You WON’T BELIEVE What GARRETT ADELSTEIN Does!

[@PokerCoaching]

Do you think Garrett did this for VALUE or for MERCY?

[@peteradnell2202]

I think it was mercy.

[@peteradnell2202]

It reminds me a lot of Jamie Gold in hsp and wsop, who always tried to talk the players away from calling/folding by using reverse psychology.

[@chinggis_khagan]

Who ever heard of a poker pro showing mercy? It's as likely as a shark sparing a seal because it had such cute big eyes. He did it for value.

[@peteradnell2202]

@@chinggis_khagan Some people can still prioritize compassion and empathy for other people over their own winnings, even among greedy poker players. Your comparison may not have been razor sharp either. But of course I may have been totally wrong. I've had that many times in my life, just like at the poker table.

[@chinggis_khagan]

@@peteradnell2202 Sparing your opponents out of compassion is very nice, but if that's your instinct I don't understand how you could become one of the top high stakes pros in the world lol

[@alistairwillock7266]

I've posted this elsewhere, but I think this was a game management play on Garrett's part. Ethan was one of _three_ brothers at the table, who were all playing in the game for the first time. Meanwhile Jacky was at the table, and more than half-a-million deep with Garrett. I think Garrett decided that Ethan was so deep in the blender that if he called and lost, he would probably get up, and all three brothers might then have left. That would have been bad for the game, and possibly have resulted in the game breaking. In turn, that would lower Garrett's chances of winning a huge pot off of (or even stacking!) Jacky. This HCL game has a lot of dynamics like a private game, where the alpha dog (Garrett) has to make decisions that take into account the long-term health of the game - i.e. try to get players to keep coming back to get crushed. I really would like to hear Bart Hanson's take on this hand, because he understands all of these elements of game management... And Jonathan never even discusses any of this. Garrett is basically the house pro here, like he used to be on LATB. How do you think he's kept players coming back for _years_ to get crushed by him on stream? By having the kind of "soft skills" that escape most poker players, that's how. And one of those soft skills is the reputation he's maintained of being a really chatty, fun, and - above all! - scrupulously fair person to have in your game. _Everyone_ knows that he's a highly-skilled player who runs like God... and yet people line up to get on stream with him, and he gets into private games as well. How do you think that happens? It happens because he gives action, and makes playing with him as pleasant an experience as possible. If you think he's going to work a speech-play on an HCL noob _on stream_ and ding that carefully-crafted image that's worth _MILLIONS_ to him... then you haven't been paying attention. Go off and search all those other instances of Garrett using speech play to elicit calls in big spots, I'll wait while you do... Oh yeah, _there aren't any._ Hmmm, so either he magically decided to do it for the first time here, or maybe - just _maybe_ - something else is going on.

[@kendob9642]

Very true, and why j.little doesn't have the people skills to crush like Garret. Good breakdown

[@markjklein]

@@rickysmith6041 I keep seeing people say that if it was mercy, Garrett wouldn't have bet the river. I know he's smart and calculating, but maybe he made his bet and while the player tanked, Garrett thought more deeply about the player and the game dynamics. Seeing the young player agonize over the call certainly may have swayed Garrett's decision. Most likely, I think it was a combination of mercy and short- and long-term game dynamics considerations. If Garrett doesn't have a history of speech play, this would be a really weird time to experiment with it.

[@markjklein]

Great analysis, Alistair.

[@nickmullen402]

I really don’t agree with your take that Garrett was trying to induce a call. I think he actually didn’t want to erase this kid’s entire bankroll because he was once just like him and he know how brutal that would be. You could be right, but from what I can tell about Garrett, he really does love the game and wants to see the young gun run up a stack against the fish and have his big shot work out.

[@JM-db8ez]

That's a lot of projection. Think I'll go with the poker pro's analysis.

[@nickmullen402]

@@JM-db8ez hmm well there are other poker pros who agree with me including the commentators who (while not always right) have seen Garrett play many many hours

[@PokerCoaching]

Do you think Garrett would prefer to make an extra 60k or would he prefer for him to fold?

