Ferguson vs Cloutier
World Series of Poker, Main Event, 2000. The final hand.
The final hand of the 2000 Main Event
Why it is famous
Chris Ferguson thought for about five minutes, took off his hat and sunglasses, and called a shove for the title. The river nine beat T.J. Cloutier, a beloved veteran who said afterwards that Ferguson played well.
What to take from it
Judge a call by the price and the hands that shove, not by the river. Against Cloutier’s range the call was close; against the hand he really held, Ferguson was well behind, and the river saved him.
The hand
Cloutier A♦Q♣
Ferguson A♠9♣
Before the flop
Blinds are posted. Cloutier has the button.
Cloutier raises to 175K.
Ferguson raises to 600K.
Cloutier moves all in.
Ferguson calls.
Everyone left is all in, so the rest of the board comes out with no more betting.
The flop
Board K♣4♥2♥
The turn
Board K♣4♥2♥K♥
The river
Board K♣4♥2♥K♥9♥
Ferguson wins at the showdown with Two pair, Kings and Nines.
The decisions
- Ferguson. Heads-up, ace-nine is a strong hand. Re-raising takes the lead and often wins the pot right there.
- Ferguson. Heads-up, a shove over a re-raise includes weaker aces, kings and small pairs, not only ace-queen and ace-king. The pot is big next to the call. It is close, and Ferguson was behind this time. Ferguson called, was well behind the hand Cloutier held, and a river nine won him the title.
What the sources do not say. The blinds, the stacks and the positions are not documented. The stacks were close to even, so prices are given in words and no numbers are shown for them. The size of Cloutier’s all in is not documented. Ferguson’s exact words are not certain.
Sources
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.