We are now down to 65 players. The stacks continue to rise and the chips are finding themselves concentrated in fewer and fewer players’ hands. An example of that just occurred at table 55, where Big Slick just got licked by a pocket pair of 9’s.
As any poker player worth their salt knows, a pocket pair versus two over-cards in a preflop shove has a 55% chance of winning the hand, and so if you are a gambling man, always shove with a pair when facing an over-pair.
And if you prefer a more cautious approach to your play, then maybe don’t shove preflop with A-K, as tempting as it may be, unless you’re certain the other player doesn’t have a pocket pair. The rule of thumb is: unless you’re forced to, don’t risk your tournament life on a weak coin flip. It’s too risky.
Indeed, from the look on Mathieu Caron’s face, you can tell he realized his error as soon as his opponent flipped over his hole cards.
Anthony Lamanna (in the blue cap) saw the board come down
and was happy to eliminate his worthy opponent, making sure to scoop up his chips before waving goodbye.