The river can be a dangerous place in a poker game. The last card to be dealt in Texas Holdem, it can turn a lead into a disaster, and so often good players will - even when ahead in the hand - settle for checking it down on the last card. If they were wrong, and their opponent had them beat, then they could lose a lot more than they would win if they bet.
In one hand of the NBC late night poker show hosted by Shana Hiatt, Poker After Dark, this principle was played out. This week all six players (Chris Ferguson, Layne Flack, Erik Seidel, Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, and T.J. Cloutier) were multiple World Series of Poker bracelet holders, each with five or more, so it was not surprising that they were showing common sense during the game.
In this hand Flack started things off with a min raise to $400 holding:
... Phil called with:
... and Brunson called with:
... coming in at a discount from the big blind. The flop came:
... giving Pihl the lead, but all checked. The turn came:
... giving Brunson and Flack a low pair. Doyle checked, Flack bet $500 and Phil raised it to $1,500. Doyle folded, Layne called, and it was time for the river. Now at this point Phil was sure he was ahead (thus the raise), but when the river came:
... he knew Flack could have picked up a win. So when Flack checked, Phil checked behind him, happy to win when the cards were turned over.
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