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Yes it’s extremely cold deck and yes Sam Farha gets extremely lucky on the flop — BUT. When I ask myself – would I have lost all my chips on this hand in the first hand of a WSOP main event — my answer is NO WAY.

First, both players check the flop. If sammy has aces, AK, AQ or AJ he might check it too. As a matter of fact, it’s very likely too. He would bet any ten, but Oliver should know Sammy most likely doesn’t have a ten…

On the turn, the Q pops up, which is NOT a good card for Oliver. Sammy could well be holding both AQ and QQ and both hands beat him now. He’s right to bet out, and sammy is right to raise. He’s only beat by AQ and that’s a hand Sammy is willing to lose to. This is where Oliver misplays it terribly as his all-in is such a huge overbet he can only get called when beat. Why doesn’t he just call the re-raise, notice the J on the river, realise now he can’t beat AJ or JJ either and save himself at least half his stack? That’s amateurish play, and I hate the fact that so many people say this hand is impossible to get away from. It’s NOT. Not against a pro, not in the first hand of a main event, not with that board. Not in No Limit Texas Hold’em.