Poker News – June 2024

A $1.1M bad beat, an all-in bathroom break, and the loss of a legend

The latest poker news from around the world has a few crazy tales in it, as usual. We’ve hand-selected the most interesting new in poker news that June 2024 had to offer.

A bad beat or justice served? You decide

Tom Dwan, who goes by the online poker handle “Durrrr,” suffered a rough bad beat in a pot worth over a million dollars. You may think that it was his own fault, though.

Peter, a player under the gun, raised preflop with pocket tens. So far, so good. A cutoff player named Steve had AJ suited and called. Dwan, being the loose cannon that he is, took a look at his 94s from the button and found it to be totally playable (you might not find this on the strategy charts).

Would you believe it? The flop came 4-4-6. Dwan had trips.

The overpair player bet, the AJ suited player called, and Dwan raised it up bigly. This is the whole advantage of his reputation – you just don’t know when he’s got the goods – and that’s great poker. Only Peter with his overpair was willing to stick around, and we saw a turn come out with the ten of clubs.

Uh oh. Peter now had a full house to cover Dwan’s trips.

We’ll save you the betting details. All that matters is that both players made it to showdown for a pot worth $1,129,000, and Dwan realized that his secret triplet just wasn’t good enough. Ouch.

Was the lesson here not to play rags on the button? The nit in you wants to see it that way, admit it.

Shove and run?

Opening day at the WSOP brought drama of a different kind for one player who bolted from his table mid hand to use the bathroom. Connor Richards reported the happening when he was in Event #2, the $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’Em tourney.

The player had gone all in and then headed out, with no actions left to complete. Surprisingly, the casino employee in charge of the table chased him and brought him back. Even though the action was to his opponent, he needed to stay for the live hand. He was given a warning for taking off. The opposing player in the end decided that the 65,000 all in bet was too much, and let the hand go.

One thing we know is that this never happens in online poker. Your bathroom breaks are unlimited (just sayin’).

Goodbye to Steve Albini

If you’ve listened to Nirvana’s In Utero, or the Pixies, or PJ Harvey, you’ve listened to the work of legendary music producer Steve Albini. Sadly, he passed in May and the world will miss him. But did you know that he was a two-time bracelet winner?

Some people are just no good at losing, you know?

He was the overall winner in 2018 at the $1,500 Stud game and also took the top spot in 2022 at the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E tourney. That’s over $300K of winnings right there! It’s quite an impressive feat to be such a versatile player, but also human being.

Albini said that “Everything in my life comes in pieces, in parts… poker is one part of my life. So, when I’m playing poker, I try to commit to it. I try to take it seriously. I try to make sure I devote the attention to it that it deserves as an occupation.”

Get your head in the game for real like this and you could take home a bracelet or two like Mr. Albini.

Rest in peace, sir. The tables are a little less scary with you gone.