Rick Salomon Sucks Out Twice in $430k Pot on High Stakes Poker

Jon Sofen Senior Editor U.S.

Nov 06, 2023 4 min read

Salomon in Action Early
Tilly Catches Aces at the Right Time
Steven Runs Into Some Horrendous Luck
Past High Stakes Poker Season 11 Episodes

Does Rick Salomon ever run bad? Of course, but you wouldn't know that if this week's High Stakes Poker episode was your first introduction to the high roller.

Season 11's Episode 12, which PokerGO released Monday night, featured a loose table with the same seven players as last week playing just about any two cards in search of some six-figure pots. Salomon was seated at the table with Rob Yong, Jean-Robert Bellande, Bobo Chann, Brandon Steven,Jennifer Tilly, and Justin Gavri. Their stack sizes at the beginning of the $200/$400 no-limit hold'em show are below.

Player	Chip Stack
Rick Salomon	$863,000
Rob Yong	$541,500
Jean-Robert Bellande	$494,500
Bobo Chann	$340,000
Brandon Steven	$198,100
Jennifer Tilly	$127,200
Justin Gavri	$91,800

Thanks to some fortune cards, Salomon would quickly spin that $863,000 stack to over $1.2 million by the time the show concluded, and here's why:

Salomon in Action Early

It took exactly no time for a six-figure pot on Episode 12, and Salomon shipped it with a rivered flush. He’d run into some bad luck on the next hand, however, when he turned two pair, bet $10,000 and then correctly folded to a $40,000 raise from Yong, who had a straight.

The pots really picked up shortly after with an $800 straddle on. Tilly, in early position, began the betting with a raise to $4,500 with Q♥Q♦. Bellande then called with K♦9♦ in position against the talented actress.

Steven, a car dealership owner from Kansas, made the call with Q♣9♣ from the small blind, and then Salomon, in the straddle with 8♦5♦, three-bet it to $26,000. Tilly, who had the only real hand at the table, jammed all in for $172,000, a strong enough play to take down the pot before the flop was dealt.

Tilly Catches Aces at the Right Time

One hand later and the Bride of Chucky star picked up another premium pocket pair, this time A♥A♣, and she again wasn’t about to slow-play it.

Tilly raised preflop to $2,500 and received a call from Steven and his marginal J♦8♣ hand in the small blind. Chann, a Hustler Casino Live high-stakes game regular, picked up A♦K♣ in the big blind and made it $13,000.

When action returned to Tilly, who was in position against Bobo but not Steven, she decided to go for a four-bet raise to $37,500, which of course forced Steven to exit the pot, if he hadn’t already planned to do so following Bobo’s re-raise.

Bobo decided to play his Big Slick cautiously and just made the call to see a flop of 3♠8♠6♦, which didn’t improve either hand. For Chann, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as he was able to easily fold ace-high to a $50,000 bet, limiting the damage.

Steven Runs Into Some Horrendous Luck

One of the most entertaining hands of the episode was at the expense of Steven. With a $3,200 straddle on, he limped with K♦K♣, looking to set the trap and would get his wish when Salomon, holding 9♦7♦, made it $15,000 from the small blind.

Steven didn’t waste any time going in for the check-raise, and he made it huge — $73,000. That wasn’t enough to entice his opponent to fold, however. Both players then saw a flop of 8♣7♥3♠. Salomon, who flopped middle pair, checked and then called an all in bet of $142,000.

They each agreed to run the rest of the board twice, and the first run out came A♣ and then 9♣, giving Salomon a winning two pair to ensure he would, at the very least, split the pot. But then on the second board, he hit a 7♠ on the turn to collect the entire $437,100 pot in an unlikely way.

On the next hand, Lucky Rick was back with K♦Q♥ on a board of Q♠5♠K♣J♠Q♦ and $173,000 in the pot. He went for a $110,000 wager and received a call from the coolered Chann, who had trips with Q♣6♣.

Bobo ran into it again in a hand versus Tilly when his K♠K♦ didn’t hold up against K♣J♣ on the J♠5♥Q♦9♠J♥ board. Tilly moved all in for $97,500 and Chann again was unable to find a fold.