Stefan Burakov: Top 5 Sickest Hands (2023)

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[@saulocostapoker]

📚 Signup to my newsletter to get free advanced strategy tips 👉🏽 saulocosta.poker/newsletter

[@gungunpapa4978]

Dont get newsletter #3，wonder what happened and how to get #3~ thx，great video.

[@Erictheman9]

Stefan: my cat walked over my keyboard Saulo: look at this genius play

[@saulocostapoker]

lmaoo

[@DaarioNeharis]

@@saulocostapokerdoes he open with whatever cards he is dealt?

[@psychofruit]

@@DaarioNeharis He plays exactly how Dwan's image was perceived back in 2009

[@Stefanburakov]

@@saulocostapokerwhen I was playing poker from a internet café in Rio like 12 years ago in one hand this story became true 😂 dont lemember the hand but I was supposed to call but a Cat jumping from High shelf in there made it a fold 😂🫣

[@Stefanburakov]

@@DaarioNeharishey he is so far ahead in his thinking that he know even he is best in the world he is a fish compared to what he could be…

[@Bestbiggsy]

Your explanation of the last hand where his sizing down on the turn caps Manuel's range is spot on. I was thinking the same. All hands near the top of Manuel's range for sure raise the turn, so stefann is getting near perfect information at a great price which he himself is setting. The only value hand In Manuel's river shove range that makes true sense as an overbet shove with a small frequency for me is AJ. As an aside bro, Solvers and gto wizard as helpful as they are, we're created by ai which was programmed by humans. So we cannot and shouldn't ever think that studying a man made algorithm is the one true gospel, as poker will always be a game of cooperation, incomplete information and meta game dynamics between persons. Being unexploitable, or at equilibrium does not always correlate to winning the most money, and we must never lose sight of that. Chess players often do very well in poker because they accept small sacrifices to induce mistakes, and gto does not and will never account for this exploitative methodology.

[@saulocostapoker]

Completely agree brother! Exploitative play is where the money is at 👌🏽

[@pokerfaceoficial]

Insano, uma mão mais insana que a outra! Muito bom o vídeo, Saulo! Ótimas análises como sempre!

[@saulocostapoker]

Obrigado!

[@4Sight1010]

Insane player! Thank you for sharing

[@saulocostapoker]

My pleasure

[@johnd5619]

excellent video. A+

[@radical6905]

Its crazy that the high stakes tables just removed the fold button Love the content

[@saulocostapoker]

Folding is not very popular at high stakes, that's for sure 😂

[@luizperezdacosta1726]

Awesome video, one of the very best poker channels now a days with guerilla poker and bluffthespot

[@saulocostapoker]

Thank you! Check out 2 Card Confidence as well, you'll enjoy it

[@scottcantrell657]

First i would like to thank you for your content. It's currently the best and most practical content out there. It would be great if you could make a video of you playing this "reverse gto" style as Stefan does and see how the regs at those stakes react.

[@saulocostapoker]

Thats a great idea for a video. Thank you!

[@DoubleBassX2]

It can be easy to get lost or to accidentally exclude parts of the range when attempting to accurately range someone - but what I find helpful is to mentally anchor the range from the beginning to simple framing terms like "what's he holding on with here", or "what's he supposed to go crazy with here". I know that might sound super obvious or redundant, but the point is sometimes it's nice to look at the shape of the holes in the wood before you decide which blocks to pick up and start shoving through.

[@saulocostapoker]

Ranging someone can be very effective when you are really good at putting yourself at your opponent's shoes. The problem is that it's quite easy to simply project your own way of thinking into your opponent, and then if the thought processes are not aligned, you can make some huge blunders.

[@jaeshbalachandran5766]

Thanks for the great video..Would love to see more of this series with other top pros like Linus/Limitless

[@saulocostapoker]

Will do!

[@JohnBS]

I play only micros at the moment, but I admire the quality content you are bringing to us from time to time. Hope to catching up some day XD

[@saulocostapoker]

Every great player has started at micros. Keep going mate!

[@sharkyjawz1342]

Did you run the simple sim on the 3way Sqz pot?

