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14/01/2012 PKR Wild river action on High Stakes Poker

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Wild river action

David Benyamine tangles with Daniel Negreanu and Doyle Brunson on HSP
and treats us to a fascinating display of river betting

By Rick Dacey on Friday 25 Jun 2010 12:00

Part of the following series: Cash machines, Learn from the pros

8Recommend

French pro David Ben amine uses an unorthodo line to ma imum

effect after making a medium-si ed flush on the river in this hand from
High Stakes Poker

The art of winning poker could easily be summed up with this refrain: Make
players with better hands fold and make players with worse hands call. It s not
often you can do both at the same time, but in episode nine, series six of High
Stakes Poker that s exactly what Frenchman David Benyamine achieves. He
makes a well-timed check-raise on the river and gets Daniel Negreanu to fold
the best hand and Doyle Brunson to call with the worst.
www.pkr.com/en/raise-your-game/opinion-and-meta-game/metagame72/ 1/6

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The action
Negreanu opens the betting with a raise to $3,000 with 9s-Ts and is called in
the cutoff by poker legend Doyle Brunson, who decides to get a little bit trappy
with pocket Queens (Qh-Qc). Mike The Mouth Matusow passes Js-2s on the
button, which he ll come to regret, before David Benyamine calls with 7s-5s in
the small blind. Bertrand Elky Grospellier passes in the big blind. It s three
runners to the flop and the dealer doesn t disappoint with a 9c-3s-8s spread.
Brunson holds an overpair and both Benyamine and Negreanu hold flush
draws. The latter also holds top pair, giving him a massive hand on the flop,
and he leads for $8,500 after Benyamine checks to him. Both Brunson and
Benyamine call.

and the action card

The one card that just had to come is flipped on the turn: the Queen of
spades. It completes two players flushes and gives Brunson top set with his
pocket Queens. It s a killer card that should seemingly see Benyamine lose a
lot to Negreanu and one or both players grudgingly paying off Brunson if he
fills his full house. All three players check the turn to allow the Ah peel off on
the river, giving Negreanu the check mark for the winning hand. It s at this point
it all kicks off. Benyamine checks, allowing Negreanu to value-bet $26,200.
Brunson calls with his set. Benyamine then check-raises to $101,200.
Negreanu painfully folds and Brunson calls.

(The hand starts at 7m 36s and concludes in the second video below)

www.pkr.com/en/raise-your-game/opinion-and-meta-game/metagame72/ 2/6

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This hand plays out this way for two significant reasons. In the first instance
Benyamine knows that a big raise here can get Negreanu to fold a medium
flush and in the second Brunson knows that high stakes pro Benyamine is
more than capable of making this level of bluff. When Daniel bets I was never
going to raise him, but once Doyle calls I believe he may be caught in the
middle, Benyamine later explains. The Frenchman also points out – and this is
key – that he believes Negreanu would bet the turn with the King or Ace-high
flush. This is combined with the fact that Benyamine must know that Doyle
would raise with the nuts – or close to it – so his deduction is that he should
check-raise. By doing do his hand will look ultra-strong, and Negreanu will be
squeezed and forced to fold. The logic is solid, and Benyamine s raise of
another $75,000 is enough to fulfil two functions. It s too much for Negreanu to
call with his Ten-high flush, but not so much that Brunson isn t tempted to call
with a hand that he thought was ahead in the first place. As you can see from
the aftermath, Negreanu can t believe Benyamine blew him off the hand.

www.pkr.com/en/raise-your-game/opinion-and-meta-game/metagame72/ 3/6

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So how can you apply this to your own game? Well, at lower levels most
players won t have that level of fold within them (in cash games anyway). As
you move up the levels and more players start using blocker bets and making
thin value bets you can apply this logic to fold out worse hands and get calling
stations to call you down with worse. This kind of river squeeze works best
when you are acting directly after a loose caller, who will make all kinds of calls
on fifth street with pair and two-pair type hands, and a tight player who you
suspect is making a thin value bet or blocking bet.

It s obviously a high variance move, but one that will not only make you a lot of
chips (when you pull it off) but will also make you feel like a bluffing master.
Yes, it s not always going to work but if you can think through the hand logically
– and really discern your opponents calling and folding ranges – then you ll
add a powerful weapon to your poker arsenal.

www.pkr.com/en/raise-your-game/opinion-and-meta-game/metagame72/ 4/6

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1. The ba ic of eading a poke hand

2. VIDEO: E ac ing al e i h eak hand
3. T o ee of al e
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