High Stakes Poker Season 5, Ep. 6 aired last night and, as expected, upped the bar for television poker again – this time by shattering the record for biggest pot ever on TV. 

It’s no surprise that Tom “durrrr” Dwan was involved, locking horns with PokerStars Team Pro Barry Greenstein in what would amount to almost a $1 million coin flip.

Game: No-Limit Hold’em,High Stakes Poker, $500/$1,000 blinds with a $200 ante

Players:

• Tom “durrrr” Dwan
• Daniel Negreanu
• Barry Greenstein
• David Benyamine
• Ilari “ziigmund” Sahamies
• Peter Eastgate
• Doyle Brunson
• Eli Elezra

Biggest Poker Pot Ever on TV

The hand is folded around to Eastgate who raises to $3,500 in the cut-off. Greenstein almost instantly three-bets to $15,000 on the button. durrrr tanks before calling in the small blind.

The big blind folds and Eastgate calls the three-bet also. Three-handed they see a 2♠ 4♠ Q♥ flop.

Durrrr leads for $28,700 and Eastgate folds. Greenstein raises to $100,000 and durrrr three-bets to $244,600. Greenstein shoves all-in and durrrr makes the call.

When the smoke clears there’s $919,600 in the middle and Greenstein technically is in the lead with his A♦ A♣. Durrrr is not far behind, holding the K♠ Q♠ for top pair plus the second nut flush draw.

Though Greenstein is currently in the lead, durrrr is actually even money to win by showdown – basically a $920,000 coinflip.

When the turn brings the Q♣, Greenstein is left drawing to the case ace. The river bricks off with the 7♦ and the largest pot ever played on television is shipped to durrrr.

The Breakdown

Eastgate opens the pot to $3,500 in the cut-off with A♠ K♥ and Greenstein insta-three-bets to $15,000 with A♦ A♣ – both plays so standard they don’t need discussion.

Durrrr makes the call in the small blind with K♠ Q♠. Eastgate has been opening a ton of hands from late position and he knows Greenstein has picked up on it, so it’s entirely possible Greenstein is three-betting Eastgate light in position.

K♠ Q♠ is also a hand that has big pot potential when it makes straights and flushes and effective stacks are 450bb deep.

Once you add in the “it’s Tom ‘MF’ Dwan” factor you realize he can call with whatever he wants and make it profitable because worst-case (best-case?) scenario he’ll just bluff whoever off whatever hand they have.

Eastgate chooses to flat-call Greenstein’s three-bet. Though he has A-K, he doesn’t want to inflate the pot when everyone is super deep so he chooses to flat-call.

The flop comes Q♥ 2♠ 4♠, and durrrr thinks before leading for $28,700.

With top pair and the second-nut-flush draw, durrrr is even money vs. an overpair. He leads with the intention of three-betting if raised.

Once he sees this flop he is never ever folding. Eastgate misses the flop completely and folds. Greeenstein raises to $100,000 with his overpair.

He knows durrrr plays a tricky game and is very aggressive. He could just as well be leading here with a naked flush draw or a stone cold bluff.

Greenstein does not want to get bluffed again and shows durrrr he means business with a big raise. Once Greenstein raises, durrrr can put him on a fairly narrow range.

Greenstein three-bet preflop then raised a donk-lead into two live players. durrrr knows his own lead into two people in a three-bet pot is very strong, and he knows that Greenstein’s raise is also very strong.

Sets are unlikely because Greenstein would be more likely to flat-call fours and deuces preflop and play them for set value rather than three-bet them as a bluff.

Pocket queens are also not a worry because durrrr has a queen and there is a queen on the board. Greenstein would have to have exactly the two remaining queens, which isn’t very likely.

Thus, Greenstein’s most likely holding is an overpair. Since durrrr knows he is even money vs. an overpair and there’s already almost $200,000 in the pot, he three-bets to $244,600.

Greestein ships it in with his AA and a pot-committed durrrr makes the call. With $918,600 in, they elect to run it just a single time and when durrrr binks the Q♣ on the turn, Greenstein is drawing very slim to the last ace in the deck.

When it doesn’t come on the river, durrrr’s cracked aces from two shows ago are avenged.

TL;DR Version:

durrrr vs. Greenstein. durrrr top pair + flush draw v. Greenstein’s overpair all-in on flop in $919,600 pot. durrrr binks the turn. Ballgame.