WPH #588: STOP Calling Me A NIT!!!

One thing that poker professionals possess that amateurs often lack is the ability to win pots that shouldn’t be theirs. PokerCoaching owner Jonathan Little finds himself in a multiway pot during the 2025 World Series of Poker Paradise Main Event. Little, Tsugunari Toma, and Derek Gibb all check to the river, seemingly giving up on the pot. However, Toma takes a stab at it with a bet. Will I let Toma win the pot so easily or will I finally prove the YouTube comment warriors wrong and they will finally stop calling me a nit?

If you have studied 60 big blind preflop tournament poker using the PeakGTO poker solver, you’ll notice that many hands mix between raising first in or folding. When in middle position, this often includes low and middling suited connectors. The best poker strategy with these hands depends on how aggressive your table is. If there aren’t many 3-bets and players are mostly calling or folding, then adding these hands to your opening range is the right play. However, if you are constantly facing pre-flop aggression then folding these more marginal hands becomes a better option.

Jonathan Little ‘FieryJustice’,’Jcardshark’, ‘JonLittle’ is in the top 200 on the all time money list with over $9,400,000 in total live poker earnings. He has 2 World Poker Tour (WPT) titles, both of which were for over $1,000,000. Little has won 1 World Series of Poker (WSOP), which came in the $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout online event, where he won $90,663. He also won the WPT Season VI (2007-2008) Player of the Year award. Jonathan is a 40 year old professional poker player from the U.S.A. He is also the founder of PokerCoaching.

Tsugunari Toma is a professional poker player from Japan and has over $3,300,000 in live poker tournament earnings, putting him in the top 800 on poker’s all time money list. Toma’s largest cash of $581,943 came at the 2019 European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague, where he won a €10,300 High Roller event. He is also 2nd on Japan’s all time money list just behind famous Japanese poker player Masashi Oya.

Derek Gibb is from Canada and has over $65,000 in live poker tournament earnings. Gibbs’ largest cash of $57,102 came from a top 200 finish in the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.

The 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise was a No-Limit Hold’em and Mixed Games festival held from December 3rd – 14th at the Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas. Featuring 15 bracelet events that culminated in the $25,000 Main Event.

$25,000 – 2024 WSOP Paradise Main Event – Results

1st: Yinan Zhou – China – $6,000,000 2nd: Marcelo Aziz Jr. – Brazil – $4,600,000 3rd: Mustapha Kanit ‘lasagnaaammm’ – Italy – $3,600,000 4th: Liv Boeree – England – $2,800,000 5th: Christopher Nguyen – Germany – $2,100,000 6th: Michael Addamo ‘imluckbox’ – Australia – $1,650,000 7th: Justin Bonomo ‘ZeeJustin’ – U.S.A. – $1,300,000 8th: Vadzim Lipauka – Belarus – $1,000,000 9th: George Lehmann – Germany – $750,000

Preflop: During the 2024 World Series of Poker Paradise Main Event, Jonathan Little raises 54 of clubs from the hijack to 15,000. Derek Gibb calls on the button with KQ of clubs, and Tsugunari Toma defends his big blind holding 65 of diamonds.

Flop – Ah Kh 7h: Toma checks with his suited connector after entirely missing the monotone flop. Little decides not to continuation bet with his two suited cards, and Gibb checks behind, having flopped best with middle pair and a backdoor broadway straight draw.

Turn – 3s: Toma picks up a gutshot straight draw on the turn, but he chooses to check again rather than try to bluff with some equity. Little now has a gutshot of his own but decides to check for a second time. Gibb’s pair of kings are still best, however, he checks behind and the three poker players head to the river.

River – Th: A fourth heart in the form of the ten of hearts on the river means that a royal flush is possible. Toma missed his draw and now attempts to win the hand by making a near half pot siz