Mike Watson just showed some true poker guts. The Canadian sicko was in an early position, playing a heads-up pot against the player in the big blind.
They were on the river of the board with roughly 30,000 in the middle. The big blind moved all in, covering Watson's stack of 31,500.
Watson processed the situation, and while he didn't have any ace in his hand, he had all aces up his sleeve. More precisely, he had good heart, calling with just .
Watson's instincts proved correct, as his opponent had only for a missed open-ender, rewarding Watson's savage call with glory and a double.
It took some hard work to get the chips, but Watson worked his way to the 95,000 he's now controlling.
Justin Liberto and Tobias Peters were staring at a board of . Liberto was acting in middle position after Peters checked from the blinds, and he put Peters all in for about a pot-sized bet of 13,000. Peters thought only briefly before calling.
Liberto turned over for a flush. Peters flashed a and mucked.
Alex Foxen had his last 8,000 or so in the middle out of the big blind, and he was at risk against Jack Salter, who had the button. Salter had , giving him a dominating spot against , and the board ran out clean for the U.K. pro.
With on the board, Artem Metalidi bet 4,000 into the pot. He was in the cutoff, facing off with Shaun Deeb, who was in the big blind. Deeb called.
Deeb checked again on the river, and Metalidi moved all in for his 13,125.
"Thirteen one-twenty-five?" Deeb asked, preparing the required amount for call. He shuffled with the calling chips and finally threw them in.
Metalidi turned up , and Deeb showed his , following the all-in showdown rule.
Suddenly, Metalidi stood up, put his headphones over his ears, and walked away. He was 15 yards away from the table when Deeb called him back. "You're good, you win."
Metalidi turned back in confusion, coming back to his seat.
"You have a straight."
Metalidi looked at his cards, still processing what had happened. "Oh, I have a straight? I didn't know I had a straight!"
The board was still lying face-up, and Metalidi studied it again, realizing he had the nuts.
Deeb and the other players at the table were laughing. "I'm like, yeah, he looked like he didn't have it," Deeb said.
"Good read by me!" Deeb continued in amusement, making fun of the unusual situation. "I'm proud of myself!"
"I wasn't happy when he showed the nuts until he walked away," smiled Deeb, taking Metalidi's mis-read with a grin.
Artem Metalidi had been eliminated in his mind, but he's still in contention.
They say a "chip and a chair" are all that's needed. Metalidi lost his chair for a moment, but he's now sitting firmly back in it.
Michael Mizrachi was already in contention for the chip lead, and he just added more to his already massive stack. This time, he got a player who had about 15,000 all in preflop, with Mizrachi holding to dominate his opponent's . The board ran out , keeping the ladies best for "Grinder."