Nick Palma Folds a Straight to a Massive River Shove – Hand of the Week

Nick Palma has enjoyed an impressive run at the 2026 Poker Masters. After winning Event #2, he followed it up with a third-place finish in Event #4, earning another strong result in the series. One of the most memorable moments came when Palma folded a jack-high straight to a massive river shove from Vitalijs Zavorotnijs, who later won the tournament. This might just be a case of Fold of the Week rather than Hand of the Week.

The Hand: Nick Palma vs. Vitalijs Zavorotnijs

The hand played out at blinds of 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 big blind ante. Nick Palma opened to 80,000 from the hijack with A♣J♥, and Vitalijs Zavorotnijs defended his big blind with Q♥J♠.

Flop: 9♥ 8♦ 7♦

Zavorotnijs led for 60,000 into the 200,000 pot, and Palma called with a jack-high straight draw. The pot grew to 320,000.

Turn: T♥

The ten completed Palma's jack-high straight, but it also gave Zavorotnijs a queen-high straight. Zavorotnijs bet 180,000, and Palma called again. The pot reached 700,000.

River: 5♣

With 700,000 in the pot, Zavorotnijs moved all-in for Palma's remaining 870,000. Palma used two time banks to think through the decision before eventually folding his straight. Zavorotnijs had Q♥J♠, giving him the higher straight and making the fold a memorable moment from PGT Event #4.

The Hand Was Already Outside the Solver Baseline

The first unusual decision came on the flop, not the river. After defending his big blind, Vitalijs Zavorotnijs led into the preflop raiser on a 9♥ 8♦ 7♦ board. This is known as a donk bet, and it is not a standard play in this spot.

A check of the hand in PeakGTO showed no donk-betting range on this board in the configuration analyzed. However, the absence of a play from a solver's recommended strategy does not automatically make it a mistake. GTO solutions are based on specific assumptions and game parameters, while unconventional lines can still have merit in practice, particularly when used to exploit an opponent's tendencies.

From a strict GTO perspective, there is limited value in analyzing the rest of the hand as though Zavorotnijs had followed a standard solver-approved line. But that does not mean his decisions were necessarily wrong. Instead, the more interesting question is how Palma should respond to an unconventional line, and whether the river shove gives him enough reason to fold a strong made hand.

The River Decision: Folding the Second Nuts

On the river, Zavorotnijs shoved for Palma's remaining 870,000, putting his tournament life at risk. Rather than facing a conventional bet-sizing decision, Palma had to decide whether to risk his remaining stack with a very strong hand.

With 700,000 already in the pot and 870,000 to call, Palma needed approximately 35.7% equity for a call to break even. The calculation itself was straightforward; the difficult part was assessing how often Zavorotnijs would make this move with a hand Palma could beat.

The remarkable part of the fold became clear at showdown. Holding A♣J♥ on a 9♥ 8♦ 7♦ T♥ 5♣ board, Palma had a jack-high straight – the second nuts. The only hand class that could beat him with a higher straight was QJ, which made a queen-high straight.

And that was exactly what Zavorotnijs held: Q♥J♠. Palma had folded the second nuts against the only hand that beat him, making it an extraordinary hero fold. While the revealed cards show how well the fold worked in this instance, judging the decision itself still comes down to how likely Zavorotnijs was to shove with QJ rather than a bluff or a weaker hand.

Was Nick Palma Fold Correct?

With the second nuts, folding might seem overly cautious, but it all comes down to how often Zavorotnijs would make this move with a hand Palma could beat. If his range was heavily weighted toward QJ, letting it go could be the right play. If he was capable of shoving with enough bluffs, calling would become much more attractive.

Zavorotnijs held Q♥J♠, the only hand type that made a higher straight. Palma's fold turned out to be right in this instance, but that alone doesn't tell us whether it was the best decision in the long run. To answer that, we'd need a better idea of how Zavorotnijs plays these spots and how often he might be bluffing.

That's what makes this hand so interesting. Palma let go of an exceptionally strong hand, and the reported hand history confirms that he avoided losing a significant pot. Whether the fold was profitable in the long run is harder to say, especially given how far the hand had already strayed from the standard solver line.

Summary: 2026 Poker Masters Event #4

Nick Palma fold was one of the standout hands of the 2026 Poker Masters Event #4. Letting go of the second nuts is never easy, especially when facing an all-in, and this hand showed just how difficult it can be to judge an opponent's strength when the action takes an unconventional turn.

Palma went on to finish third in the $10,500 No-Limit Hold'em event, earning $104,000. Vitalijs Zavorotnijs ultimately won the tournament for $224,000 after defeating Clemen Deng heads-up in a field of 80 entries.

Nick Palma also plays online poker on CoinPoker, giving fans another way to follow his game beyond the live poker. You can also use our bonus code VIPBONUS when signing up to access our exclusive offer.

2026 Poker Masters Event #4 – Final Table Results

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Bence Mitykó

My relationship with cards started thanks to my father. I was still in elementary school when he first taught me how to play Rummy, and I still remember the long evenings spent playing cards with my family. During the poker boom I was still underage, but the televised tournaments immediately captured my attention. I became fascinated with the game and started learning different poker formats whenever I had the chance. Later in life, as an adult, I was fortunate enough to spend four years playing poker professionally. During that time I mainly focused on Heads-Up Sit & Go games, where I found the format that suited me best. Even though my professional career was relatively short, poker remains something I’m grateful to have experienced as a major part of my life. Today I play mostly as a hobby, while writing has become my main focus. That said, my enthusiasm for writing about poker is just as strong as my passion for playing the game once was.