[@user-dq7ts6is3f]

Let me try to get into Stefan mind... on the 56s hand he blocks cuz oponent is continuing with most of his range including worst hands. Block again on turn so oponent has to continuing with all the hearths. Matthew is likely shoving AK/ AA without hearth and calling with hearth. On the river Matthew is checking back Qx, KJs, KTs and underpairs (is not turning those into bluff because he knows Stefan can get weird show up with a 6) so the shoving range is left with the lucky flopped flush, the thin value AK/ AA with a hearth and the missed flush draws that is pretty much exactly AJo. AJo even though is just one hand it represents manny combos in this tight ranges scenario. Rivered straights are out of Mathew range has he would fold TJs on flop unless he hit a flush. Of course Matthew could have QKo, K9s and sets but those are blocked by the board and would have raised flop or turn at some freq. Not that i would have played like that but it kind of makes sense!

[@axieinfinitygameplay6469]

Blz, Saulo? Como eu faço pra descobrir o número gto pra comparar com minhas stats de probe turn por exemplo? Sendo que existem inúmeros flops e turns e não tem um range “fixo” como no pre flop. Estou estudando minhas stats e consegui ir até o pré flop com rfi, 3bet e etc. valeu desde já man

[@sudstahgaming]

That A5s call AQo is the only hand you can put him on as a bluff which makes the call way more amazing, he had to have a read or tell or otherwise like you said its a standard fold.

[@saulocostapoker]

That was a very thin one, for sure

[@user-jx9pu9tw9y]

i do allow myself pretty much a lot to make mistakes^^. ofc if variance on my side. i am crushing. if not i am permatilting.... but need a lot of balance in daily habits will lead to balanced apporach at the tables. that was the theoretical part...

[@RiSKPoker]

This guy is just insane crazy ahah

[@tuphamanh6678]

thank u, how can i access your passed newsletter, i really want to know how to exploit opponent with capped range

[@saulocostapoker]

Hey mate. I will make the archive available soon, I'll send an automatic email once it's done

[@ben.o5617]

Crazy

[@nesterzhzhot]

Leads into boards like KTx are really a disrespect sign vs opponent (I do similar stuff in plo). Great content as usual ❤

[@saulocostapoker]

Thank you!

[@btwurpked]

so sick

[@barygol]

I think Stefan could see the cards in some of those hands, like the call with 56. It has happened recently in several poker sites, and I think he's done it there.

[@KingsOfCardio]

Good work as always. Interesting that you thought Wouter's cbet was a bit big at 33% and then the graphic shows the solver prefers even bigger with 37%.

[@saulocostapoker]

yep, surprising one there

[@KingsOfCardio]

appreciate you for responding. Also for adding the graphic layover at 3:33 displaying the solver actions. I primarily play PLO but appreciate you and these slick NL vid's. @@saulocostapoker

[@1pokerhero825]

WOW I LOVE THE A5 CALL MAKES SENCE....... HES ALWAYS BETTING 3 STREETS ON A FLUSH DRAW ..... GREAT CONTENT BTW TX

[@1pokerhero825]

second hand is a flop flush or nothing seems like he using betting as information the lead told him alot about other guys range he plays on feeling and tells

[@GET_YOUTUBE_VIEWS_m021]

You have such a great sense of humor, I always laugh out loud watching your videos.

[@saulocostapoker]

Don't remember ever getting this feedback, thanks buddy!

[@canaans1]

Omg imagine king is still playing. I used to play against him in 2011 and we would throw stacks like crazy at deep tables. Was such fun games with so many leveling wars and massive pots with us battling hard. He was such a whale but I think he was up on me, was the only one in the pool at the time.

[@jiaweimo5774]

he is a pop singer in china😂

[@xMTLKx]

32:03 Sometimes you just don't need GTO, great play by Malinowski that just let an over agressive guy put the money in the middle by himself. Checking the turn is lethal weapon in some spots. I feel like in higher stakes, giving up or checking back the river is not an option

[@saulocostapoker]

People give up rivers at high stakes, it's just that such hands don't get posted or seen

[@megaclash3r744]

Very insightful video ! Also wantes to ask, is there any way to get access to past newsletters saulo? I just learned about them now and seems like I missed out on good content.

[@saulocostapoker]

Once I have more posts I will make the past archive available in the signup page

[@megaclash3r744]

@@saulocostapoker Perfect !

