Hellmuth vs. Ferguson

[Rushmore]

1. Ferguson checks his AQs behind when he catches an ace on the turn, allowing Hellmuth to spike a 4 for a set. Granted, we can't always see monsters under the bed, but wouldn't we think a bet might be in order on the turn?

2. Lederer on Hellmuth histrionics: "Grow up." Ha.

3. "They APPLAUD that play??!" I guess Phil can't figure out why the fans just aren't behind him, especially when he implies they are idiots. Maybe they were applauding the CARD, Phil, or just applauding against you, no matter what.

4. "Even the great players GIVE their chips to me, or try to, at least." That's what makes Phil great, I hear.

5. Phil's muck of a set of tens was abysmal. There's $75K in the pot, and the bet is $30K. He has TT, and the board shows AKJT7, no flush draw. He tanks, FOLDS, and then shows it? Come on. This is a bad fold, right?

6. What was with all the preflop limping? Hellmuth didn't seem remotely interested in taking the lead preflop, no matter what he held. Seems like an odd HU strategy. Granted, it eventually worked, which surprised me. I thought sure Ferguson would have figured out that Hellmuth was limping some big hands, waiting for a mistake. But he made the mistake several times anyway.

Very entertaining stuff for TV poker, I thought.

Gabe Kaplan rules.