Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 42: Analyzing the Play of Neymar Jr. at EPT Barcelona
On Tuesday, the European Poker Tour Barcelona kicked off its €25,000 High Roller Event, which attracted 118 unique players who accounted for 34 reentries to create a prize pool of €3,724,000. That will be distributed to the top 23 players, with the winner taking home €865,900.
One player taking part in the tournament was global superstar athlete Neymar Jr., who plays football for FC Barcelona and became a Team PokerStars Pro back in May. The Brazilian was playing in his first-ever live major poker tournament, so needless to say his presence drew a ton of attention, not only from the poker world, but also from mainstream media.
The striker’s football skills are undeniable, but does he have what it takes to compete on the poker felt? While Neymar ultimately busted shy of the dinner break, he showed some legitimate poker skills; in fact, at one point he even led the tournament.
I decided to dive a little deeper into a few of the hands Neymar played, and offer my take on each. Have a look:
Hand #1: Neymar Gives O’Dwyer Rope to Hang Himself
In Level 3 (600/1,200/200) on a flop of A♠4♣K♠, Neymar bet 3,000 and Steve O’Dwyer, who was fresh off winning the Neymar Jr. Charity Event in Barcelona, called in position. After the dealer burned and turned the 10♦, Neymar again bet 3,000, and O’Dwyer popped it to 14,000. Neymar made the call and the 4♦ completed the board on the river. Neymar checked to the former EPT Grand Final winner, who fired out 40,000. Neymar made the call and O’Dwyer tabled Q♣10♣ for a pair of tens. Neymar then rolled over A♥K♥ for top two pair and the win.
My Take: While the preflop action remains a mystery, I would guess Neymar’s bet of 3,000 on the flop was roughly half the pot. O’Dwyer, a professional who was no doubt well aware of Neymar’s inexperience, opted to make the call in position with a gutshot straight draw.
Neymar then bet another 3,000 on the 10♦ turn. I liked the fact that he bet, but I don’t like the amount. By betting so small he’s pricing in all draws, such as straight and flush draws, and runs the risk of his opponent calling with something like AxQx or AxJx and backing into a straight. I’d have preferred to see him protect his hand with a bet right around three-quarters of the pot.
That said, the meek bet seemed to work in his favor as O’Dwyer sensed weakness and raised to 14,000, which Neymar called. Neymar could have easily raised in that spot, but I actually liked that he just called as long as he checked the river and gave O’Dwyer some rope to hang himself, which is exactly what he did.
Fortunately for Neymar, the 4♦ river wasn’t that threatening, and O’Dwyer took the bait by betting big. Neymar just called, which I liked as there really wasn’t a point to raising. In this hand, O’Dwyer would more than likely only call a check-raise with a superior hand such as a straight, full house, or trip fours.
Hand #2: Neymar Flat-Calls With Aces; Eliminates Kitai
In Level 6 (1,200/2,400/300), David Peters raised to 5,200 from middle position and Neymar just called from the hijack. Dani Stern came along from the cutoff, and then Davidi Kitai three-bet all in for 45,000. Peters folded, Neymar four-bet to 75,000 total, and Stern got out of the way. Neymar tabled pocket aces, which were well out in front of Kitai’s sixes. The board ran out clean and Neymar sent one of poker’s most accomplished players to the rail.
My Take: The question is whether or not Neymar had a plan just calling with aces? If he just called because he was either scared or intimidated by a table full or pros, then I don’t like it. However, if he was aware of the table dynamics and felt someone was prone to raise behind him, then I love his flat-call. Given the gamesman that he is, I lean toward the latter.
Sure enough, Neymar’s call inspired Stern to call as well, then Kitai to shove. The original raiser folded, and Neymar isolated with a four-bet to 75,000. Neymar could have flatted again in the hopes of Stern entering the pot, but chances of that happening were slim. I certainly don’t fault him for getting heads up with his aces.
Had Neymar three-bet straight out of the gate, chances are Stern would have folded and Kitai would have released his small pocket pair (he certainly wouldn’t have four-bet jammed). By flatting, Neymar got the most out his aces. Quite impressive given his inexperience in live tournaments.
Hand #3: Stern Cripples Neymar
In Level 9 (2,500/5,000/500), Neymar limped from the cutoff and Stern raised from the button. Both blinds folded, Neymar called, and the flop came down A♦4♣5♥. Neymar check-called a bet from Stern, and then checked once again on the 7♣ turn. Stern fired out 35,000, Neymar check-raised to 70,000, and Stern tanked for a bit before making the call.
When the 4♦ completed the board on the river, Neymar fired out 80,000 and Stern responded by moving all in for 179,000. Neymar took about five seconds before making the call with A♥9♦, and ended up sending most of his chips over to Stern, who held a full house with 7♦7♥.