[@theWestonian]

wow i can't believe someone this sick barely has a winrate vs 500NL regs

[@saulocostapoker]

When did top 500nl players lose their credibility?? lmao it's almost like 500nl player is being used as synonym for crap player. Otb_RedBaron and Linus used to grind 500z everyday right before they took their first shots to 5knl+. Top 500nl players are not braindead button clickers

[@josel4950]

For sure thewestonian. I think a saulo costa reg will only lose 1 sb vs linus and stefan 3 handed!!!

[@Steepmyeon]

@@josel4950 ofc not hahahaha, strefan destroyed limitless hu 28,5bb/100, but saulo will loose only 1))

[@user-is3uq4wf5t]

Crazy hands! Stefan must have had some other information we dont know for some of those calls to be good

[@saulocostapoker]

The only thing I can think about are timing tells. But even with them, those call are still super thin

[@Endgegner111]

This is just adapting to the "recently" widely spread knowledge that bluffing is especially good when you hold the bottom of your range ( no showdown value). Ppl recognized this and overplay it. Given that, calling with bottom pair is not sick anymore..

[@TYinNYC]

He’s a sicko for sure lol I wanna see a live player playing like that

[@sithewiseguy]

Super rare I will allow myself to click Like before viewing. I must trust you Saulo...

[@saulocostapoker]

I did my best to be deserving of your thumbs up 🙏🏽

[@lucasdesiqueira6122]

I may grind alot but still find time to watch your videos :)

[@saulocostapoker]

Appreciate it my friend! Hope its time well spent

[@Kuro_Inoue]

He's a fish on Misha Inners streams

[@iambadatpickingusernames6669]

That first hand is a wild call, because it feels like it’s impossible to bluff with an A in hand, which he blocks

[@saulocostapoker]

Yeah, the first one might even be crazier than the second one. Insane stuff

[@lykevin16]

what for plattform are they playing on ?

[@saulocostapoker]

GGPoker

[@tassv5909]

thought the reveal at 24:22 would be that M Leikkonen wins the pot with 33c

[@saulocostapoker]

lol imagine that That's just std check to beat Ax tho

[@Alexandertygreat]

In hand #3, the fact villian overtbet turn exactly 140% is kinda suspect? I dont know anything about the player but when most players are betting round1.5 and 1.25 type over bey sizes and he picks exactly GTO size perfectly, really makes it look like he may using real time help , when money especially this much is involved, there are simple 2 pc setups with network cards that will help players crush these games, truly suspect spot. But he could just be that fluent i guess as well.

[@MrDizew]

38:25 32 combos of straights for example ;D

[@saulocostapoker]

No way. More like 10-16

[@MrDizew]

@@saulocostapoker Hmm, I suppose AJ never raising at any point, so just 16 from AJ. J9 I can see BTN raising maybe flop, sometimes turn, but probably good 20 combos. How about that?

[@samuraijack1371]

@32:34 I don’t think it’s a think value bet at all. A thin value bet means he is getting called by worse which he isn’t. I think it’s a bluff. Block the straight.

[@susymay7831]

Link to the newsletter, please?

[@saulocostapoker]

saulocosta.poker/newsletter

[@susymay7831]

@@saulocostapoker Thank you, Saulo!

[@susymay7831]

@@saulocostapoker I am extemy excited to have just subscribed! How long until I receive notification?

[@saulocostapoker]

You should have received an automatic confirmation immediately. Check your spam folder if you don't see it

[@balazsboda5678]

Always high quality, but this is one of the best with awesome thoughts about his strat, that I would never have thought of. I know that MMasherdog is a high stakes reg, but his XB OTT is so bad IMO with one of the best hand to bluff with, haven't checked GTO, but blocking Kx, not minding a XR, it should be a perfect hand to bet bet bet especially on club Rivers. I think even Stefan would have a hard time to call down with his hand, but you never know with him as we can see :)

[@saulocostapoker]

Thank you my friend! If I recall correctly his hand was actually a pure check in solver land 😲I was pretty surprised

[@avielmiara8341]

He probably works with the website owner, insane calls

[@tomprice4016]

This content is awesome.

[@saulocostapoker]

Thank you Tom!

[@micimous4395]

how can i find stefan hand history myself?

