Bluffing is a huge
part of poker.
In fact, it's an
essential weapon
in every player's arsenal.
Oh, my god.
[INAUDIBLE]
Um--
Here's the top five who've
transformed the skill
of bluffing into an art form.
Is this real life?
At number five,
it's Vanessa Selbst.
No one folds lightly to
Vanessa, because everyone
knows the Vanessa is aggressor.
On the big game, she tangled
with Antonio Esfandiari.
In this hand, she's bet
the flop and the turn,
and Antonio isn't a believer.
Can Vanessa sell her
story on the river?
Vanessa could have
been semi-bluffing
a five on the turn just as
easily as she semi-bluffed
her diamonds.
She's met adequate resistance
from Antonio the whole way,
so I'm fairly
certain she knows she
can't win this pot by checking.
So the question is, surrender,
or fire one last bullet?
She's loading up.
And Vanessa fires
$59,700 on a stone bluff.
There it is, the over-bet.
We've been here before.
This bet is supposed to polarize
Vanessa's hand, nuts or air.
And Antonio can pretty
much only beat air.
This will be an
absolutely sick call.
Vanessa could very easily
have played a huge hand
the same way.
$59,700.
$59,700.
By overbetting, she's
given him really
tough odds to make the call,
not even getting 2 to 1.
Is a pair of 6's going to win
enough to justify those odds?
Not likely.
Antonio with $119,000 behind.
He's probably still
thinking about that check
raise on the turn.
If she had a big
hand, would she really
have given him the
chance to check behind?
Finally-- and people discount
this more than they should--
Vanessa has the stupidity
factor in her favor.
If Antonio calls these
wrong, he feels stupid.
I think--
What's happening?
I think Antonio turned a
straight with a 5 or 7, suited.
Yeah?
What does she have?
And I think she has a flush.
I think she has it.
Worst read ever.
Well, that's what [INAUDIBLE]
the couch cannon thinks,
but it's Antonio's
read that counts here.
And Antonio folds.
What is going on?
Antonio folds.
Little bit dirty on the pump
fake by Antonio, but Vanessa--
wow, what a sick bluff.
Bye, [INAUDIBLE].
Antonio may not have
thought that one through,
but at number four, we
find Johnny Lodden thinking
long and hard about a
very difficult decision
at the final table of
the EPT 11 grand final.
Unless he snaps off a 5,
he's going to have to check.
Well, he went full way to the
flop, heads up to the turn,
which is a 4.
That gives him extra outs.
Now he can catch a
deuce for a straight.
The question is,
he's got to say,
what is this guy calling with?
Did he really just have a
7 suited, and not 3 bet?
Well, now Mateos has to bet.
By betting now, now Johnny's got
to say, OK, if I call this one,
I've got to call from
the rest on the river.
So, it's not just like, hm,
we'll see what he's got.
Now Johnny's got to think about,
well, the bet is only $650,000.
There's $3 million in the pot.
I have 6 outs.
Sure, I'm not the
favorite, but it's close.
He's not getting
the right price,
but it's not that far off.
If Johnny's right-- that he's
up against the bluff-- his fives
are good.
Johnny calls.
Great call.
Great call from Johnny.
He's getting slightly
the worst price to draw,
but he's also got
the possibility
of having the best hand.
So, the bet sizing for Mateos
allowed him to play this hand.
OK, another ace on the river.
That's a good card
for Johnny Lodden.
It wouldn't seem like
it, but it's one less ace
that Mateos could have.
Actually, it's been
checked to the Spaniard.
This is a really exciting hand.
This is going to get
replayed over and over.
Oh, my goodness.
He does it.
He goes for it.
Wow.
This is gutsy.
Johnny wants to play so bad.
His read is right.
The question is,
sometimes-- you can tell,
Johnny's first instinct-- call.
I got this guy beat.
He's messing with me.
A lot to learn about some
high-level poker here,
where it's like, you
just go with your gut,
and you trust your read.
And both of these guys
have virtually nothing,
but are playing a
massive pot here.
What he may end up doing
is talking himself out
of his read.
Oh, man.
I hope Johnny makes this call.
It would be epic.
One of the greatest--
if he makes
this call, one of the
best reads we've ever
seen in a final table.
One of the greatest played
hands we've ever seen.
I mean, this instantly
goes on many lists
as just one of the
all-time greatest calls.
This is one of the greatest
hands I've ever seen--
if he makes the call.
If he makes the fold, it
still is a great hand,
but it's so much more epic
if Johnny makes this call.
There goes the fold.
And he shows the bluff.
And Lodden's playing so good.
When she calls, he doesn't call.
Get showed the bluff.
[INAUDIBLE]
Put in so much money in
that hand, with the right
read, and then changed his mind.
[NON-ENGLISH]
Vaya con Dios.
Back in the day, before
Adrian Mateos was born,
a three bet mean business,
a four bet was always aces,
and a five bet didn't exist.
Then along came the
internet, and button clicking
became a thing.
At number three, a
German [INAUDIBLE]
with an interesting haircut
takes pre-flop leveling
to a new level.
Contrary to what
Benny might think,
this isn't a mandatory three
bet, or even a mandatory call
to an early position raiser.
Did you really think he'd fold?
Benny Spindler three bets.
Story checks out.
Now $20,000 to play,
and hello, Paul Fulton
is going to fall
back with A6 off.
