Episode 152: Neil Blumenfield and the $3 Million Consolation Prize

Neil Blumenfield, who took 3rd place in the 2015 WSOP Main Event, talked to us about making the final table on Episode 139. Now he’s back to talk about how he prepared, what he learned, the experience of playing for (and winning) millions of dollars, and what’s next for him.

Timestamps

:30 – hello & welcome
5:06 – strategy: getting paid with quads
34:47 – interview: neil blumenfield

Strategy

$1/$3 NLHE $800 effective stacks

Villain opens to $15 from utg +2.
Hero is next to act holding 5c5h and calls the 15.
The button calls the 15 (stack 300 ish)
The limper calls the 15 (stack 150 ish)

flop ($59) is Kd 9d 5d
limper checks, Villain bets 45, Hero calls, everyone else folds.

turn ($149) is the 4c

Villain bets $55 into the now 149. Hero raises to $150 total and villain calls

River ($450) 5s. Villain checks. Hero?

7 thoughts on “Episode 152: Neil Blumenfield and the $3 Million Consolation Prize”

  1. “The NPR of poker media” is a great way to sum up the podcast. Highly informative yet very pleasant to listen to. Thanks for another great show!

  2. Hi. I’ve been using this podcast to get home from work in heavy traffic once a week for the last year or so. Thanks for keeping me sane. I’m not sure where people submit hands, but I played a hand last night in a home 1/3 NL ($300 buy-in) that has me thinking.

    UTG raises to 12, folds around to me in SB with AdAs. I make it 32, and he calls. Flop is 10d7d2d. I bet 45 into 67, and he calls. Turn is a black 10. I check, he bets 100. I call. All of that, I think, seems standard enough (though maybe I should just fold, even w/nut flush draw?). River is a 2c. I check. Pot is 350, and villain bets 150. What should I do? I called. He had Jh10h. I had 10s in his range, and my aces at this point are only a (very good) bluff catcher, but I don’t have almost any flushes in his range, and I do have jacks, queens, and possibly nines that he might choose to bluff w/on the river to fold out my AdKx or AxKd. I don’t have to be right too often, but maybe I just need to fold there. Thoughts, anyone?

  3. Hi Seth,

    I think that your river action should be opponent dependent. You mention this is a home game and so chances are that you are familiar with his play style. Is he the straightforward – tight type who will play a lot of his hands face up, or is he more the tricky – LAG type who will try to identify good bluffing spots? that should dictate your river action IMO.

    As for the turn, I would never fold this sized bet to anyone. You have the nut flush draw and an overpair, giving you 11 likely outs to catch up if you’re behind. Calling 100 to win 257 is laying you 2.5:1 and the direct odds to catch up (if behind) are about 3:1, pretty close. Also, you may be ahead – if you add draws like QhJx, Khxx and made hands like JJ-KK into his range.

    Also, if you are behind hands like trips / sets / K high flush draws, and do catch up on the river, he is likely to pay off a reasonable sized bet, compensating for the slight shortfall in direct odds.

    Good luck!

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