[@lottoking7777]

@@PokerCoaching I think Garret was being genuine and showed mercy. If villain wanted to take his genuine response as meta games, well then that's on him.

[@TheSmoothGrind]

I think it’s about winning without regard for anyone else that willfully puts money on the table. Love of the game or not, it’s about running up the score.

[@AlexXanderMarketing]

That commentator is Nick Verticci, who has a massive man crush on Garrett, and calls him the “8th Wonder”. It’s pretty obvious Garrett is making an angle/leveling play here as a last ditch effort to get this kid to call. Garrett shows NO mercy to anyone. Period. I’m that context, it makes no sense he’s on some kind of a humanitarian mission. Everyone says Garrett would never angle someone, but I’ve seen him make these types of plays before on the old Live at the Bike streams. Garrett is sharp as f**k and doesn’t care who you are. He’s a cold blooded killer. If you sit at the table with him, he’s after every one of your chips on the table, as well as the cash and credit in your pocket.

[@dingledangle265]

This is correct.

[@DarkTruth1]

@@dingledangle265 nope

[@DarkTruth1]

If youre willing to debate this, I could explain why. However most of your comment is a giant strawman argument which I would have to point out right away.

[@DarkTruth1]

I would love to see a comparable clip from latb btw. Anything. Depending on how old it is too but still would help your case dramatically. You need to provide the evidence if you're trying to prove someone guilty of something, not the other way around.

[@davidholmes892]

@@DarkTruth1strawman arg. is a wrong form of argument. speech play is commonplace in poker, especially in heads up. you seem to make things unnecessarily complicated when it's clear and obvious. g was trying to induce a call. no evidence he was being nice judging from his track records, his tendencies, the fact that he didnt show his cards at the end, he didnt check, etc. absolutely one iota of evidence he was being kind. but of course to his fanboys g could do no wrong no matter the contrary evidence or common sense otherwise.

[@einszwo3749]

Never ever was that a speech play…he genuinely saved him a lot of money cause he saw him struggling hard with his decision

[@PokerCoaching]

Do you think Garrett wanted him to fold?

[@fleecious]

@@PokerCoaching I think he was being genuine. Garrett often demolishes tables very quickly, demoralising opponents. I think he's very good at picking up on what would kill the "vibe", or in other words kill the action. He probably realised stacking this kid right now isn't benifitial in the long run, or even the remainder of the night. This is why he is very often willing to run it how ever many times his opponent wants to. I believe he's aware small gestures like this help him in the long run

[@alistairwillock7266]

@@fleecious Garrett prefers to run it once... But I posted a War-and-Peace-length comment here about all the game management aspects going on here that I think Jonathan completely whiffed on. Could you and I be wrong here? Sure. But Jonathan, if you see these comments, please consider bringing an experienced cash game pro with good EQ on to talk about this aspect of the game.

[@DarkTruth1]

@@PokerCoaching he became indifferent in that moment. There could have been another motive behind it but he was genuinely telling the truth not as a reverse psychology speech play...

[@lordtraxx4217]

@@PokerCoaching Not necessarily BUT he wasn’t inducing a call.. It was a combination of not wanting to break the game (again) during the stream, already knowing the kid was about to fold, and the pot was already pretty juicy and he showed mercy to a young kid in the biggest game of his life.

[@AmongUsAcademy]

How do you balance your “I got it” range on the river?

[@zhoke33]

This situation is as straight forward as it gets. Something came over Garrett here where he saw something in the situation that made decide to show mercy. I don’t think he planned to do this and if the dude calls he calls.. but as the time went it was obviously he was likely to fold. These guys were playing way way way over their rolls and means. The kid was nervous and out of his element. Something clicked in Garrett’s head to say I’m gonna spare him here. Whether it being that he saw himself in the kid or that he just was feeling particularly positive that day we will never know. However it is blatantly obvious this is not a comment as a means to call. I have probably watched him play well over 1000 hrs of poker. The only time he speaks is when he’s talking out loud about his own river decision to himself or occasionally trying to get a live read in a tough spot. He NEVER does this and it was by no means some ploy to get a call.