OK, so I know I would be an
advocate of re-raising Benny
Spindler if you have any
sort of hand, but-- a--
Benny's not the only
player in the hand, b--
cold four betting with A6 is not
a winning play overall, and c--
no--
just no.
Action back on Benny,
with Bergstrom giving up
his pair of fours.
Boy, Fulton doesn't look
very comfortable, does he?
Oh wait, that could just
be because he's British.
Now, now.
Those are not calling chips.
Benny Spindler is going
to five bet to $90,000.
I guess either King Jack
is too weak to call with
and Benny wants to
turn into a bluff,
or we're just seeing a good
old fashioned stack swinging
contest, which-- by the
way-- doesn't necessarily
equate to good poker, though
it is awesome to watch.
Fulton has an auto marked.
He does have the best hand,
got to wonder if he knows it,
though.
Oh, my word.
It's a six bet.
There is some serious button
clicking going on here.
I'm not even going
to pretend like I
know what these guys should
or are going to do anymore.
I'm out.
All right, now I know
a lot of you kids
out there are spitting up your
energy drinks and fist pumping
in your hoodies like mad,
but to me, this is more
like a game of
chicken than poker.
Who will blink first?
Not Benny Spindler.
It's a seven bet jam.
Fulton has now invested
half his chips on this hand.
Got to wonder if he's
regretting it now.
Oh, my word.
This is the sickest hand ever.
Benny Spindler shows
the king jack at the end
as he rakes in that pot.
Benny Spindler went on to
win the EPT 8 London title.
The year before
that, Daniel Negreanu
stunned the table with one
of his favorite party tricks.
Daniel is determined.
Angel small river bet is a value
hand that kid poker can't beat.
Although it's hard for him to
rep a hand, he's bumping it up.
Figure you got aces or kings.
Can I say that, or
is that illegal?
[INAUDIBLE]
I can say what he has,
but not what I have?
Yep.
OK.
I'm thinking aces or kings.
You think right.
Daniel really pulled the
trigger correctly on that one.
And Shlome is now thinking, if
you read me for aces or kings,
surely you can
beat aces or kings.
I have to fold.
If I show one, do
I have to show all?
No.
OK.
I can show one?
Yep.
I can show one if I want to?
I don't feel like it.
I don't have a
good one the show.
Aces or kings are good, right?
Of course.
Just saying, that's
what I thought he had.
Not that I can beat it.
Daniel knows how to
entertain the table,
but for max entertainment,
you have to show the bluff.
At number one, from [INAUDIBLE],
Miss Finland, Sara Chafak,
pulls off the best
block of all time--
on the very first hand.
Hi.
Hi.
Ronnie, if you bust
her on the first hand--
He bets.
$30,000.
And Sara raises with
a straight draw.
You have something?
Yes, I do.
I believe you.
I believe you. $30,000?
Yeah.
That's the way all my
relationships start--
with lies.
So, Ronnie has called
the raise and improves
to trips on the turn.
Oh, boy.
Why are you checking?
You raised me on the flop.
Um-- num, num.
She bets just over half the pot.
Ronnie, do not bust her
before the swimsuit portion.
Ronnie's clock is running.
Remember, every player has
30 seconds per decision.
If he thinks she's
bluffing, he'll call.
If not, he could raise.
The shot clock.
Oh, yeah. i forgot that.
Raise.
$155,000.
$155,000.
She really should
not be calling this.
$255,000.
She re-raises.
What?
Just [INAUDIBLE].
Oh, OK.
I'm not used to those yet.
Really, huh? $255,000.
Yes.
Ronnie calls, which means
we're going to the river,
and that means the cage
is coming into play.
The board bricks out for Sara.
She has just ace high.
Check.
She's bluffed every
straight so far.
All in.
And she shops.
[INAUDIBLE] please slide
what you're card is.
She slides out the bluff card.
Oh, my god.
How is this happening?
I thought it would be--
I wanted to stay and play
with you, Miss Finland.
I understand.
I know, I am.
10 seconds, Ronnie.
Wow, like that.
He's playing a time bank chip.
He gets an extra 30 seconds.
There's a reason why the
Finnish reputation, right?
I have a four.
He shows her his hand.
You know, I have trips.
I don't if I can fold this hand.
I don't know how you play, I've
never played with you before.
What is going on here?
If I fold this hand,
and they see this fold,
and you have like king
queen or something,
it's going to be the most
embarrassing thing ever for me.
You understand this, right?
I don't have any time
to think over this hand.
I'm like nervous.
I don't know what's going on.
It's nice over there.
$300,000. $500,000.
Oh, my goodness. $600,000.
Five seconds.
And Ronnie's folded.
Holy schnikeys.
[INAUDIBLE]
Come on.
It's a bluff.
Show.
She has ace high.
Ronnie, you're
going to the cage.
He cannot believe it.
I was really scared.
Oh, my god.
You were really scary.
Is this real life?
Did this happen to me?
I almost had a heart attack.
That was awesome.
Thank you.
Wow, that was fantastic.
You've got some balls, girl.
I could have two million chips.
Oh, my god.
Good lay down.
Oh, my god.
Rumor has it, Ronnie is
still in that cage crying.
So, those are the poker
stars top five bluffs.
Keep an eye out for more
countdowns on pokerstars.tv.
Holy [BLEEP].
Would you have folded my hand?
