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PokerStars ambassador Lex Veldhuis made an interesting decision to just call a river bet with a full house against the unpredictable Alan Keating on the newest addition of the PokerStars Big Game on Tour.
Season 2’s eighth episode, released Sunday on YouTube, featured the addition of high-stakes crusher Chance Kornuth, who replaced Alexander “Wolfgang” Seibt’s empty seat at the six-player table.
The $200/$400 no-limit hold’em (pot-limit preflop) cash game brought out some juicy action, but PokerStars pro Jason Koon was on the short end of the stick in some of those hands. He lost to a one-outer on the river with pocket aces when Veldhuis and Keating both hit a king on the river for a full house to chop the pot. Koon would later lose with top two pair to Kornuth’s top set.
New Poker Rivals Go at it Again
A rivalry between Keating and Veldhuis began brewing last week during Episode 7. Much of the same continued in Episode 8, starting with the poker players chopping two early pots, including the hand mentioned above. They’d play a slightly controversial hand in the newest episode that had Kornuth playfully needling Veldhuis.
The hand began with Veldhuis raising from an early position to $1,200 with 10♥10♦. The streamer would then call a three-bet to $4,000 from Keating, who had A♠5♥ in the cutoff and hit a big flop — A♣7♣A♥ — with trips.
Veldhuis checked his pocket pair, and then called a continuation bet of $5,000 before the 9♥ appeared on the turn. The popular poker streamer again checked, and again called a bet — $15,000 this time — drawing to just two outs (technically one as Luke Moy, the “Loose Cannon,” folded a 10 preflop).
Keating remained well out in front and poised to win a sizable pot, right up until the 10♠ appeared on the river. Veldhuis checked one last time. He’d face a $41,000 river bet and seemed to be in a position to pounce with a massive check raise. But he instead opted to just call and take down the $131,000 pot.
“Who’s going to say it?” Kornuth asked the table after seeing both hands.
“I’m not going to say it,” Koon answered.
“You can never be too careful,” Kornuth joked, playfully needling Veldhuis.
Veldhuis, in a side interview following the hand, admitted, “I think this is definitely a hand that will get talked about a lot.”
“I really thought in that moment, I cannot open the door to any craziness and then have to fold because he’s fearless,” Veldhuis said, explaining his decision to call.
Kornuth then admitted he threw in the needle, but it was “all in good fun.” Veldhuis took no offense and brushed it off as “just regulars ribbing each other.”
The episode ended after 30 hands — 87 overall. Veldhuis remained out in front with the top profit of $153,300. Moy has dropped a bit, but is still up $13,600. Keating, who dominated the table in Episode 6, is now the biggest loser among those still at the table, down $44,300. The game will last 150 hands, with new episodes each Sunday on YouTube.
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