[@MySonicDragon]

I haven't seen a ton of Garrett's play but from what I've seen agreed he's way more chatty when he's the one making the decision. I haven't seen him try to speech play opponents when they are making decisions, especially after putting them all in. This is actually a pretty cool spot if it was him give mercy; though I wouldn't fault him if he was trying to maximize profit. He still got 25k off him anyway.

[@reedstout7018]

I'm probably folding out of fear rather than making an actual good lay down...

[@rkallepa]

I've watched this live. Much before this hand, Garrett talked to Ethan and 2 of his brothers for some time. All 3 brothers came, on vacation to LA, before one of the brother's wedding. Ethan was the youngest of the 3 brothers who played on the table. They were asking Garrett about places in LA etc. I was 300% sure that Garrett didn't want to take his money, after Ethan tanked for so long.

[@RubberDuckStyle]

Garrett didn't want the game to break why he told him

[@chinggis_khagan]

In general, I would fold, because in that spot I think it's hard for him to have bluffs. He would have to be 3betting suited Kings & Queens, or buffing low pairs like 8h7h or something. However, I would also expect a crusher like Adelstein to find those bluffs, so it's important that I have better hands to call with if I want to fold, or he'd run me over. I can have JJ & maybe 77, but I'd fold the turn with any QK, and I'm not sure AJ is a better call than AQ anyway. Maybe I could have AK if I flat AK at a frequency? I fold, but if I have every offsuit AQ as well, maybe I'm overfolding.

[@justmusic2353]

Agreed. Definitely a speech play like J little said. This is no means saying G man isn’t a nice guy, and this definitely isn’t an angel or devious by any means.

[@alistairwillock7266]

Except that _everyone_ who's ever watched Garrett play extensively - myself included - reports that they've _never_ seen him make this kind of speech play. So why would he start now?

[@DarkTruth1]

@@alistairwillock7266 this is what people need to understand... this and many other things that go against this argument. I cant believe Jonathan would make a video like this, I know he's probably oblivious to why I say that and I'm sure he has no ill intentions but I'm kinda disappointed in that and just the overall lack of awareness Jonathan has displayed here... I bought one of his books too recently... 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

[@DarkTruth1]

You just say "definitely" with no bases... meanwhile I could provide several reasons it's not what you think. The only probably is even after I provide a rebuttal to anything you might say plus several other reasons, I fear human stubbornness will get us nowhere and ill be talking to a wall. Sorry if this message comes off as cranky but I'm just getting annoyed with how many people are kinda blind to this

[@guanyu8539]

Oh man! That intro was great! Made me smile. Never change JL!

[@ewallt]

Taking into account your opponent, I think you have to call that. It’s hard to imagine Garret is unbalanced towards not enough bluffs.

[@fumpster]

Little do you know someone asked Garrett if he got his drink and he responded with I got it 🤣

[@gergelynemeth2708]

I believe Jonathan is right here. Garrett is a great guy, but he knows a lot about variance and that's why he is never shy (or feels guilty) to take anybody's stack at the tables. He could have made a small river bet, but he used big size, and remained silent until Ethan used all of his time chips and was noticeably thinking of a big fold.

[@DarkTruth1]

Hard disagree. This is a huge assumption based on morals/poker etiquette which I think isn't quite fair to Garrett. A lot of players look at something like this move being immoral if used to your advantage. Of course in this case with Garrett, this is an assumption(not a baseless assumption mind you) but for me to assume this is the same as Jonathan assuming the other way. The only problem with Jonathan's assumption is that its only fine is if Garrett is in agreement or he doesn't care(more likey option) but either way it's not ideal to do this for the reason you will be wrong eventually. It's okay to have opinion of if its "right or wrong" to lie like that at the table, but when it does come to questionable poker etiquette and assuming it on others, it would do yourself a favor to respect the opposite side and just be mindful. And its okay if you didn't know the subject whether it be this poker example or anything else in life, religious examples, cultural examples ect... however I find it hard to believe that Jonathan has never come across this as being poor etiquette. Again, just because you believe it's okay in your mind, it's not something so crystal clear that you can just assume it apon others.

