Weekly Poker Hand Highlight: Brandon Steven transforms his hand into a bluff, securely rivers a Full House

Weekly Poker Hand Highlight: Brandon Steven transforms his hand into a bluff, securely rivers a Full House

An Exciting Poker Hand Unraveled

In this week's captivating poker exhibition, we delve into a cunning hand played in the high-stakes realm, where Brandon Steven manages to bluff his way to a full house in a massive pot against Rick Salomon. This nail-biting showdown took place in Season 11 Episode 10 of High Stakes Poker.

Setting the Stage

Seven players, including Jennifer Tilly, Rob Yong, Rick Salomon, JRB, and Brandon Steven, sat down for a 7-max $200/$400 No-Limit Hold'em game with a mandatory straddle. Salomon had the advantage over Steven at the hand's outset.

Action Speaking Louder Than Words

Preflop Action

The $800 straddle was on, and Brandon Steven raised from middle position with 3♠3♥ to $3,000. Rick Salomon called with K♠4♠ on the button, while Justin Gavri defended the straddle with 9♣8♣. The pot stood at $10,100.

Flop Action

The three-way action resulted in a provocative 4♥Q♣4♦ flop. Steven made a $6,000 continuation bet with his Two Pair, and Salomon simply called with his hidden Trips. Gavri bowed out.

Turn Action

The 9♠ on the turn didn't change much, and Brandon decided to turn his hand into a bluff by firing a $17,000 second barrel, to which Salomon responded with a cool call. The pot was now $56,100.

River Action

The 3♦ was one of the most brutal cards on the river as Brandon Steven rivered a well-disguised Full House. A $50,000 value bet from Brandon prompted Rick to put him all-in for an additional $142,000. With no hesitation, Brandon called, allowing him to pocket a humungous $341,700 pot.

Slow playing is an advanced poker strategy in high-stakes games, as evidenced in Salomon vs. Steven. By using this tactic appropriately, one can trap opponents and extract maximum value. Let's break down the key strategies for doing so:

Strategic Placement of Slow Play

• Monster hands: Use near-nut medium strength hands (e.g., flopped sets on dry boards) to induce bluffs or overbets from aggressive opponents.
• Passive opponents: Ideal against players who overfold to aggression or underbluff, enabling you to trap them gradually.
• Low-risk boards: Avoid slow playing on coordinated boards (e.g., flush/straight draws) where opponents can outdraw you.

Slow Play Execution

Preflop Setup

• Limp or flat with strong hands (e.g., premium pairs) in late position to disguise strength, especially against serial 3-bettors.
• Avoid overplaying AA/KK: In aggressive games, slow playing these preflop risks letting opponents see cheap flops with speculative hands.

Postflop Play

1. Check-call/check-raise traps:
2. On dry flops (e.g., A♠ 7♦ 2♣ with AA), check to induce bets from continuation-bettors.
3. Use delayed aggression (e.g., turn/river raises) to represent bluffs and extract max value.
4. Controlled pot growth:
5. On wet boards (e.g., 8♥ 9♥ J♦ with 7♦ T♦), bet to charge draws while still concealing strength.
6. Balance your checking range with both traps and marginal hands to avoid predictability.

Psychological Leverage

• Image manipulation: If perceived as tight, slow play to exploit opponents’ tendency to bluff at your perceived weakness.
• Reverse tells: Deliberately act hesitant with strong hands to mimic weak players, as high-stakes opponents often overanalyze behavior.

Making Sense of the Madness

Crucial Adjustments

• Game flow awareness: In loose-aggressive games, prioritize fast-playing to avoid being outdrawn; reserve slow plays for passive tables.
• Positional advantage: Slow play more often in late position to control pot size and observe opponents’ actions postflop.
• Variance management: High-stakes players often employ polarized ranges—counter by occasionally overfolding to large river bets when your slow-played hand is no longer nutted.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

• Over-trapping: Letting opponents see multiple streets for free with vulnerable hands (e.g., small sets on flush-heavy boards).
• Stack depth miscalculation: Ensure effective stacks are deep enough (100+ BB) to justify slow playing.
• Predictability: Mix slow plays with aggressive lines (e.g., donk bets) to remain unbalanced.

Employing these strategies can help replicate high-stakes pros like Salomon, as shown in the hand against Brandon Steven. However, it's essential to adjust for specific situations and remember that poker is largely about luck in the short term.

1. Brandon Steven employed a bluff with a slow-played full house in a hand against Rick Salomon during a $200/$400 No-Limit Hold'em game in Season 11 Episode 10 of High Stakes Poker.
2. The slow-played hand took place in a 7-max game with a mandatory straddle and included players like Jennifer Tilly, Rob Yong, and JRB.
3. The critical decision came on the river when Steven rivered a full house and called Salomon's all-in for an additional $142,000, pocketing a pot worth $341,700.
4. Salomon's decision to call the bluff demonstrated a lack of read on Steven's playing style, making him vulnerable to slow play traps in high-stakes casino games like poker.

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