Poker Hand Matchup: Mariusz Golinski vs. Urmo Velvelt
Mariusz Golinski	Win Pre-Flop	Win Post-Flop	Win Post-Turn
Starting Stack: 13,100,000	70.6 %	7.37 %	4.55 %
Urmo Velvelt	Win Pre-Flop	Win Post-Flop	Win Post-Turn
Starting Stack: 19,400,000	28.75 %	92.63 %	95.45 %	Winner!

Posted On: Oct 22, 2024

Outcome

Preflop, with five players remaining and blinds of 100,000-200,000 with a big blind ante of 200,000, Mariusz Golinski limped in from the small blind. Urmo Velvelt checked from the big blind. On the flop Golinski bet 250,000, and Velvelt called. On the turn Golinski bet 425,000, and Velvelt raised to 1,500,000. Golinski called. On the river Golinski checked. Velvelt bet 2,500,000, and Golinski called.

Analysis

Blind-on-blind battles often result in some of the toughest spots in tournament play, which makes sense given that this particular positional matchup features two very wide preflop ranges. In this instance, Mariusz Golinski picked up a fairly strong starting hand in pocket sevens and opted to limp in from the small blind. Umo Velvelt’s J-6 offsuit was far less appealing, at least until the flop brought two jacks to give him trips. Golinski led right out with his under-represented pocket pair. Velvelt opted to flat call with his trips, perhaps not wanting to usurp the betting lead from his apparently game opponent. Even when another Broadway card rolled off on the turn, Golinski indeed decided to fire a second barrel. Velvelt finally felt comfortable springing the trap, raising to a bit over 3x the initial bet with his three jacks. Golinski made the call, perhaps wary of a potential float attempt from his dangerous opponent. The river brought a brick and Golinski checked. Velvelt went for a healthy value bet of 2,500,000 into the pot of 4,100,000 and it was back on Golinski, who had the unenviable task of determining if he should make a hero call in this situation. “Bluff catching in no-limit hold’em is one of the most challenging parts of the game,” sagely noted bracelet winner Andrew Lichtenberger from the commentary booth. Velvelt is plenty capable of making a move in this type of situation, but in this instance he ‘had it.’ Golinski paid to find out and was shown the goods. He went on to finish fourth, earning a career-best score of $460,650.