There are some poker players that are the center of attention at any table they sit at. Rick Salomon is one of those players. Salomon isn't always the most talkative, he typically lets his play do the talking for him, and this week's episode of High Stakes Poker showcases Salomon at his finest, adding steam to the season's already-strong momentum.
Salomon made his return to the High Stakes Poker lineup on Monday's episode--and what a return it was. The high stakes gambler came ready to play and started the action early, kicking things off with an immediate three-bet against businessman Brandon Steven, a frequent player on Hustler Casino Live who tends to show up whenever the buy-ins run high. The holding Salomon put to work was the ten-six off-suit, not exactly a premium, but he doesn't need premiums to win hands.
Then, Salomon tangled with Jennifer Tilly in multiple pots. The first hand saw the two get the money in pre-flop after Salomon moved all-in over Tilly's raise of his straddle. Tilly made the correct call, putting in the money with her ace-jack suited against Salomon's king-queen. The players decided to run two boards and Salomon found a way to scoop both run-outs, with Tilly bricking out on two flush draws.
It didn't take long for the two to clash again. Another straddled pot brought on the fireworks as both Salomon and Tilly found pocket pairs in the blinds. Salomon's tens had Tilly's nines in rough shape. Again, the players ran two boards and, again, Salomon managed to scoop the entire $196,000 pot.
Winning, losing, entertaining
It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, however. Salomon's attempt at an uncharacteristic slow play went badly awry when his opponent rivered a full house. Steven's pocket threes were out flopped by Salomon's king-four on the 4❤️ Q♣ 4♦️️ board. Salomon laid the trap, electing to simply call Steven's bets in position. Steven's double barrel bluff became a value bet on the river and Salomon value-cut himself by moving all-in over the wager.
When the cards were flipped, Salomon saw Steven's hand and a smile spread across his face, "Nice hand," he said, while offering a fist bump.
"That's why you don't play slow," Salomon lamented to himself, as he passed his chips to Steven.
Then, the big one.
Jean-Robert Bellande's straddle, plus some sub-par holdings, saw the action fold around to Salomon in the big blind. The pocket jacks he held were a step up from the ten-six off-suit he put to work earlier and, thus, the raise came in.
Bellande's straddle defense with the eight-six provided him with an open-ended straight draw on the flop, albeit on a paired board. The 7♠ 9❤️ 9♦️️ provided more than a hint of possibility for action and the 10♦️️ turn card guaranteed it. Bellande, having made his straight, bet out following Salomon's check. There was no calling for Salomon as he opted to raise to the minimum amount, the click-back raise. Bellande, of course, made the call. The river card came clean, a complete brick, and Salomon bet again, this time for $50,000. Now, it was Bellande's turn to raise and he took a similar route, making it $110,000. Salomon hemmed and hawed for a moment, but put the chips in, only to see the bad news.
Additionally, Bobo Chann and Justin Gavri made their High Stakes Poker debut, filling out the rest of the lineup, along with Rob Yong. It's another great episode in what's shaping up to be one of the best seasons of High Stakes Poker yet.
If you're not already watching, it's time to ante up for that PokerGO subscription because this show makes it all worthwhile.
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