WSOP 2005 - Folding Pocket Queens

  At the Atlantic City, NJ WSOP circuit event, announcer Norman Chad commented his entire family would have gone broke calling with pocket queens; but hometown player Nick Frangos showed professional restraint at the table.  The final table in the Texas Hold'em event at Harrah's Casino held part time players, online players and seasoned veterans. This particular hand saw action from 22 year old online pro Aaron Bartly, Erick Lindgren, whose 2004 tournament winnings were over a million dollars, and Stan Goldstein. Pocket cards were:Bartly :Lindgren:Goldstein:Frangos:  Bartly raised to 36,000 chips, challenging the next to act, Erick Lindgren, who responding by re-raising to 120,000. The man seating next to him, Stan Goldstein, took up the challenge by re-raising as well, to 204,000 chips.   "Little Nicky" Frangos, whose nickname changed from "Big Nicky" when he lost over one hundred pounds, was showing his dilemma. He rubbed his head, shifted in his seat, and considered. To call he would have to go almost completely in, and he knew the three others in the pot were all competent pros. With a grimace he tossed his cards to the dealer, kicking in his pocket ladies.  Bartly promptly folded after him, not feeling his suited connecters were up to the job, and Lindgren called, moving all in. Both players flipped their hole cards face up. When Frangos saw Goldstein's pair of Jacks, he couldn't help announcing that he had tossed his Queens. The flop was:  At this point, Lindgren was a 91% favorite to win, and Goldstein knew it. The Turn and the River:  It didn't bring him the Jack he needed to win, Goldstein's stack was devastated and Lindgren doubled up.  As the next hand began Frangos tossed his blind to the center of the table and looked around, smiling. Recognizing his good fortune, he commented "This is like free money, now. I should be broke." His comments prove how hard it was for him to decide to fold his pocket Queens, but also what a professional choice he made.