[@jamesbelcher896]

Garret is genuine as hell the take is absolutely wrong. He may have had a motive but it wasn't to induce a call. The kid said I think it's a bluff tanked and he said I got it....he's not known for speech play like that.

[@justinschnee7485]

look at Garrets face after he found out that he layed down top pair. That smirk says, 'I just fucked up'.

[@the.tricky.outdoorsman]

I'm folding. 100% I don't know if that's nitty, but I'm folding. against the "best" highstakes cash player.

[@DarkTruth1]

I'm actually shocked about Jonathan Littles take on this. Maybe he's not as intuitive with live poker as I thought, or maybe he hasn't watched a lot of Garrett. I would certainly bet any amount that Garrett personally doesn't win or play poker like this. Speech play like this when you're directly lying to your opponents(and yes he would HAVE to lie if he included this in his strategy to balance out telling the truth) isn't one of Garrett's tricks. It's just not his style nor could I see him agreeing that it's good etiquette. I'm sure he doesn't give a fuck what others do, as long as it's within the rules of the game, since he's a pro and can adapt to something like that instantly. He just personally wouldn't use that, atleast not for anything less than life changing money.

[@paulpena5040]

All these people trying to do gymnastics to figure out why Garrett said "I got it". There was NO MERCY in that AT ALL. It's a leveling trick. If he really had it would he need to announce it? It might get someone about to fold to consider actually calling.

[@DarkTruth1]

Hard disagree. Plenty of players, I'd be willing to bet Garrett included, have rules against verbal lies while in the middle of a hand. I'm sure he doesn't mind others doing it when he knows they're capable of it, but he himself doesnt do that. Of course this is an interesting subject by itself but ultimately my point is that it can be very polarizing on how people view it. There's a lot of pros that would say it's morally wrong while others see it as part of the game. Besides watching a ton of Garrets live plays, my read on Garrett here also is based on Nick's reaction(the guy commentating), who arguably has the most experience with Garrett out of anyone else here.

[@michaelchin8934]

Any type of table talk is part of the game. You have to have thick skin and grow up.

[@DarkTruth1]

@@michaelchin8934 having moral standards or a personal opinion on right and wrong has nothing to do with thick skin. And your broad definition of "table talk" isn't what I am talking about. Don't be a tool bro. If you want to have a discussion, please start with a better opening statement that makes sense.

[@DarkTruth1]

@@michaelchin8934 its like you actually didn't read my comment. This whole video is based on an assumption. A weak one at that. Jonathan doesn't even mention anything about WHY Garrett would think this kids about to fold when there's several indicators that he WASNT. He uses a personal example thats not even close to the same thing that happed here. This, coupled with all the other bits of evidence that you can find by reading through others comments, is really saying more against Jonathan's claims. He can have an opinion but making a video about one's ethics and assuming them isn't a great look for him unless Jonathan is ignorant to these facts which I would assume he isn't but who knows?! maybe he is since he doesn't seem to care posting this. Ultimately it really isn't that big a deal most likey since I doubt Garrett gives a shit about Jonathan's influence or his opinion about him. It's just really surprising to see how wrong and off Jonathan's read is on this. I normally love Jon's content but this is a big L.

[@DarkTruth1]

@@michaelchin8934 and I already know when you have a tiktoc attention span and the intelligence of a 4th grader, my comments that have some depth and explanations really can be hard to follow along and understand because you're not use to reading more than one liner insults. It's just so much easier for you to just not think about the facts or my points served to you and just ignore them by saying something insulting to the other person and walking away. So say something that makes sense or walk away from the conversation.

[@michaelchin8934]

@@DarkTruth1 do you think Phil Ivey would have told 21 year old Tom Dwan that “he has it” in order to show mercy and not make Durr lose all his money because he is playing out of his means. There’s levels to this game.

[@TonyAlloa]

I bloody love Garret, he is a class act.

