Leading Edge Bluffs to Look Out for in the 2024 World Poker Series Tournament
The 2024 World Series of Poker was filled with countless jaw-dropping hands, but a few stood out as the most audacious bluffs of the summer.
Taking a risk and betting big with less-than-ideal hands is a thrilling part of poker, especially when there's a lot on the line. That's why the World Series of Poker is so captivating—it's filled with players' dreams, hopes, and, sometimes, shattered illusions.
Over at GGPoker, they've sifted through the countless hours of summer footage to choose what they believe are the best bluffs from the 2024 WSOP.
Hand #5 - Bleznick vs. Sternheimer $25K NLH High Roller
This opening hand showcases how skilled players can read their opponents in crucial spots where both players have loads of garbage in their range.
Jared Bleznick opens to 85K from UTG with 9♠ 9♥ and he gets a call from Philip Sternheimer holding 8♥ 8♦ on the button.
The flop was 10♥ 5♥ A♣. Favoring the pre-flop raiser, Bleznick throws out a 85K bet into the pot of 270K.
Sternheimer knows his opponent bets this flop with high frequency and decides to stick around and see the turn.
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The turn is the 10♦, and both players check.
The A♦ river card makes the next street intriguing. Bleznick likely bet the flop with all of his air, and Sternheimer still has plenty.
Bleznick checks again, and Sternheimer goes for the pot now that his pocket pair has been counterfeited with a 175K bet into a 440K pot.
You can see Bleznick thinking deeply with a look on his face that seems to scream, "I don't believe you." And so with that, he bumps it up to 400K, and Sternheimer quickly folds.
Hand #4 - Foxen vs. Astedt 2024 WSOP Main Event Day 6
Kristen Foxen gives us a taste of her fearlessness while running deep in the 2024 Main Event, bluffing not one but two players off a better hand.
Niklas Astedt raises to 240K from early position with A♣ J♠, and Kristen Foxen opts to only call with K♥ K♦.
Tyler Montoya overcalls with A♠ J♥ in the big blind.
The flop is 6♥ A♥ 7♣, and Montoya checks.
Astedt leads out for 200K into the pot of 900K. Foxen and Montoya both call.
The turn is the 5♥, and all three players check.
The 6♦ river pairs the board, and now the action heats up. Montoya checks, and Astedt bets 200K again.
Foxen seizes her moment as the commentators debate whether she would ever check back a flush three-way on the turn. Risk-taking Canadian isn’t worried and puts in a raise to 1.3M.
Montoya gets out of the way quickly, but Astedt ponders for a bit, sensing something amiss. However, he doesn't find the hero call and Foxen bags a nice pot.
Hand #3 - Bryce Yockey vs. Farid Jattin $5,000 PLO
Bryce Yockey pulls off a daring move here, where a third player is all-in for very little, leaving a dry side pot where the odds are always unfavorable.
Farid Jattin opens for 560K with A♣ J♦ 9♦ 8♠, putting Jason Berilgen all-in with 6♣ 5♥ 4♣ 2♥.
Yockey comes along in the big blind with 8♣ 6♥ 6♦ 4♥.
The flop comes down as 10♠ 10♥ A♥, and Yockey checks.
Jattin bets 200K into 1.91M, and Yockey calls.
The turn is the 3♦, and Jattin bets again for 335K. Yockey calls.
The A♠ river complicates matters as any ten has now been counterfeited. Seizing his opportunity, Yockey now donks out for 900K, leaving Jattin scratching his head in confusion.
After a few minutes of contemplation, Jattin ultimately pitches his hand into the muck, and Yockey collects the 3.88M pot.
Hand #2 - Neves vs. Johnson $1,500 Monster Stack
Pedro Neves brazenly raises it up to 6M four-handed, holding K♦ 4♥, and Aaron Johnson calls with A♠ 2♥ in the big blind.
The flop comes down as 7♥ A♦ 6♦, and Johnson checks.
Neves has nothing but this is his board as the pre-flop raiser, so he leads out for 4M into the pot of 16.5M. Johnson calls.
The turn is the 7♠, and Johnson checks once more. Neves now fires the second barrel, giving his opponent a puzzled look.
The 5♣ river changes nothing, and Johnson still has the best hand. However, Neves bets the river for a shocking 45M to leave his opponent speechless.
Truly a remarkable example of a three-barrel bluff with complete air.
Hand #1 - Galiana vs. Guilbert $2,500 NLH Freezeout
This final hand had poker journalists from all over the world reaching for their notebooks. During a heads-up battle in the $2,500 NLH Freezeout, Johan "YoH ViraL"Guilbert found himself on the wrong end of a intense game of wills against Antonio Galiana.
Guilbert limps along with J♠ 2♦, and Galiana checks his option with 7♠ 5♥.
The flop is 10♣ 6♣ 3♣, and Galiana checks, giving Guilbert the chance to ponder his move. However, eventually, Guilbert decides to check as well.
The turn is the 8♣, and both players check again.
The 2♣ river leaves nobody showing any aggression and 2.1M in the pot with both players sitting with stacks of 20-23M.
Taking a shot, Galiana fires out a 900K bet to claim the unwanted pot.
Guilbert now heads into the tank, debating whether he can take this pot away from his opponent. In the end, he raises the bet up to 1.95M, giving his opponent a difficult decision.
Deciding that Guilbert is showing no mercy, Galiana three-bets the river to a whopping 6.3M.
At this point, the commentators think the hand is over. This kind of line has been played many times, but almost never do we see any further action. However, this hand is a bit special—to say the least.
Guilbert, knowing that he is now in a game of chicken, announces a raise to 10M, thinking that he's pulled off the impossible, but in a matter of mere seconds, Galiana calls, leaving Guilbert in disbelief.
A truly unique example of a high-stakes, over-the-top bluff at the World Series of Poker.
In the 2024 World Series of Poker, noteworthy bluffs included Hand #5 - Bleznick vs. Sternheimer in the $25K NLH High Roller, where Bleznick bluffed with his counterfeited pocket pair, and Hand #4 - Foxen vs. Astedt in the Main Event, where Foxen three-bet a river to counter a better hand. Hand #3 - Bryce Yockey vs. Farid Jattin in the $5,000 PLO showcased a daring move with a dry side pot, and Hand #2 - Neves vs. Johnson in the Monster Stack featured a three-barrel bluff with complete air. Hand #1 - Galiana vs. Guilbert in the $2,500 NLH Freezeout provided a unique example of a high-stakes, over-the-top bluff at the WSOP. These hands demonstrate the audacious bluffs that make the World Series of Poker captivating.
