High Stakes Snapshot: Hero Plays A Plenty

When you jack the stakes up higher than the sky you're gonna get action. On the final episode of High Stakes Poker Season 6, that's exactly what went down.

Right off the hop they kicked the game up to $500/$1,000 with an optional (pretty much guaranteed $2k straddle). Add in the standard $200 ante and you've got yourself one hell of a poker game.

With $5,100 in the pot before the first cards were even dealt it was mayhem with everyone trying to one-up each other with hero calls, folds and bluffs.

There were simply too many hands of note to focus on just one. Instead we're going to give you a full rundown with some analysis thrown in for good measure.

It all started when Tom "durrrr" Dwan made an incorrect hero call with nine-high vs Daniel Negreanu.

The hand was a rare unstraddled pot where Lex Veldhuis raised to $4,000 in late position with the A♥ 9♣. Daniel Negreanu made the call in the small blind with the K♠ T♠ and durrrr called in the big blind with 9♥ 5♥.

The flop came 3♣ 7♠ 7♥. Negreanu checked and durrrr led for $10,700. Veldhuis insta-folded and Negreanu made the call. When the turn came K♦ both players checked.

The river came Q♦ and Negreanu bet $28,200. durrrr tanked before wrongly calling with his nine high.

Unfortunately his nine was nowhere near good and rather than looking like a genius he looked just a little bit silly.

Phil Galfond was next on the hero bandwagon making a sick fold to save himself in a hand he never should have been in.

Galfond three-bet K♥ 5♦ vs. an early position raise only to get cold four-bet out of the blinds by Eli Elezra's K♦ K♣.

For some reason, Galfond makes the call and the flop comes K♠ 9♣ 9♦. Galfond calls a bet on the flop and somehow checks the turn through in position when the 9♠ falls.

The river comes Q♠ and Elezra leads for $110,000 into $154,600. Galfond manages to find a fold with his nines full of kings.

Sick? Yes! But perhaps the sickest of the night was Lex Veldhuis' river call on Doyle Brunson.

Doyle limped the big blind on Veldhuis' straddle with Q♠ 7♠ and Veldhuis made it $11,000 with 9♠ 2♠. Doyle called $9k more to see a 6♠ 2♦ 3♥ flop.

Both players checked to a J♣ where Doyle led for $20,500. Veldhuis made the call and the river dropped 4♣.

It didn't end there, however. Elky joined the failed-hero-call camp after getting in far too deep with A♦ 6♦, calling a three-bet in position only to stack off on a 4♣ 6♠ 8♠ Q♦ board vs durrrr's A♠ A♣.

And last but not least Phil Galfond decided he'd fold another full house.

With Galfond in the straddle Negreanu raised in early position to $8,000 with the K♠ 5♠. Veldhuis called on the button with the 9♦ 7♦ and Galfond defended his straddle with the 8♦ 7♠.

The flop came K♥ 8♣ 3♠. Galfond checked and called. The turn brought the 8♥ and both players checked.

The river brought the K♣. Galfond checked and eventually folded to a full-pot, $75,000, bet from Daniel Negreanu - successfully dodging another cooler.

And just like that the latest season of HSP comes to an end, a fitting conclusion to an eventful season.

It had everything we love about High Stakes Poker. The best players in the world doing their best to outplay each other, millions of dollars in cold hard cash trading hands and, of course, Gabe Kaplan.

We'll be back with our strategy snapshots next season but for now you can relive all the Season 6 action using the links below.

More Strategy Snapshots from High Stakes Poker Season 6: