Episode 3 of High Stakes Poker Season 13 aired Monday night with many of the same faces from the first two episodes seated around the table.
Andrew Robl and Jennifer Tilly headlined the returning crowd, alongside Bo Brownstein, Sameh Elamawy, Masato Yokosawa, and Justin Gavri. The new faces at the table came in the form of high stakes cash game regular and businessman Brandon Steven and Andrew Pacheco, who makes his return to the High Stakes Poker felt after appearing on Season 12.
Brandon Steven and Andrew Pacheco join the tableWith the blinds set at $200/$400 with a $500 big blind ante, the players wasted no time in getting to the action.
Steven's bluff goes wrong
About halfway through the episode, Steven ran a multi-street bluff that may have worked out had one of his opponents not rivered a hand too strong to relinquish.
The action started with a raise to $2,000 from Elamawy with 
and about $200,000 in his stack. Gavri, sitting with $90,000, responded with a three-bet to $7,200 from the button with 
. Steven cold-called from the straddle with 
, covering both players, and Elamawy came along as well.
With $22,700 in the middle, the three players saw the 
flop. Steven quickly checked his ace-high and Elamawy, with top pair, checked as well. Gavri decided against a continuation bet and the dealer turned the 
. Steven, perhaps sensing weakness, fired out for $17,000. Elamawy made the call with his pair and Gavri, having turned a massive draw, cut out calling chips as well.
Justin Gavri caught a bluff gone wrong from Brandon StevenThe river 
completed the runout, putting four to a straight on the board and improving Gavri to the winner. Steven, undeterred by his opponents' willingness to commit chips on earlier streets, fired once more, this time to the tune of $54,000 into the $73,700 pot. Elamawy folded his pair of eights, painful as it may have been for him, but Gavri wasn't going anywhere. Instead, he moved all in for his remaining $66,100, drawing a quick fold from Steven.
Steven's bluff goes right
Despite sending roughly $80,000 Gavri's way, Steven remained determined to win hands whether he had the goods or not.
With the $800 straddle on from Pacheco, Steven raised to $3,000 with 
and picked up five callers. First Brownstein called, with 
, then Tilly came in with a blind call holding 
. Gavri joined the party with his 
and Pacheco couldn't resist the pot odds with his 
.
With $15,700 in the middle, the dealer spread the 
flop, pairing both Brownstein and Pacheco. Gavri and Pacheco checked to the preflop aggressor, Steven, who, having missed the flop entirely, started with a check. Brownstein, next to act, fired out a $12,000 bet, drawing folds from Tilly and Gavri. Pacheco made the call with his inferior top pair and the action came back around to Steven.
Neither Pacheco (pictured) nor Brownstein could stand up to Steven's bluff bullying With just five-high and not much potential for improvement, most players would opt for a fold in this spot. Steven, however, isn't like most players. Instead, he cut out a sizable raise — up to $57,000. Brownstein, clearly pained by the raise and handcuffed by Pacheco still to act behind him, tossed the best hand into the muck. Pacheco himself sensed something amiss with Steven's raise, but he too slid his top pair holding back to the dealer.
After getting the bluff through, Steven picked up his cards to show Robl on his left. Then, making direct eye contact with Pacheco, he said, "Good fold," and threw down his five-high holding for the whole table to see.
