Can Sam Grafton Bluff Maria Ho Off Aces in The Big Game on Tour?
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The penultimate episode of The Big Game on Tour's inaugural season has arrived, and Lily Newhouse is fighting to break even after a remarkable comeback in the previous session. With just a few dozen hands left before the season wraps up, can the Loose Cannon finally enter the black?
Meanwhile, Maria Ho found herself in a tense showdown with PokerStars ambassador Sam Grafton, facing a tough river decision holding pocket aces. Curious to see how it all unfolded? Don’t miss the PokerNews breakdown of Episode 9 of The Big Game on Tour.
Krosky Derails Newhouse's Momentum
Dave Krosky has been a standout at the table over the last hundred hands, thanks to his sharp wit and unconventional betting lines. His lively banter continued during an early clash with Newhouse on this week's broadcast.
The Las Vegas entrepreneur opened the action with a raise to $600, holding K♣J♥ in the cutoff. Michael Ian Black folded on the button, but Newhouse, with the similar-looking K♠J♣, responded with a three-bet to $2,200. Grafton let his big blind go, and after a bit of deliberation and counting on his fingers, Krosky called, bringing the pot to $4,800.
Both players missed the 8♣7♠3♠ flop, but Newhouse kept the pressure on with a $2,000 continuation bet.
"This doesn't help you—stop trying to look strong around me," Krosky quipped in a mock British accent before making the call.
When the A♦ hit the turn, Newhouse fired again, this time for $5,000. Unshaken, Krosky raised to $13,000 with just king-high, forcing Newhouse to fold.
This win briefly put Krosky back in the black, but his momentum didn’t last. He soon lost a significant four-bet pot to Grafton after a failed river bluff, and his decline continued when his pocket tens were outflopped by Ho’s ace-queen in a $21,100 pot.
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Can Grafton Fold Out Ho's Aces?
The final hand of the night saw Grafton look down at 5♦4♦, and he opened the action with a raise to $600 from the cutoff. Ho woke up with A♥A♣ on the button and three-bet to $1,800. The blinds got out of the way and Grafton called.
The K♠10♣4♣ flop kept the aces ahead but Grafton picked up some outs after pairing his four. Grafton took an aggressive route and check-raised to $5,500 after Ho bet $1,500. The latter called, bringing in the 9♠ turn.
Grafton sized up to $7,500 and Ho continued to stick around. The J♣ finished off the board and completed flush and straight draws. Grafton's third barrel of $20,000 forced Ho to fold the better hand, giving up on the $50,100 pot.
Grafton flashed the 5♦ and ended things on a high.
Standings After Episode 9
Only Krosky and Grafton saw significant changes to their stacks. Grafton is grinding his way to a $35,000 profit as things stand. Krosky, once up over $50,000, finds his head just above the water, with his losses growing to $28,900.
Newhouse is still in touching distance of taking some money back home while Black and Phil Laak ended the session around where they started.
| Rank | Player | Profit/Loss | Stack |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria Ho | +$46,800 | $146,800 |
| 2 | Michael Ian Black | +$38,100 | $88,100 |
| 3 | Sam Grafton | +$35,000 | $135,000 |
| 4 | Lily Newhouse | -$8,700 | $41,300 |
| 5 | Dave Krosky | -$28,900 | $21,100 |
| 6 | Phil Laak | -$82,300 | $217,700 |
