Jonathan Little Hand of the Week: Daniel Negreanu Pulls a Big Bluff on HSP

Jonatha Little Negreanu high stakes bluff

2 minutes

Last Updated: November 5, 2023

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The hand I’ll be reviewing today features none other than Daniel Negreanu from his recent performance on the High Stakes Poker show.

Stakes are $200/$400, with a $400 big blind ante, and the action begins with Negreanu raising it up from the highjack position, making it $1,600 to go.

The raise is on the bigger side, but with a big ante in play and players playing extremely deep, it makes perfect sense.

Negreanu’s raise is called in two spots, by Kim Hultman on the button and Doyle Brunson in the big blind.

The Flop

Three players see the flop, with the pot standing at $5,400, and it comes T 9 6, all spades, giving Negreanu a bottom pair. Doyle checks it over to Daniel, who decides to go for a small bet of $1,500.

The problem with this bet is that when you get called, you’ll often be against better made hands that have you almost dead or draws that have a lot of equity.

Both players call, so the action proceeds three-handed to the turn.

The Turn

The fourth card is As, bringing four-flush on the board, and Brunson once again checks to Negreanu, who has a decision to make. Does he give up or continue with his bluff?

In my book, this is a pretty clear check-fold, but Negreanu apparently doesn’t agree, as he continues with another bet, this time of $5,500.

Daniel’s decision here, while non-standard, is probably based on a live read of some sort.

Hultman Negreanu HSP

Player images courtesy of PokerGO

This time, only Hultman calls, and Doyle gets out of the way, leaving the players heads up in a $20,900 pot.

The River

The river is the 6h, giving Negreanu trips. This is a good time to take a moment and think about what you would do in Negreanu’s shoes.

Negreanu high stakes bluff river

This is a fun spot as, even though Daniel rivered trips, his hand is almost certainly not good. For Hultman to call the bet on the turn, he has to have something pretty decent.

That said, Negreanu having a six in his hand does matter here, as it blocks Hultman from having some two-pair combinations he could continue with on the turn.

So, if we are going to bet here, we want to use a big sizing, as we’re trying to get a flush to fold. People often make a mistake here, betting something like $6,000 into $21,000, and they get called every time, as no one will fold a flush for a third-pot river bet.

Negreanu does fire out a big bet, making it $36,000 to go and putting Hultman to a decision as he has Qc Js.

Hultman isn’t a professional poker player, so this is a great spot to apply maximum pressure. Many non-professional players just don’t want to make a call for a big chunk of their stack here and be shown the obvious nuts.

Is Negreanu's read correct, and can Hultman find a fold with a Jack-high flush? Check out the video above to find out!

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