[@NicholasStein]

Snap fold. Garrett is certainly capable of a 3-street bluff. But what could he be bluffing with? I, however, underplayed my hand by check calling both the flop and turn. I should have bet small on both the flop and turn. By the river he has to put me on a 1-pair hand. It is exactly what I have. If he bets small I will know he has me beat. His only chance to extract value is to bet big and make it look like a bluff. This is one of those times when aces gets put in their places. After watching the rest of the hand, I agree with your analysis that Garrett was not showing mercy. Ethan tries to get information with the "I think it's a bluff" comment and Garrett is giving him false information.

[@timditmer9549]

Hello Jonathan. I play in a really low stakes live game with a lot of nits, but also occasionally a lot of preflop calling stations that will try to limp, but will call most any preflop raises (it's also pot limit so you can't over bet heavily to isolate one.) Is my best strategy to just tighten up and just plays my best value hands (and maybe limp behind with my low pocket pairs, worse suited aces, and suited connectors) since the flop being multiway heavily lowers my chances of successfully bluffing post flop?

[@hexis_ssbm]

That 10 is such a scary card because you now lose to every other ace that would be in play. AQ there is almost just a bluff catcher. Maybe your opponent has pocket kings or queens but those hands might slow down after getting called on flop and river. By holding an ace you do block those other ace hands but you also block KQ so it kind of comes down to jacks or a bluff Ethan said it seems like a bluff but the sizing really looked like Garret wanted a call and thought pot size would be good with the board and the way the action went. I guess when you have higher skill players though they know that a correctly sized raise for value would also be used to bluff (just a matter of leveling at this point)

[@artistre5699]

I watch garrett a lot. I feel like Garrett was doing this out of mercy just his demeanor on how he said he has it just didn't feel like he was trying to induce a call. Especially taking the fact it's not on record he's done it before. A extra 60k is nothing to him I'm sure. N go back N look at the Dylan situation you can tell when he wants to go at someone.

[@nomilknosugar4900]

In my games I will try to make a hero fold because so much of our opponent's range made 2-pair or better by the river, and most opponents aren't bluffing enough here. I think its close to a fold against even a good player. In reality ,though, I would most likely call against a good player.

[@qazzaqstan]

I can't claim to know why Garrett said anything this particular hand, but it also needs to be considered that he might not have been trying to influence this hand one way or the other at all. He makes money by much worse players willing playing high stakes games with him, as opposed to literally any other game that doesn't have a top professional player in it. He needs people to like him and want to play games with him despite the fact that he is way better at poker. If he makes a young player in over their pay roll feel better about a fold they were going to make anyway (or even potentially pushes them over to fold) it is a big long term win for Garrett if it helps him maintain an image that allows him to play in softer games.

[@RangeWilson]

Your hand is face up, which means Garrett can apply max pressure with his entire range. The problem is that tons of hands got there for Garrett. What's left for pure bluffs, given that Garrett is generally not going crazy with his squeezes? Reluctant fold on this runout.

[@henrylacks9979]

First of all, I wouldn’t find myself at these high stakes. If I ever did, I would be folding in this spot.

[@hymnofashes]

As to whether this was mercy or an angle, I'm inclined to say it was not mercy, mercy would be checking back or showing him your hand. It could be a weird kind of megalomania, like "if this kid humbled himself by believing me then I give him back his money." Only thing I know for sure is that this kid got very lucky not to get his head chopped off in this hand.

[@RoCkShaDoWWaLkEr]

I think Garret kind of exposed the strength of his hand, $5500 preflop then $4000 on a flop with an Ace (feels like an under pair) on board then 17k on the turn and 100k on the river screams like a set of jacks or AJ.

[@johnnytwotimes7854]

Garret didn't show at the end

[@michaelchin8934]

Hey brother! Do you think Ivy would’ve ever told Dwan when he was gambling out of his budget on Highstakes poker,that “he has it” to show mercy? From a big ballers point of view.

[@jeffryglenn7024]

It's the turn that needs to be evaluated (speculation about Garrett's comment aside). By check / calling $17k, Ethan has to know he's gonna have to call all-in on the river. Garrett's river bet was barely more than pot size. If you're checking to induce bluffs, calling BIG turn bets, then folding to BIG river bets, you've got serious leaks in your game.