My Take: First off, I’m not a fan of Neymar’s preflop limp. If action folds to you in the cutoff and you want to enter with a hand like ace-nine, do so with a raise. Had he done so, there’s a good chance Stern would have just called from the button and Neymar would’ve won the pot on the flop with a standard continuation bet.
Instead, Neymar limped and Stern seized control of the pot. Neymar no doubt limped hoping to see a cheap flop, so he only compounded his mistakes when he called the raise. I like Neymar’s check after he paired his ace on the flop, but he absolutely needed to raise after Stern put out a continuation bet. Stern was going to c-bet all his hands, so it was imperative Neymar find out where he stood. A check-raise would have done that as chances were Stern would only continue with holdings that had Neymar beat.
Neymar no doubt limped hoping to see a cheap flop, so he only compounded his mistakes when he called the raise.
Unfortunately, Neymar just called — gaining absolutely no information — and Stern got there on the turn. To make matters worse, that’s when Neymar opted to check-raise. Stern had an easy call, which should have set off alarm bells for Neymar. It didn’t, though, as he fired again on the river, and then to make matters worse called Stern’s shove. It’d be interesting to know what Neymar was thinking in that spot. This was a prime example of how mistakes quickly become compounded, and it all began with his preflop limp.
Conclusion
Aside from the hand against Stern, Neymar played great in his EPT debut; in fact, he was even chip leader early in the tournament. Unfortunately, the cards turned against him in Level 10, which is when two big hands led to his demise.
The first saw Neymar run top two into a set, and the next found him on the bad end of two flopped flushes. Needless to say, Neymar didn’t play either badly, and he actually minimized his losses on the first — he was just the victim of a couple of coolers. That’s poker.
I think Frank Op de Woerd said it best in the PokerNews Live Blog:
“And just like that the dream was over, no fairy tale story for Neymar Jr. here in his first ever live poker tournament. But what a ride it was!”
How do you feel Neymar played? Let me know in the comments section below or by hitting me up on Twitter @ChadAHolloway.
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In this Series
- 1 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 1: Making Reads and Trusting Them
- 2 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 2: Playing in Poker Charity Events
- 3 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 3: Throttle Back Before You End Up Punting
- 4 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 4: Punish the Satellite Bubble
- 5 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 5: What is Proper Accumulator Strategy?
- 6 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 6: A Chip and a Chair Story with “SirWatts”
- 7 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 7: 15 Things About Poker I Wish I’d Known Sooner
- 8 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 8: Examining the Largest Overlay in Poker History
- 9 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 9: Differences Between Rebuys and Reentries
- 10 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 10: Five Must-Read Poker Books of 2014
- 11 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 11: When Will You Finally Break Through?
- 12 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 12: Dealing with a Target on Your Back
- 13 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 13: Knowing When to Call It Quits
- 14 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 14: Embarking on a Year-Long Weight Loss Journey
- 15 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 15: Navigating Multiple Decision Points in a Poker Hand
- 16 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 16: Chris Moorman Tells Me How Badly I Play Poker
- 17 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 17: Richard “nutsinho” Lyndaker on Getting It in Marginal
- 18 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 18: Getting Inside the Head of Poker Pro Brian Rast
- 19 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 19: Stupid Calls & Lucky Draws in MSPT WI Championship
- 20 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 20: Talking Ante-Only Strategy with Greg “FossilMan” Raymer
- 21 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 21: Contributing to Jonathan Little’s New Book
- 22 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 22: Consequences of Acting Out of Turn & Tossing in Chips
- 23 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 23: When It Comes to Chops, Do What’s In Your Best Interest
- 24 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 24: Accepting Bad Beats & Lessons in Selling Action
- 25 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 25: Heinz’ Ace-High Call Shows Why He's a World Champ
- 26 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 26: Is Keeping the Short Stack Alive Collusion?
- 27 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 27: Great Laydown or Bad Fold on Poker Night in America?
- 28 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 28: Calling Hellmuth with Jack-Deuce Offsuit
- 29 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 29: The Philosophy of "No-Chop" Chad
- 30 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 30: Preparing to Play the World Series of Poker
- 31 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 31: Staying on Your Grind at the World Series of Poker
- 32 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 32: The Perilous Decision to Call Off with Ace-Queen
- 33 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 33: Using Poker Skills in Reality TV Competitions
- 34 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 34: Esfandiari Explains How to Recover from Bad Beats
- 35 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 35: Tilly vs. Brunson in Super High Roller Cash Game Hand
- 36 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol 36: Unconventional Play Leads to Good WSOP Main Event Start
- 37 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 37: Lessons in Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low w/ Evan Jarvis
- 38 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 38: Things to Say and Do When You Bust a Poker Tournament
- 39 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 39: How Much Did I Have to Raise to Get You to Fold?
