WATCH: Is This The Craziest Bluff In Poker History?

It’s been almost 20 years since Phil Ivey and Paul Jackson played an epic game of chicken while heads-up for the Monte Carlo Millions. The hand featured both players engaged in a leveling war, neither willing to give up the pot without a fight.

For years, it stood out as poker’s most memorable televised bluffing battle, but perhaps it has been dethroned by the confrontation between Antonio Galiana and Johan Guilbert on Friday night.

The two poker pros were heads-up for $439,395 and a bracelet at the World Series of Poker $2,500 no-limit hold’em event, and PokerGO cameras caught all the action in the tournament-defining hand.

Watch the hand below.

Guilbert, who is a poker content creator known as ‘Yoh Viral,’ held a tiny lead over Galiana, although both players were sitting with more than 50 big blinds.

With the blinds at 200,000-400,000, Guilbert completed from the small blind with J 2, and Galiana checked his option with 7 5. Both players then proceeded to check down to the river on a board of 10 6 3 8 2.

With neither player holding a club and a flush on board, more checking would result in a chopped pot. However, there was no more checking to be done.

Galiana bet 900,000, hoping to steal the three big blinds in the middle. Guilbert thought for a bit before raising to 1,950,000.

“This is very bizarre,” said PokerGO commentator Brent Hanks. “It’s a game of chicken. Who will jump out of the way first?”

It was clear that neither player believed the other was holding much of a hand, and certainly not the A. Galiana took less than 30 seconds before raising to 6,300,000.

“Nobody has anything!” exclaimed Hanks.

At this point, most people would have given up their bluff, but Guilbert went into the tank.

“Is he considering something… heroic?” asked Hanks.

Eventually, Guilbert opted for a min-raise to 10,650,000, or half of his stack.

Incredibly, Galiana was undeterred, and responded with an all-in. Guilbert quickly mucked, and Galiana proudly tabled his bluff.

Galiana would go on to close out the tournament and earn his first bracelet along with $439,395. Guilbert settled for $292,927. This was his third runner-up finish with a bracelet on the line, having also finished second in both the 2021 WSOP Europe main event and the 2019 WSOP $3,000 shootout event.

The final table also featured six-time bracelet winner Jeremy Ausmus (3rd), two-time bracelet winner Juha Helppi (4th), bracelet winner Romain Lewis (5th), 15-time Circuit Ring winner and recent World Poker Tour main event winner Joshua Reichard (6th), bracelet winner Patrick Leonard (7th), and WSOP main event final tablist Eoghan O’Dea (9th).

Watch Phil Ivey vs. Paul Jackson from the 2005 Monte Carlo Millions

Visit the Card Player 2024 World Series of Poker page for schedules, news, interviews, and the latest event results. WSOP coverage sponsored by Global Poker.

Screenshot of PokerGO broadcast. Winner photo credit: WSOP / Eloy Cabacas.

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