[@soldiersofduck]

I mean that 10 is just about the worst card in the deck for Ethan. I don't think you can extrapolate the xc-xc-xf to all outcomes here. A 2 on the river he probably finds a call.

[@quidproquo3933]

garret (from small sample I’ve seen ) doesn’t seem like the type to hustle with speech unless they had history

[@cmc0605]

I think the below comment by Alistair is on the money. This was neither "mercy" nor an attempt to make a call. The latter does not make sense with Garrett's image. He's not the type to force false information or angle opponents (okay, I know it wouldn't be an angle, but still, G is about as pure as it gets). G has the long game in mind. He's hosting. He doesn't want multiple brothers to leave the game. He wants them to come back. He wants new players to feel welcome.

[@paulpena5040]

Boy does Trevor wish he stayed in when he sees that river.

[@jordannewell8903]

Currently at 6:15....I think I find the fold. I have the worst combo of Ax now against Garrett's range of similar Ax. Of pocket pairs in his range maybe 8s up I'm only beating 8s, 9s, Qs (while blocking 3 combos) and Ks. I dont think I'm good enough here to make this a profitable call

[@goncalosousa8204]

Nice lay down from Ethan

[@DejaquezernDenaster]

Garrets probably not doing this with AK so his value range is gonna be KQ, JJ TT and some suited aces that made two pair. but what bluffs does he have? Suited connectors make sense, as well as pocket pairs that whiffed but I think he has quite a bit more value than bluffs so I fold

[@stephentaylor6617]

Against this specific player, I would call because top pair is the best hand about 66% of the time. Garrett is the 21 century Tom Dwan who is capable off a big bluff

[@richardc3693]

That’s a tough one, feel like he’s not got less than 1 pair of he’s not bluffing so is he ever bluffing?

[@chriswiseman5985]

Only Garrett knows which way it went - I side with Jonathan and not Nick. Garrett wanted the call. The mercy side is a nice feel good angle but it’s not poker. The objective is to win your opponents money because they sure as hell will take yours in the next hand …

[@easstttt]

I mean what do you beat? Honestly what do you beat? Not aj a10 1010 jj KQ AA J10 I mean you beat like random ass 98 87 as a bluff but this is a fold, you even lose to AK like just fold and find a better spot

[@JohnMalindretos]

I don't believe Garrett did that. You don't know what kind of deals are going on off the felt. Garrett knows this guy.

[@rjmacready9828]

I know we can see the cards but this is a fold. AQ is only a bluffcatcher on that board and garrett is smart enough to know he has at least an Ace there. Doubt hed try to bluff him in this spot

[@adrianoalves20]

JL you´re mean mate. Garret was being honest for sure IMO.

[@AtlanticCityPhil]

I'd have 4 bet pre. I think Garrett's table talk would have tipped me to insta-fold. If he didn't say anything I would have called and lost.

[@nhnhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

This weekend at 1/2 borgata. I open and button calls. I have TT. Board runs out the same as this hand. I check call all the way down to a River jam. Pot was about $600. I called and my 10s were good. It was my first hand at the table and I had a live read

[@williampai8333]

nice man

[@nomilknosugar4900]

Hi Jonathan, I've been analysing this river spot (using your range analysis tool!) and I think Garret misplays the river. I can only find about 14-16 credible bluff combos. And there are about 40 value combos if you value bet as thin as AK. If AQ is a fold, then something is wrong with Garret's range or sizing. I think Garret should be using a 1/3 pot sizing with AK and all better hands and bluffing with KT and all worse hands. When we have a large range and nut advantage and few natural bluffs, like we do here, we should bet small.

[@jayfromaz]

Looks like a reverse tell. And Caro's book he says strength means weakness and weakness means strength. But you can use that concept to your advantage by declaring a strong hand a strong hand so the other person thinks it's really a weak hand.

