Phil Laak Punished On The River

(Photo: Partypoker.com)

Today is interesting hand day for our lucky PokerTube readers and viewers, ‘Polk’s EPT Plot Twist’ being matched by this crazy hand from the recent Poker Night in America show featuring Phil Laak and David Silverman, with Phil Hellmuth being a surprisingly quiet participant given the action.

Billed by the players as ‘Shades versus Goggles’ when Silverman picked up pocket rockets and dons his sunglasses to protect himself against the incomparable Laak’s Virtual Reality eyewear, we see that most horrible of situations appear on the board.

We’ve all been there, hitting the flop hard but then seeing the turn put huge flushes out there. And then the unthinkable happens, and the river makes a straight flush!

As Laak finds out, there is no easy answer to the opponent betting in such situations, Silverman exerting the maximum pressure as the rest of the table falls about either laughing or in disbelief at the 1 in 100,000 chance hand.

(Watch from 1:35)

There’s over $26,000 in the pot at the $25/50 cash game and Laak has a horrible decision to make. “Silverman has put him into a worse spot than when your girl asks to look something up on your phone!” jokes commentator Joe Stapleton, but the google-goggled maestro Laak (whose long-time girlfriend is actually fellow pro and former actress Jennifer Tilly) finds a way to analyse the hand for the benefit of all.

“Ok, here’s what I’m going to do, and I don’t advise this at home!” warns Laak, before spelling out the gambling theory known as ‘Score-sheet Decision Making’. Want to know what it is and how it works?

Well, you’ll have to watch the hand play out and see if Laak can get away from the joint straight flush or not! Shades versus Goggles - and the winner is…