- 40 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 40: Practicing Patience in My Deep PPC Poker Tour Run
- 41 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 41: Analyzing a Questionable SHRPO Main Event Hand
- 42 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 42: Analyzing the Play of Neymar Jr. at EPT Barcelona
- 43 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 43: The Value of a Reliable Poker Reputation
- 44 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 44: John “KasinoKrime” Beauprez Rips My PLO Game Apart
- 45 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 45: Satellite Dilemmas -- To Call or Not to Call
- 46 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 46: Seiver Leverages the River in Super High Roller Bowl
- 47 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 47: What Untraditional Moves in Poker Might Mean
- 48 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 48: Thinking About the Future with Sam Grizzle
- 49 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 49: WCOOP Champ “Coenaldinho7” Offers Up His Biggest Hands
- 50 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 50: The Peril of Shoving Weak Aces
- 51 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 51: The Importance of Not Giving Up in Poker Tournaments
- 52 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 52: Does Asking “Check” Actually Constitute a Check?
- 53 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 53: Thomas Cannuli Impresses Even After Main Event Bustout
- 54 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 54: Dealers Aren’t Always Right
- 55 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 55: Don’t Get Married to Pocket Aces
- 56 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 56: Bazeley’s Survival Instinct Leads to Continued Success
- 57 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 57: Playing “Deuces Wild” on the European Poker Tour
- 58 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 58: The Wildest Hand in European Poker Tour History
- 59 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 59: Death, Zombies & Spending Time w/Phil Hellmuth
- 60 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 60: How the Unstoppable Fedor Holz Managed to Win Again
- 61 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 61: Lessons To Be Learned When You Hit the Big Stage
- 62 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 62: Steve O’Dwyer Explains the “Oreo Cookie Tell”
- 63 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 63: What Would Happen to a Chip Stack If a November Niner Died?
- 64 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 64: Forgetting One Chip -- Should It Still Be an All-In Bet?
- 65 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 65: Todd “sharkslayerrr” Breyfogle on Bankroll Management
- 66 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 66: Cash Game Pro Daniel Arfin Offers Sound Bankroll Advice
- 67 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 67: Honeyman Plays Kings to Keep in Opponent’s Bluff Range
- 68 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 68: Why Do I Even Bother Drinking at the Poker Table?
- 69 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 69: Is Your Favorite Poker Pro Left- or Right-Handed?
- 70 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 70: In Order to Live You Have to Be Willing to Die
- 71 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 71: How to Amass a Big Stack Early in a Poker Tournament
- 72 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 72: Answering User-Submitted Poker Scenarios
- 73 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 73: Saying Goodbye with a Top Five List
- 74 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 74: We're Back, Baby!
- 75 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 75: Jivkov on Exploiting Capped Ranges
- 76 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 76: Matt Bretzfield Gets Tricky With Aces
- 77 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 77: Joseph Cheong Gets Crazy with a Pair of Ladies
- 78 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 78: Wyoming Poker Action & Wild South Dakota Hand
- 79 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 79: Calling Controversy at WinStar
- 80 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 80: Going for Value with Matt Hunt
- 81 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 81: Bracelet Winner Ryan Leng on Bad Call
- 82 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 82: Romeopro33 Recounts XL Eclipse Victory
- 83 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 83: Men The Master Doesn't Get Paid
- 84 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 84: Harman Hits Back-to-Back Miracle Turns
- 85 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 85: Jamie Kerstetter on Dealing with Bounties
- 86 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 86: Matt Stout Develops a Limp Dynamic
- 87 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 87: Matt Alexander Caught in Between w/ Two Red Aces
- 88 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 88: John Beauprez on Why He Folded a Set of Jacks
- 89 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 89: Alex Aqel Lets Opponent Hang Himself with Aces
- 90 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 90: David Peters Makes Beastly Call Against Will Givens
- 91 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 91: Poker Lessons from a Game of Risk
- 92 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 92: My Upstuck Diagnosis by the CLC Squad
- 93 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 93: Alex Foxen Coolers Nick Petrangelo in SHRB
- 94 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 94: My $25,000 PSPC Experience at 2019 PCA
- 95 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 95: The Equity of Leveraging Time Extensions
- 96 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 96: Dan O'Brien on Developing Healthy Routines
- 97 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 97: Big Hands From the WSOP-C Potawatomi
- 98 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 98: Simon Deadman Rips Apart My NLH Tourney Play
- 99 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 99: Shoving 10-6 Smack Dab Into Pocket Aces
- 100 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 100: The Revived Re-Entries Debate
