This is Why One PSPC Platinum Pass Winner
Tanked Two Minutes with Aces Preflop
With life-changing money on the line, one Platinum Pass winner genuinely considers folding aces pre-flop!
It’s one thing busting out of the largest high roller tournament in history. It’s another getting coolered with kings versus aces preflop. And it is yet another thing getting slow rolled, by a another Platinum Pass winner from your home country, for almost two minutes.
But that’s exactly what happened to Franz Ditz, who got it all in pre with KK on Level 17 (4000/8000) on the bubble during Day 3 of the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship in the Bahamas.
He opened for 16,000. Was three-bet by fellow German Michael Robionek on the button to 35,000. Ditz shoved for 250,000. Then Robionek went into the tank … for two minutes. When he finally called, he flipped over aces.
Ditz was understandably perturbed. The PokerStars Blog at the time said they had “some private and inside information we can reveal later that will make this seem … well, not as bad as it does now.” That information has now been released. Apparently, Robionek was genuinely considering a fold.
“My strategy to start the day,” Robionek said, was, apparently, “to not be dealt aces before the bubble.” $25,000 is—as it would be to most people both in and outside the poker world—a lot of money to the German. He had to borrow money to fly here, he said (the Platinum Pass does cover travel costs and expenses, but possibly not ahead of time).
Robionek went on to say that he lost his job two years ago, and had struggled to find a steady income since. He’s not much of a poker player—in fact, he’d never made a deposit on PokerStars before winning his Platinum Pass through a “human lie detector” competition run on social media.
As the PokerStars blog elaborates: “So, there he was … on a $25,000 bubble and wondering … could he actually afford to lose with aces when waiting just a little bit longer could mean literally life-changing money for him? So, he thought. And he thought some more. And ultimately he decided that if he couldn’t call with aces there, he probably shouldn’t be playing anyway. And so he did. And hence … the slowroll. “
He didn’t want PokerStars to talk about this before the money bubble burst because, quite understandably, he didn’t want the other players knowing just how much scared money there was in his stack.
So, knowing what we know now, does that excuse his slowroll? With this mix of players in the field, everyone would do well to relax the usual norms and expectations at these high roller events and try to assume the best intentions against their fellow players.
For Ditz, that’s not going to take any of the sting out of the tail. For Robionek, his incredible story and run continues. He’s going into Day 4 with 720,000 chips, one of ten Platinum Pass winners among the 38 to make it through. It’s a small stack, but he’s guaranteed a life-changing $86,400, and if he can hold for a few spots he’s going to take home a cool six figures.
Run It Once Poker Offers 70% Rakeback via 35/35 Promotion
For one week, all players at RIO Poker can earn extra rewards!
Kevin Martin Ends Streaming Career: Partypoker Ambassador Says "Journey is Over"
After just four months at partypoker's Team Online, the Canadian MTT grinder throws in the Twitch towel.
High Stakes Poker Pro Antonio Esfandiari Kicks Movie Star Kevin Hart's Arse
High stakes poker pro and three time WSOP bracelet winner, Antonio Esfandiari has won yet another prop bet. He took comedian Kevin Hart down in just three rounds, as part of a boxing prop bet.
Missed the Global Poker Awards? Watch It Free Here!
The inaugural Global Poker Awards are officially in the books.
Lex Veldhuis Ships Sunday Warm-Up Live on Twitch
Last night, Lex Veldhuis took down the PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up Live on Twitch for over $34,000.
#10YearChallenge: PokerStars
Let's have a look at how PokerStars has changed in 10 years.
Just How Much Did Platinum Pass Holders Win at the #PSPC?
PokerStars gave away 320 free entries to the $25,000 buy-in PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) over the course of the previous year via Platinum Passes that after accomodations and spending money were valued at $30,000.
Watch: Crucial Hands at the #PSPC Final Table
In case you missed out on the Final Table stream of the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) event, here are clips of some of the most crucial hands at the Final Table of the event.
Bill Perkins Dishes Out The Wisdom At The PSPC
Joey Ingram sat down with Bill Perkins at the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) for a podcast that would almost hit the three hour mark.
This is Why One PSPC Platinum Pass Winner Tanked Two Minutes with Aces Preflop
With life-changing money on the line, one Platinum Pass winner genuinely considers folding aces pre-flop!
Watch: One of the Best Laydowns at PSPC, and Possibly of All Time
It was during day 2 of the history-in-making $25,000 buy-in PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship when a Vietnamese lady by the name of Thi Xua Nguyen stunned everybody by making this incredible laydown versus Athanasios Polychronopoulos, a Greek-American professional poker player with two WSOP bracelets.
MILLIONS Online Will Return in 2019
A historic moment was created on December 4 as partypoker pulled off an incredible feat by setting the record for the biggest tournament in the history of online poker.
Knitting Mom Scores $30,000 Poker Package
Jennifer Carter knitted her way to a $30,000 Platinum Pass from PokerStars, granting her entry into the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) taking place in the Bahamas in January.
Watch & Learn: Phil Ivey Playing Short Deck Hold'em
Short Deck Hold’em, AKA 6+ Hold’em, is one of the hottest poker variants being played today, and courtesy of these highlights from the HKD 500k ($64k USD) buy-in Short Deck Event at the Triton Poker SHR Jeju 2018 series, you can learn from one of poker’s all-time masters, Phil Ivey.
OP-Poker Takes a Look at PokerStars VR
OP-Poker, a team of Twitch streamers and official ambassadors of PokerStars’ Power Up, was recently invited to have a look at PokerStars’ brand new upcoming Virtual Reality Product PokerStars VR held at EGX conference at Birmingham.
Watch: PokerStars Team Pro Liv Boeree's Recent TED Talk
PokerStars Team Pro Liv Boeree in her latest TED Talk gave a six-minute speech on how poker taught her three important lessons that can be used in life.
Rounders Turns 20
Continuing the celebration of Rounders turning twenty this year, The Ringer now brings us “Going All In: An Oral History of Rounders” —which doesn’t disappoint.
Molly Bloom To Speak At Unibet Open Bucharest
Unibet has announced that the Poker Princess, Molly Bloom, who’s “Hollywood high stakes poker game was the subject of the Oscar-nominated and critically acclaimed film Molly’s Game“ will be their special guest!
ICYMI: Phil Hellmuth's Grand Entrance at 2018 WSOP Main Event
Words escape me. Prepare yourself for the grand entrance from WSOP 14 time bracelet winner, Phil Hellmuth (as captured by PokerNews).
Do You Think This is Collusion?
This story still has the poker community talking. Real life poker couple Kristen Bicknell (who is signed by partypoker) and Alex Foxen made the final table of a tournament at The Venetian in Las Vegas last month. Their alleged soft-play and collusion has the poker community riled up with the likes of Doug Polk and Justin Bonomo still talking about it long after play finished up.
Doyle Brunson Will Retire From Poker After Last WSOP Outing This Summer
*Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson has announced his retirement from poker so that he can spend more time with his wife, who is in failing health.