WPH #589: CRAZY Live Read DESTROYS Patrik Antonius [$5,000,000 For 1st!]

Being in the final four of a $200,000 buy-in Triton Poker tournament in Monte Carlo with over $5,000,000 for the winner is the kind of dream most poker players can only imagine. For Vladimir Korzinin and Patrik Antonius, that dream is real as the two face off in a fascinating poker hand. Antonius tries to bluff Korzinin off ace-high, but the decision does not come down to bet sizing or ICM pressure. Instead, it comes down to the month of Antonius’ birthday! The question is whether that month means Antonius is bluffing or value betting, and whether or not this crazy live read actually works!

When you are in the big blind and have check called a bet on the flop, there are some instances where the turn card allows you to lead out. For example, after you have check called a bet on a low connected flop and the middle card pairs on the turn, this is a good spot to bet into the aggressor. As the big blind player, this pairing turn card is much better for your range which is why leading out makes sense as you are more likely to have trips than the aggressor.

Patrik Antonius ‘The Finn’ or ‘FinddaGrind’ is from Finland and has over $29,600,000 in live tournament poker earnings putting him in the top 50 on the all time money list. Patrik is known for being stoic at the table and near impossible to get a live read from. He is the co-owner of First Land of Poker (FLOP), which is a company aimed at revolutionizing the world of poker through innovative digital solutions, enhancing the experience for poker players, and streamlining operations for poker room operators. At the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP), Patrik was inducted into the prestigious Poker Hall of Fame.

Vladimir Korzinin ‘Gambledore” is a 69 year old amateur poker player from Estonia. He has over $7,800,000 in live tournament poker earnings, putting him 1st on Estonia’s all-time money list. Korzinin only has 4 recorded cashes, with his biggest cash of $4,350,000 coming from a victory in a $125,000 buy-in event at the Triton Poker Series Monte Carlo.

This poker hand took place during the Triton Poker Series Monte Carlo at the Monte-Carlo Sporting / Salle Des Étoiles – Monaco; it had 16 poker tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $25,000 up to $200,000 in No Limit Hold’em (NLHE) and Pot Limit Omaha (PLO), and ran from November 1st – November 14th, 2024.

$200,000 – 2024 Triton Poker Series Monte Carlo Event #8 – Results

1st: Patrik Antonius ‘TheFinn”, “FinddaGrind” – Finland – $5,130,000 2nd: Vladimir Korzinin ‘Gambledore’ – Estonia – $3,470,000 3rd: Espen Jørstad ‘Hymn2ninkasi’ – Norway – $2,255,000 4th: Roman Hrabec ‘gogac_sniper’ – Czech Republic – $1,867,000 5th: Mikalai Vaskaboinikau – Belarus – $1,506,000 6th: Mikita Badziakouski ‘fish2013’ – Belarus – $1,188,000 7th: Konstantin Maslak ‘krakukra’ – Russia – $908,000 8th: Xuan Tan ‘tan4321’ – China – $684,000 9th: Morten Klein – Norway – $510,000

Preflop: With four players remaining on the final table of a $200,000 buy in Triton Poker tournament, Vladimir Korzinin limps in from the cutoff with A6o. Once the button folds, World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Espen Jørstad completes out of the small blind with Q6o, and Patrik Antonius checks his option from the big blind holding Q8 of diamonds.

Flop – 9s 7d 5h: Jørstad is first to act and starts with a check after flopping a gutshot straight draw. Antonius also checks with a gutshot straight draw and a backdoor flush draw. Korzinin bets 300,000 in position with his own straight draw, which only Antonius calls.

Turn – Ts Patrik Antonius picks up a double belly buster straight draw on the ten of spades turn and decides to check for a second time. Vladimir Korzinin chooses not to double barrel with his draw, as he checks behind and the two poker players head to the river.

River – 3h: Antonius is left with just queen-high after bricking his straight draw and opts to take a stab at the pot with a bet of 300,000. Will Korzinin, who has the best hand with ac