[@saulocostapoker]

High Stakes threads on 2+2

[@micimous4395]

@@saulocostapoker ty

[@DarkKnight-np6nw]

Hi Saulo, big fan. Is Stefan considered an exploitative player? How does he study the game and how does he crush at the highest levels if he doesn't study theory? I heard BERRI SWEET doesn't study GTO either.

[@saulocostapoker]

I don't think studying theory is a necessary condition for getting good at the game (although I'd certainly recommend it, and do whenever I can). Some people may even grasp theoretical concepts intuitively. And then their high risk tolerance + ability to view the game from their opponent's perspective allow them to execute highly exploitative plays

[@QuickPoker]

I heard Stefan played Limitless in a heads up match and dismantled him. So maybe he is the best or perhaps second best to linuslove ?

[@saulocostapoker]

Pretty hard to say who is best. Looking at a few hands is not enough to have a well informed opinion I'd say. Most people just judge on actual winnings though, and in that case Stefan actually doesn't rank all that well

[@sylvesterjacala1564]

pls review him if he cAn see the hidden cArds

[@saulocostapoker]

Don't think so, there are plenty of spots where he does this and loses

[@FizzyToni]

This is so sexy. Once again thank you for this amazing content!

[@saulocostapoker]

My pleasure mate

[@gratler]

2:03 this sim folds A5s to a open from the HJ 54.4% of the time?!

[@notasuperuser]

First hand is superuseresque.

[@jerrerock]

crazy, +EV to just forget this hands and move one I think :P

[@saulocostapoker]

lmao perhaps this video should come with a "don't try this at home" disclaimer

[@jerrerock]

for sure 😆@@saulocostapoker

[@leonardoserrano4726]

sounds like a super user 😂

[@breakboy11]

He is exploiting and leveling the boys like a G.

[@LinusHate]

24:46 This spot is a very very unbalanced one, the turn overbet on a flush completing turn is extremely underbluffed and is almost everytime value, so i think thats just a massive punt call in theory and specially exploitively. Also in theory is indifferent but in reality people underbluff this spot a lot so i think its very minus EV that turn call aswell.

[@saulocostapoker]

It's really sick that the call loses 82bb vs a balanced player. Can't even imagine how much it loses to an imbalanced one People are gonna say you should give more credit to Leikkonen though. He is in fact up a few million last few years, so maybe he is the one to find bluffs there 😀

[@LinusHate]

@@saulocostapoker I mean as you showed most of his bluffs are the bottom pairs which i imagine have the flush blocker so he is even losing against most of the bluffs in theory 😂

[@saulocostapoker]

The pocket pairs with a club don't bluff, only the non club ones

[@LinusHate]

@@saulocostapoker that makes no sense, the ones that bluff overbetting on the turn gotta be 100% with the club blocker , there is no way that i. theory you can bluff the turn overbetting without any blocker therefore on the river also gotta be the ones with the club, he called an overbet on the turn therefore there is a very small chance that those small flushes are good.

[@sharkyjawz1342]

You use the naked underpairs cos you wanna boat up on 4f runouts and unblock flush folds on brick rivers

[@todung7033]

I dont think 1st hand is a winning call, maybe he did call just to make a point that he won't be pushed around

[@saulocostapoker]

Its a pretty insane one, indeed. IP gotta be overbluffing hard for it to be profitable. To me it just feels like he tries to narrow people's ranges down to the best of his capacity, and then he plays against that assumed range. Sometimes it leads to hands like the A5, and other times it leads to hands like the A8

[@twlevewinshs6156]

There is no difference between Steven and the my live 1/2 dollar opponent who says : I put you on AQ from the start

[@saulocostapoker]

lol

[@brenneisenchevy981]

2nd hand seems very sick i feel like Stefan maybe had a timing or sizing tell in this Hand there is no way he was not aware that this spot is hard to overbluff and you might even loose to some bluffs

[@saulocostapoker]

I think he was trying to protect his redline there. Check-folding river would just ruin his redline for the day

[@lamer7367]

@@saulocostapoker HAHA

[@FractalAgent.777]

I've enjoyed watching Stefan since i heard of him. His style is a lot like mine in some ways. I tend to focus less on playing with a more standard strategy myself, or trying to look for already existing weaknesses in opponents, and rather try to induce new mistakes from my opponents with my play, using non-standard sizings + lines, trying to do it well, but on the surface, it can look pretty random, even straight up insane, but i'm just testing them out in every pot, seeing what makes them buckle, and altering my approach over time. Obviously Stefan is the master of this approach, as well as other approaches too probably, but that's what stands out. Putting them in the blender by using a size they haven't studied. It's all downhill for most players from there, even if they're extremely good at the sizes they have studied.

