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Poker After Dark - Losing with a Winner Take All Tactic

By launchpoker, Apr 8, 2008

  When you are playing a poker tournament and there can only be one winner it requires a different approach than a game where there are multiple levels of payouts. When professional poker players bust out of the tournament and they are defending their play, if it is a winner take all tournament they will often point this out to excuse their behavior.



  During the Jam-Up Week of the third season of Poker After Dark Barry Greenstein did just that. The hand in question put Eli Elezra leading the action with a raise to $600 while holding a small pair:






... Barry, raised it up to $2,400 while holding Fish Hooks:






... Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari, liked his chances with his Big Slick hand:






... and raised it himself to $6,300. Eli folded out of the way but Barry, keeping in mind the winner take all tactic, pushed all in for $10,200. Antonio called.



  It was a classic race situation: a pair versus two over cards. But in Poker After Dark Barry Greenstein never had much luck winning races. The flop came:







... and just like that Barry was behind. The turn was:





... and the river was:





... and the Robin Hood of Poker, as Barry is known, was out, leaving the other two plus Howard Lederer, David Williams and Mike Matusow to battle it out for the big prize.