some luck on his side. Take, for example, one massive pot he took down with a rivered nut straight to crack Keir's flopped set.
In the third monster pot the duo played, Sullivan attempted a massive bluff that put Cates to the test. Keir raised to $1,500 with 3♠3♠ before being three-bet to $5,200 by Jungleman's Q♦Q♣. The flop ran out 5♥9♦4♦, no cards there that should scare off pocket queens. As such, Jungleman bet out $4,200 confidently and received a call.
The K♣ on the turn was a bit of a scare card, and both players checked. Following the 7♦ on the river, Cates sought value and wagered $14,600. Sullivan, with $54,100 behind, then moved all in, realizing it was unlikely his small pair could win at showdown.
Cates went into the tank and while he pondered his move, Keir added on to the size of the bet, but not with casino chips. He tossed an unpeeled banana into the pot.
"Is the banana in play?" Brian Green, who won a small amount in the game, asked.
Jungleman was already questioning if he should call the $39,500 raise with an over card and potential flush on the board. But the banana looked so tasty that he just couldn't fold and scooped the $127,500 pot. Perhaps Sullivan should have tossed out a honeydew instead. Nobody likes those.
Sullivan, who resides in San Diego and made his money in crypto, said he put Jungleman on queens or jacks when he attempted the bluff.
"But it's Jungle, who the hell knows what Jungleman Dan can show up with," he told PokerNews about his thought process.
In the end, Jungleman won $109,000 during the stream, while the amateur booked the biggest loss at the table ($75,000). Cates won this battle, but the war isn't over yet.