[@mephistoss238]

I like to believe that Garrett is doing it out of mercy, but I also understand that this is his job and he should try to do everything to get more money. But the kid was looking like he's about to have a heart attack, so maybe Garrett wanted to spare him lol

[@joeybets8981]

If i had AQ here against Garrett id like to think I would fold since that 10 is really good for Garretts Range as it improves a lot of his 3 bet bluffs such as JTs 89s and despite blocking KQ, i dont think he would 3bet that hand preflop and if he is 3 bet bluffing here with weaker Ax he probably bets smaller or checks back. Obvioulsy we beat no value either. Knowing Garrett is a pretty balanced player I know that would make it harder to fold and id probably call and lose.

[@kineahora8736]

It’s basically unfair for a player as deep and good as Garrett to get a turn like that Jack🤣🤣 So… this is why Garrett is a beast. He don’t care about the possibility of KQs🤣 This is basically a 1.2 X pot shove. You have to believe it is polarizing, so nuts and bluffs. We know Garrett is ultra-capable of big bluffs, and also capable of turning marginal hands into bluffs when necessary. I think with AQ your primary value target was AJ, but the turn. In case you think he might have ATs-well the river. KQ gets there. Hell--even 98s gets there! So when thinking of calling, what are Garrett’s bluffs here? 86s? 4 combos. Would he ever turn something as good as KK into a bluff? What about 99? I think I will fold anything less than AK in this spot… Wait-did Garrett say “I’ve got it”? I’ve never seen him do that!

[@twiistnutter]

Rare L from you man. You're basically their best commentator, but like Nick said, if you really think Garrett was angling, you haven't been paying attention. It makes literally no sense, him saying "I've got it" to spare the kid makes A LOT more sense. Not saying it's impossible he was angling, but I certainly wouldn't make a video about it because it's just so unlikely. At least you didn't have a clickbait title like that Alex guy did

[@PokerCoaching]

I don't think it's an angle at all! Using speech play to try and induce calls is a totally fine thing to do. Do you think Garrett would prefer for him to call or fold here?

[@vader6203]

@@PokerCoaching yep, agree, not an angle and not even questionable. Garrett himself resorts to speech play all the time when tanking on the river - why would we think he wouldn’t use speech play when his opponent was tanking on the river? It’s rare but still logically consistent.

[@twiistnutter]

@@PokerCoaching I was cranky af when I wrote that comment, thanks for ignoring the immaturity lol. Great question actually.. I think he'd prefer a call, but he's shown so such compassion and empathy with his table talk. I just really can't see him using speech play to get the rest of the kid's stack. I can see him staying silent and, hey, if he calls he calls, but decided for this opponent, who's supposedly taking a huge shot, to show mercy. Probably way too optimistic haha, PLEASE just let me enjoy my ignorance 😂

[@DarkTruth1]

@@PokerCoaching some players who are against this type of speech play would consider it an angle. It's just a verbal form of lying vs a physical one. Hard to draw consistent lines when it comes to "angle shooting" since they can often be very subjective. That being said, you can't simple ask "do you think he wanted a call or fold" if we are robots looking to maximize value, answer is obvious. We aren't though, and even though Garrett is a pro, there's ev you gain in live cash games by sacrificing in other places. And that's not even necessarily the case here, this could just be a human action from Garrett.

[@robrochon1034]

What is Ethan beating here? Garrett's over-bet is very polarized. Ethan is losing to every Ace above A-10, remembering that Garrett 3 bet preflop. If Garrett had KK or QQ he has showdown value on the river so likely checks it with those hands. That said Garrett can't beat any ace if he had KK or QQ...therefore the only Aces Garrett might attempt to bluff off the hand are A-9 or lower but those hands aren't likely calling 3 bets pre-flop so its unlikely Garrett believes Ethan has those. The flop plus turn didn't have any flush draws and Garrett having straight draws with 5 7 on the board are unlikely so if I were Ethan I would assume its very very unlikely Garrett is bluffing with a worse hand than he has, and there are so many hands beating Ethan it really is only a bluff catcher...Ethan is losing to A/K, A/Q (chop), A/J, A/10, KQ, AA, JJ, 1010, 77, 55. It was a good fold even before Garrett said something.

