The 14th season of PokerGO’s High Stakes Poker is underway and was the scene of a massive pot that saw one player hit their draw on the river not just once, but twice. The result was a pot worth more than $600,000.
The action featured blinds of $200-$400 with Jared Bleznick straddling to $800 and Markus Gonsalves restraddling to $1,600. Brandon Steven raised to $4,000 with 8
6
and Seth Gottlieb three-bet to $15,000 with A Q
.
Marc Kulick called with 6 5 and Gonsalves four-bet to $50,000. Steven folded, but both Gottlieb and Kulick made the call, bringing the pot to $155,200.
The flop fell J
4 3, handing Gottlieb the lead but giving Kulick an open-ended straight draw. Gottlieb checked, as did Kulick and Gonsalves as well. Kulick had a 47% chance to win the hand at this point with Gottlieb at 37% and Gonsalves at 16%, according to the Card Player Poker Odds Calculator.
The turn brought the Q, handing Gottlieb and Gonsalves a pair of queens, the former with a better kicker. Gottlieb now had a 74% chance to win the hand at this point with Kulick at 19% and Gonsalves at 7%.
“Rough card for Markus Gonsalves,” commentator AJ Benza noted.
Gottlieb thought a bit and then bet $65,000. Kulick called and Gonsalves announced all in for his last $196,000. Gottlieb cursed and cupped his hands over his face in anguish at his decision. He surveyed the scene as he pondered his next move with Kulick still acting behind him.
After a few moments, Gottlieb eventually slid his hand to the muck. Gonsalves was now an 82% favorite against Kulick’s draw. Kulick was in the mood to gamble, however, with his call swelling the pot to $613,000.
Gottlieb didn’t enjoy seeing his opponent’s hand, regretting his decision to fold.
The two players decided to run the river twice. The first river amazingly brought the 2, completing Kulick’s straight. The second river then produced the 7, giving Kulick another straight to scoop the entire thing.
Suddenly, Gottlieb felt a bit better about his laydown, while Gonsalves looked pained as he exited the table.
Kulick is the founder and CEO of Vesta Capital and Vesta Realty, where he oversees the businesses, including asset management, operations, and acquisitions.
Gonsalves is a poker pro from San Diego with more than $2.4 million in live tournament winnings, including the WPT Gardens Poker Championship title in 2020. He’s appeared in several live-streamed cash games including Hustler Casino Live and No Gamble No Future and according to HighRollPoker.com had been up around $500,000 in televised cash games prior to his time on High Stakes Poker.
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*Photos by PokerGO – Antonio Abrego