One of the reasons why No Limit Texas Holdem poker is so interesting is the ability for any poker player at any time to push all in. It is the most aggressive game in poker which means it's also the most dramatic. Yet sometimes it is the passive play that results in a win, which was seen in the second heads-up hand in a match between Phil Hellmuth and Shawn Sheikhan during Hecklers' Week at Poker After Dark.
Shawn started things off with a raise to $4,400 while holding:
... Phil called $2,800 with:
... and followed that action with a check in the dark before the flop cards were dealt. The flop came:
... Shawn checked. The turn came:
... but not before Phil had checked in the dark once again trying to throw his opponent a curveball. Shawn also checked. The river was laid on the table:
... Both players checked it and Shawn picked it up with the Ace high. This was good for a number of reasons - first, of course, he added a few thousand dollars to his chip stack. Second, it really rattled Hellmuth. Phil had committed $2,800 pre flop with a bad hand for heads-up play, and then followed that mistake with another - not trying to pick up the pot. One more stab at it would have likely cost him more money, but it was really his only chance to win. Phil felt foolish and you could see this hand gnawing at him over the next few.
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