Chan vs Seidel
World Series of Poker, Main Event, 1988. The final hand.
The hand from the movie Rounders
Why it is famous
The final hand of the 1988 Main Event, and the opening scene of the film Rounders. ESPN asked, "Will Erik Seidel fall for the bait?" Seidel said that any aggression from Chan told him his queen with a seven was not good.
What to take from it
A player who calls your raise on a board full of straights, then checks behind, often has it.
The hand
Chan J♣9♣
Seidel Q♣7♥
Before the flop
Blinds are posted. Chan has the button.
Chan calls.
Seidel checks.
The flop
Board Q♠10♥8♦
Seidel checks.
Chan bets 40K.
Seidel raises to 90K.
Chan calls.
The turn
Board Q♠10♥8♦2♠
Seidel checks.
Chan checks.
The river
Board Q♠10♥8♦2♠6♦
Seidel moves all in.
Chan calls.
Chan wins at the showdown with Straight, Queen high.
The decisions
- Chan. Seidel is short and clearly likes his hand. A re-raise announces the straight and lets a queen fold. A call looks like a draw or a weaker queen, so Seidel keeps betting.
- Chan. Chan wants Seidel to put the rest in. Checking again looks like giving up, which invites a river shove from any queen.
- Seidel. He read Chan’s passive play as weakness and shoved. A pro learns the other lesson: a player who calls your raise on a board full of straights, then checks behind, often has it. Seidel moved all in, and it was a mistake: Chan held the nut straight. A check would have kept him alive.
What the sources do not say. The blinds and the stacks come from a single source, so they are not shown, and prices are given in words. One site reverses the positions. Most put Chan on the button and Seidel in the big blind.
Sources
- CardPlayer, 1988 recap
- VegasSlotsOnline
- PokerListings
- Upswing Poker
- PokerNews
- GGPoker blog, the 1988 Main Event
Practise it in 5 minutes Play this hand, one decision at a time.
Quads is for adults, 18 and over. It teaches with play chips only: there is no real money, ever.