[@pudelinocacalat2951]

The problem with these sick calls is the 99 vs A8s hand. Bro played him like a whale

[@saulocostapoker]

Yeah it could be that he got exploited. 99 is not supposed to be a jam for 3.5x pot on the river in theory...but then if your opponent is Stefan, you probably should 😂

[@KrepkiyChel]

If you changed Stefan's name to the nickname of random fish, no one would have noticed the trick.

[@saulocostapoker]

😂😂🤣 the guy is controversial, that's for sure

[@thenark2379]

Salt Bae a poker instructor?

[@saulocostapoker]

😂😂🤣

[@sunalwaysshinesonTVs]

First hand. Wait... you wet through all those hands but didnt mention AQ... So I havent see the showdown yet, but lemme guess dude tried to bluff with AQ

[@luizarruda2873]

stefan is a sick sick dog

[@busfahrer09]

looks like a fish to me, how many millions was he up in 2023?

[@zinco1060]

those are terribe sample，its like u win 1 lose 100

[@saulocostapoker]

You mean the size of the pots?

[@Wreckohnize]

Lol what¿ u dumb or what

[@xShaarkz]

@@saulocostapoker I think he means that these plays are all terrible because you win only one (the one showed) and lose trillion else spots calling this wildly. But I believe that's kinda the purpose of the video when it titles "Top 5 SICKEST hands". Btw, amazing work as always Saulo!

[@tomm3030]

Yeah Steffan definitely became the best in the world by winning 1 out of 100 of these sorta spots

[@saulocostapoker]

Oh that makes sense now 😀thanks for the help mate! Yeah it could very well be that he loses super often with these plays. We'll never know for sure tho

[@pokerboy72]

Hero call dopamine bad.. very bad

[@users2381]

34:45 he might just missclicked bro cmon😅

[@saulocostapoker]

No, he does that a lot

[@Erika_Kohl]

second hand is luck... not more

[@saulocostapoker]

Maybe

[@HibiscusFlowerFC]

The 86 hand you really think he’s going for thin value ? Or some kind of merge play. Or just a pure bluff. If he’s going for value he may think that most players will have too many Ace high type hands on the river and call him down with.

[@saulocostapoker]

That's value for sure. He knows his image, he knows Wiktor is capable of calling down light, so he is trying to squeeze thin value out of the A high + 5x region

[@mrsalt548]

first hand: check turn on spr 1 looks so week , its like aq 80% of time , see myself also calling here

[@danbrambley8284]

It's called money laundering lol

[@livesimplified7970]

Why do they keep bluffing him? With players like him u just take him to value town and basically bluff much much less

[@saulocostapoker]

That's a very pertinent question lol I think it can be a lot of things like: fear of missing out on potential EV in unique spots; fear of getting judged by your peers when they see you giving up a std theory bluff; attempt to show him that you still have bluffs, so that he keeps calling down light when you have it.

[@livesimple-ub9qd]

​@@saulocostapokerI play with players like him and while I definitely still have bluffs in many spots like XR pots or triple off spots, I tend to avoid spots like that 4b pot as with players like him aq beats his air and if hes not folding a 5 hes not folding any pair. While I respect the bluffs ppl run against the best at a certain point watching them call down weak pairs/ace highs, doesnt the GTO exploit become to under bluff and give up with bluffs ud normally have to make for "balance" considering their call down range us imbalance?

[@danbrambley8284]

Imagine trying to justify any of this BS. Congrats on finding a way. Terrible play.

[@rolandtomassi3486]

You talk too much

[@saulocostapoker]

🤣

[@quietinterlude5665]

what is mmasherdogs name on twoplustwo?

[@saulocostapoker]

Mixgrill

[@PissyKnish]

First hand: Im only a year in to serious poker study but I feel like that first hand is heavily weighted towards cheating xD

[@saulocostapoker]

It does look super sick, but this dude is just unique. He's been pulling shit like this for years 😂

[@ifeelhalfnaked484]

Last hand was sicker call than the bluff