Ten on the River

The river can be a lucky place for a poker player in a game of No Limit Texas Holdem. The last card to hit the table, it can turn a losing hand into a winning hand every time, and so players must travel the river with caution.

A fine example of this took place at the final table at the World Poker Tour Championship for Season Seven, played at the Bellagio. Two players were remaining: Yevgeniy Timenshenko and amateur Ran Azor, in heads up action.

Yev had the Doyle Brunson hand, ten two:

yet again. He raised it to $600k in tourney chips. Ran, holding:

made the call.

The Flop hit:

Ran checked it to his yong opponent, who also checked.

The Turn came:

Ran, two pair now putting him far, far ahead, bet $425k. Yev made the call.

The River brought a miracle card for Yev, another ten. The:

gave him a full house. Ran checked. Now how would Yev play it? He bet $1.5 million, and Ran called. The older player, having himself sucked out on the river time and time again, was still sick when he saw that he lost.