Matusow hand analysis @ Final Table - 2nd hand

[yimyammer]

Copied from Espn:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/poker...9478&num=2

Second hand, kaboom.

Steve Dannenmann raises to 250 grand. Scott Lazar re-raises to $1.25. Matusow moves in for about $7.2. Lazar calls.

Whoa. Raise, re-raise, re-re-raise all in, call - on the second hand? Yikes, babe.

And what a showdown: Lazar, with about $3.2 million, has two red aces. Matusow had two kings and is totally dominated in a pot worth $6.8 million.

The flop comes Q-K-6, two hearts, and the place explodes as Matusow, the Las Vegan homeboy, catches his king. Lazar needs an ace, runner-runner straight cards or runner-runner hearts, or he goes back to Tinseltown with one million green.

The turn comes the 2 of hearts. Lazar is halfway there.

The river comes a jack. It, too, is a heart

Ok, here are my questions:

1. What other ways could this hand have been played by Matusow?

2. What is the best way to play this hand in this scenario?

3. Is there anyway he could have avoided losing a bundle here (obviously folding is an option, but what I want to know is given the way the hand played out, what justifcation could be made for folding this hand if this is your recommended course of action)?

For what it's worth, I don't see any way I would have gotten away from this hand, I'm merely posting these questions to see if creative minds might have a unique way of playing. It was a raise of a re-reraise and if Matusow figured he could win by avoiding big all-in pots he could have slowed down I suppose (not likely though), but even if he slowed down preflop, there is no way its not going in after he got three kings.

muchas gracias senioritas!

[A_Junglen]

Unless Mike folds preflop the result will likely be the same.

[Jordan Olsommer]

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Ok, here are my questions:

1. What other ways could this hand have been played by Matusow?

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None that don't involve "eventually getting all the money in before the flop".

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2. What is the best way to play this hand in this scenario?

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EP raise, you're on the button and find the second-best starting hand in holdem, KK. Reraise, try to get all-in if you think someone will call.

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3. Is there anyway he could have avoided losing a bundle here (obviously folding is an option, but what I want to know is given the way the hand played out, what justifcation could be made for folding this hand if this is your recommended course of action)?

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If your opponent picks up his cards and shows you AA, fold. Otherwise, reraise. Try to get all-in if you can.

Matusow just got incredibly unlucky, then incredibly lucky, then incredibly unlucky again all in the same hand, and that's all there is to it.

To put it another way, if he was the type of player to even consider folding KK in this spot*, he wouldn't have been at the final table in the first place.

*edit: barring some phenomenally clairvoyant accurate read on his opponent to put him on precisely AA with 100% certainty.

[Farfenugen]

No offense but I don't think this hand needs analysis. The cards played themselves.

There is simply no way I am not all-in if I am Matusow. The only hand that beats me is AA. Dannenman happened to have AA, but that doesn't mean Matusow played it wrong.

[TheBlueMonster]

it wasn't Dannenman...its was Lazar

[yimyammer]

Take it up with ESPN

[ismisus]

the only way he could have saved himself chips is if Shahram "Sean" Sheikhan was on the final table.

Mike could have told Sheikhan that he's fuking lucky to be here. Sheikhan would ask for a penalty, Mike would have to sit out for 10 minutes, and therefore fold kings. Then he would run over the table, and the Ace Jack would fold instead of raising all in.

Mike would be the champ, then everytime you would go to a casino, someone would start insulting everyone like an idiot. ESPN would get huge ratings, and next year you'll have bunch of Mike clones imitating him to get on EPSN. Thus changing poker society for the worse, new players would be called idiots by bunch of Mike clones, and they would drop the game. Finally ending the fish supply, downgrading the popularity of poker, and putting poker to death.

In summary, if mike wins, poker dies

[LargeCents]

The only way Matusow can get away here, is to make a read that the guy has AA, and fold. That is the absolute only way to get away from this hand. Mike couldn't make this read. Mike Matusow is human. Imagine that.

[touchfaith]

Only Phil (will tell you he) could have layed down that hand...It just wasn't happening

Preflop, on the flop or by the river...all the money was going in either way.

[ismisus]

If they were still on the river, Mike would fold with 4 hearts out there