Week In Review: We all think it's easy to fold KK
We recap the biggest stories, the most watched videos and the topics everybody was talking about this week in poker.
What were we talking about?
There is nothing like the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event to get people who were nowhere near to it criticising the way the hands were played. This week it was a particularly brutal hand to set up the final table:
So naturally we all now think we could fold Kings in this spot, or at least that is what the poker Twittersphere and forums seem to think:
Quick poll. Based on action, do you fold second pair of kings on AA KK KK hand last night?
— Allen Kessler (@AllenKessler) July 12, 2018
Labat IMO made a bad call there with KK. He saw a very tight player go all in. Then an even tighter player play for his tournament life. If his goal was to make the final table with a large stack all he had to do was fold. KK IS NOT the best hand. I would have folded.
— Vic Stauffer (@goofonroof) July 12, 2018
I ran ICM numbers assuming Zhu had JJ-KK AK and Manion QQ-AA; calling with KK loses ~$350k equity.
I stopped watching when the @pokergo stream ended, but people online are implying that it's more likely Zhu/Manion are stronger than they are weaker.
Surprising, but clear fold.
— Ryan Daut (@rcdaut) July 13, 2018
lol @ u guys saying snap fold KK there
— Scott Cooper (@Scott__Cooper) July 12, 2018
Imagine making the WSOP Main Event final table and all anyone wants to talk about is that you should have folded kings preflop.
— Max Silver (@max_silver) July 12, 2018
Obviously it's a really interesting spot and fascinating from an ICM perspective, but give Labat his due he really had to think about it.
Who were we talking about?
Sorry folks, it was Phil Hellmuth again, for the second week in a row.
What can you say about the Poker Brat other than he is one of the few people who can go from this.....
Phil, what you did in this hand is a very serious incident, & I’m concerned you don’t recognize how serious it is. You are affecting action on the hand. Any criticism from Justin, Ike or others is entirely appropriate https://t.co/BygkgRJgk2
— Erik Seidel (@Erik_Seidel) July 8, 2018
Please consider giving @phil_hellmuth a retroactive penalty today.
He didn’t like Camby and gave away the weakness of his hand to allow Kuzmin to call his all-in lighter than normal.
This behavior is FAR beyond what is acceptable and he’s gotten enough warnings
— Justin Bonomo (@JustinBonomo) July 7, 2018
Every time I play with @phil_hellmuth he talks about his hands in multiway pots, acts out of turn, or talks about what he folded while a hand is still in progress. Players need to step up, call the floor, demand penalties every time. TDs need to give those penalties. @wsoptd
— Isaac Haxton (@ikepoker) July 7, 2018
....to this in just a few days:
Congratulations to @phil_hellmuth on winning his 15th bracelet! It's sort of unreal how this guy manages to keep winning tournaments no matter what year it is. pic.twitter.com/xAOmIp7aim
— Doug Polk (@DougPolkPoker) July 12, 2018
Dear wizards with your stupid gto @phil_hellmuth might have some flaws but in all of your dreams can never read hands better then he can. He pioneered poker for yrs to give people who play now the ability to play poker for a living and he deserves respect love him or hate him
— Mike Matusow (@themouthmatusow) July 12, 2018
Congratulations @phil_hellmuth on winning your 15th bracelet! 🎊🎉 You are a true champion! #WSOP
— Jennifer Tilly (@JenniferTilly) July 12, 2018
What were we watching?
This was a bit of a surprise but beating Lex and all the WSOP streams this week was ALOHADANCETV who normally streams games like Warcraft but has recently turned his hand to poker, bringing with him his prexisting gaming audience, which can only be good for the game:
Elsewhere on YouTube and once again featuring the Poker Brat, this video from Doug Polk already has over 150,000 views:
What to look out for next week
All that will be left of the World Series of Poker will be the poker community learning more about who our new champion is and then the culmination of the $1 million Big One for One Drop.
Speaking of the most watched videos in poker, no doubt whatever the biggest cooler of that tournament is will go viral because it is also a $1 million buy-in event, it's a very easy sell to a mass audience when the stakes are that high.
After which we can look forward to a month of poker player holiday pictures on Instagram.
What were your poker highlights this week? Let us know in the comments:
