As expected Viktor “Isildur1” Blom was involved often but Doug Polk, Ike Haxton, Alex Luneau, Dan Cates, Mikael Thuritz, Denis Bahonjic and Gus Hansen got their noses in their too.
Most of the biggest hands of the year were played in August and September.
The largest pot was won by an American player who is considered by many -- including himself -- to be the best NLHE heads-up player in the world.
Pot #1 -- Sept 18: Douglas WCGRider Polk - $383k
The biggest hand of the year played out between Denis Denoking Bahonjic, based in Sweden, and Dougles WCGRider Polk from the United States.
They were playing $200/$400 NLHE heads-up and the American opened with a raise to almost $900.
To cut it short, this was a classic set-up. Denoking 3-bet to $5k. After a 4-bet to $15k he 5-bet to $37k, Polk 6-bet all-in for $191k and all the money was in the middle of the table.
They agreed on dealing the whole board twice and it ran out
Board 1:
Board 2:
And these were – not surprisingly – hands at showdown:
Denoking:
WCGRider:
To Bahonjic’s ill fortune Polk was holding the ace of spade, so he didn’t have the chance to win with the flush. The whole $383k went into Polk’s pockets.
Pot #2 -- Aug 20: Viktor Isildur1 Blom - $371k
There was a lot of action at the Mixed Game tables this year and some of it produced huge pots.
In this hand NLHE is the game, the blinds are $300/$600 and the opponents were none other than Daniel jungleman12 Cates and Viktor Isildur1 Blom.
The Jungleman opened with a raise to $1,500, Isildur responded with a raise and Gus Hansen responded with a fold. Jungleman called and the flop fell
Blom kept the lead and bet $7,200. Cates called. The turn was the
and Blom went for the second barrel – now $18k. The American raised it up to $48k and, somewhat surprisingly, Blom didn’t push or fold but just called. You'll soon understand why. The river
didn’t change much on this board. Blom checked again and Cates wanted to take it down. A raise and a call meant that all the chips were in and we had a showdown.
Blom showed for the straight and Cates mucked his hand.
Pot #3 -- Aug 21: Denis Denoking Bahonjic and Isaac luvtheWNBA Haxton - $359k
Heads-up NLHE experts were responsible for several monster hands in online poker 2014.
In the second half of August Denoking met luvtheWNBA, and it was a battle. The blinds were $300k/$600k, Haxton popped it up to $1,320 and Denoking 3-bet to $5k. Ike called. The flop was
Denoking bet half the pot and received another call. The turn was the
Now Bahonjic went to check-raise Haxton’s $10k bet to $44k. The American called again. After the turn
Both players moved the rest of their money into the middle – about $125k each. Showdown:
Denoking:
luvtheWNBA:
Both players had the same straight and split up this pot. At $359k it was the largest split pot of the year.
Pot #4 -- Aug 20: Gus Hansen ($259k) and Daniel Cates ($95k)
The fourth largest hand of the year was played during a round of PLO at a 6-Max Mixed Game table.
The blinds were at $300/$600 and the players at the table were Dan jungleman12 Cates in the small blind, Viktor Isildur1 Blom in the big and Gus Hansen on the button/UTG.
Hansen raised to $1,200, Cates bumped it up again to $4,200 and Blom max-raised to $14k. Both opponents called. The flop fell
Now jungleman took the lead and bet $41k. Blom moved all-in for $120k. Again, both his opponents came along, although Hansen only had $73k left.
Turn and river were the
---
Hands at showdown:
Isildur1:
Gus Hansen:
jungleman12:
Hansen was the player on the winning side here, his two pairs improving to a full house which won him the main pot of $259k. The side pot of $95k went to Cates who turned a straight.
Pot #5 -- Sept 19: Denis Denoking Bahonjic - $339k
The fifth-largest pot of the year came from the long-lasting duel between Bahonjic and Polk.
They were playing heads-up NLHE $200/$400. Denoking bet $1,400 and WCGRider 3-bet to $6,800.
Bahonjic, who’s good friends with Viktor Blom, called and the pot was already almost $14k heavy before we went to the flop.
That seemed to hit both players well enough to risk their whole stacks. First, Polk bet $10k into the pot but Bahonjic raised again. Polk massive overbet the pot with a $260k all-in. Bahonjic called with his $165k.
Showdown:
Denoking:
WCGRider:
Botton set versus flush and inside straight draw. Turn and river were dealt twice.
First draw: ---
Second draw: ---
None of these cards were the ones Polk was looking for and Bahonjic added $339k to his bankroll.
Pot #6 -- Aug 6: Alexandre alexonmoon Luneau - $337k
Sometimes, 6-max tables actually have almost six players playing.
Such was the case on Aug. 6 when Viktor Blom, Alexander Kostritsyn, Chun Lei Zhou, Gus Hansen and Alexandre Luneau all sat together to play some poker.
It was a Mixed Game table and the blinds were $300/$600. Even before the flop the action went haywire.
Chun had opened carefully with a raise to $1,500 but Hansen reraised to $5k and Luneau 4-bet to $16k.
Too much for Chun, who got out of the way. Hansen raised again and Luneau then moved enough of his $337k into the middle to put Hansen all-in.
Showdown:
Alexandre Luneau:
Gus Hansen:
Luneau moved in with aces, naturally, but Hansen’s hand plays very well exactly against what Luneau was holding. The players agreed to deal the turn and river twice.
The board ran
--- -
And
--- -
Nothing to help Hansen anywhere and $337k went all the way to the French side of the table.
Pot #7 -- Aug 8: Alexander Kostritsyn and Alexandre Luneau split $336k
The high-limit Mixed Game tables usually featured Gus Hansen and the next hand is no exception.
It was the turn of PLO and the blinds were at $300/$600. Alexander postflopaction Kostritsyn and Alexandre alexonmoon Luneau were in the blinds and Hansen raised it up to $1,200.
Kostritsyn called but Luneau re-raised to $5k. Now it was Hansen who flat-called and Kostritsyn clicked it up again to $20k.
Both players called, although Hansen had only $8k behind. The flop was
Kostritsyn lead out for $57k. The Frenchman called but Hansen somehow found a fold. After the turn
Kostritsyn bet $100k and put Luneau all-in. Call, and deal the river twice.
River 1 - River 2 -
These were the hands at showdown:
alexonmoon:
PostflopAction:
The first draw brings Luneau the straight, the second one give Kostritsyn a full house, so the $336k pot was split between both players.
Pot #8 -- Aug 17: Gus Hansen -- $334k
The participants of this hand were notoriously active Gus Hansen and his more successful counterparts Alexander Kostritsyn and Daniel Cates.
They were playing at a Mixed table, the game was No-Limit Hold’em and the limits were $300/$600.
It was one of those hands that play themselves. The Dane had opened UTG but after raises and re-raises, the Russian moved all his chips over the line - $181k.
Cates didn't take part in the raising war but Hansen was willing to invest his whole $161k.
The board was to be dealt twice and the showdown showed:
Alexander Kostritsyn:
Gus Hansen:
Two monster hands collided but for a change it was Hansen, who was on the unlucky side very often this year, who was way ahead.
The two boards ran:
Board1:
Board2:
The first board gives Kostritsyn a flush draw on the flop but for once Hansen was able to win an all-in pre-flop worth $334k.
Pot #9 -- Jan 22: Isaac luvtheWNBA Haxton - $322k
The year was still very young when Isaac Haxton and Viktor Blom started a heated battle heads-up in NLHE.
They were really going for it with blinds at $400/$800 and the action began pre-flop. Blom raised to $2,400 and Haxton re-raised to $8k. The flop fell
Haxton bet $11k and Blom called. The turn was the
and Haxton fired another barrel, now $34k. Blom called again and they were off to the river
Haxton pushed with $100k and Blom called. However the Swede found his cards quickly in the muck as Haxton had flopped a flush with
$322k was in the pot at the end of this hand and the whole bundle went into Haxton’s PS account.
Pot #10 -- July 28: Mikael punting-peddler Thuritz - $306k
During the summer Chun Lei "samrostan" Zhou was still the most popular whale among the high-stakes sharks. In this hand he was playing against the Swedish forces represented by Viktor Blom and Mikael Thuritz.
The game was NLHE $300/$600. Blom raised to $1,800 and Thuritz re-raised to $6k.
Chun got out of the way this time but Blom called and the two saw these three cards on the board:
Thuritz checked and then called Blom’s bet of $8k. The turn was the
Now Thuritz took over the lead and bet $18k. Blom called. The river was the
And paired the board. There was a possible trap, and it was going to be Blom who got caught in it. Thuritz checked from first position but then check-raised all-in with $121k.
Blom probably knew what was coming but found himself committed. He called and got shown pocket queens for a full house. Blom mucked and Thuritz had $306k in his account.
Visit www.pokerlistings.com