It was the bluff that was heard around the world.
It went down on Day 3 of the WSOP Super Main Event when Jesse Lonis was put to the test on one of the feature tables.
Ryuta Nakai raised Lonis’ 5.5 million river bet to 11 million on a board reading 
.
Lonis had flopped a set of kings, but what were Nakai’s bluffs? Lonis tank-folded, and it turned out Nakai had 
.
But the drama didn’t end there.
ACR Pro Rob Kuhn posted the hand on X and wrote, “OH MY GOD. MADNESS.”
Shaun Deeb was one of the players who jumped on it, writing, “This hand should get more likes than an @AbbyMerk winners photo tweet. @JesseLonis finally made it.”
Deeb: Bad players make bad folds
Lonis hit back, writing, “Great players make bad folds sometimes. You wouldn’t understand. You still in? Let’s crossbook.”
Deeb replied, “Bad players also make bad folds. We can run back last year’s bet as much as you want.”
Daniel Negreanu weighed in on the hand, posting the following: “Seeing a lot of hate on Jesse for this fold, and it’s eye-opening to me.
“Jesse has been having phenomenal results the last couple years, precisely because he is willing to trust himself in these types of spots.
“He got this one wrong, but how often is he getting it right and getting away from coolers that most humans just shrug and go broke on?
“If the guy had the straight, Jesse is a genius, but because he was bluffing, he is the fool?
“It’s a fine line, and if you don’t understand this, you can never unlock your full potential.”
Heads-up for rollz?
But back to the Deeb vs. Lonis spat. Lonis posted an extensive reply providing some thoughts behind his fold and a bit of history behind the beef with Deeb.
“I have played spots like this probably 40 times this year. I would like to think I was wrong maybe 3 or 4 times, including this one.”
Talking about Deeb, he said, “Me and Shaun grew up about 40 minutes down the road from each other. Even when I was young and had no money and was trying to shot take in bigger games, I would sit and have to deal with this insufferable human being. Someone who I idolized at the time. Tried acting like this egomaniac bully.
“In my mind, though, he is part of the reason I am here today. I played with him and I said if this guy can be one of the best I will dominate this game. I also wanted to get enough money so I could play him heads up and bankrupt him.”
Deeb hasn’t fired back yet, but this one may well rumble on to a big grudge bet in next summer’s WSOP.