[@hymnofashes]

Where is Ethan at in his range? He should not have fives and sevens, maybe at a small frequency, he could have a7s or a5s but the board is rainbow so only 2 combos each of those. He can't have any draws to peel with because none are available. Tens probably folds the turn. So for better hands than the 12 combos of Aq he could hold, he has 9 set combos, 12 combos of ace king, maybe 8 two pair combos given the suits. What worse hands does he have? Not many, since ajs and ats are 2 pairs. Ragged axs could be in there at some frequency. He has to defend 50% of his range facing pot. Is this hand in the bottom 50% of his range? Depends on if he's x/r some of those thick value combos off earlier in the hand or sandbagging everything. Sandbagging everything is reasonable against an aggressive player like Garrett who is fond of shoving rivers. So if that's the strat, Ethan is close enough to the bottom of his range to fold. If he can't resist the temptation to x/r 55 on the flop or turn, however, then he probably should call. Would I fold? Ick. Maybe. Mainly because KQ, one of Garrett's only "natural" bluffs here, got there. we need Garrett to be turning hands like qj, kj, axs, into bluffs, and he has at least 21 combos of thick value. I would probably evaluate my own table image and make a supposition about whether Garrett had seen me being tight or seen me being sticky, and do the opposite. In the absence of any reads, I probably lean toward getting stacked because I don't have enough better hands in my x/c x/c range, I would be x/ raising most of them on the turn.

[@dillondix8704]

The guy that folded KQ would have made broadway oof

[@jeffstock79]

In practice I always over fold bets 2x the pot, so I'm folding.

[@TylerDelCotto]

Against Garrett, it might just be a call and pray he’s balanced enough he has way more bluffs than the average player, that being said, if it was me, it would be an average player and it’s a disciplined fold???

[@iananderson1901]

Fold. Something about this I just think I'm hearing rattle snakes

[@lordtraxx4217]

I used to kind of like you JL until this video… it was absolutely mercy

[@davidgibbins8812]

Fold. One pair v straight draw (poor Trevor) or a set ? Its not an easy fold but one I would make. While I dont want to be pushed around - neither do I want to throw away money on a marginal call

[@stevecb]

Garrett showing sorta goes against that theory Jonathan.

[@jmatthew4629]

IMO we'll have better hands to call down, AJ, AT, JJ, those are all reasonable, maybe a few traps with AA, and I don't really see many bluffs in their range so fold EDIT: strong hand statements don't mean strong hands, usually people do and say all kinds of stuff with strong hands, but weak hand statements are usually strong hands. IF he saw he's going to fold, you want to do something, he wasn't a nice guy. (realize when they're bluffing, they won't stop you from folding by doing something out of the ordinary)

[@zachwolfe3222]

Im folding. This is a marginal made hand. I am OOP in a 3-bet pot with a c-bet on the turn and river. Especially with an overbet on the river. There are so many better hands that beat us. From what little I have heard/seen/know of Garrett he would not angle shoot or do anything that isn't ethical. Fold seems like the easy choice. Thanks for the video!

[@christopherhorn4744]

I call cause I think I’m being bullied. We see how that would work out for me. Slight chance I fold but not likely. Depends how previous hands have played out.

[@crunchtv3821]

Actually, like others say, to help them long game

[@brevina11]

I don’t quite agree with you. Garrett has one of the best reputations in poker. If he said “I got it” and didn’t have it, what would that do to his reputation? People would respect him less. Just like when he told his opponent that he had a flush. He lost the money in that hand, but his great reputation will help him in the future.

[@spencerlee3201]

Bring Garrett on your channel and ask him, get the answer from the man himself 😎

[@kevinchandler46]

You'll loose all your money calling down with one pair even against an aggressive player

[@AlluckyTV]

Unless they're chasing a draw

[@jimlee420]

Trevor could’ve had a nice pot 😆

[@graeme0]

If you want to see someone run hot all night, watch the original stream. I don't just mean run hot, I mean hit F everything, even he thought it was sick.

[@frankgeissler8551]

...with AQ you only beat a total bluff...at the very best, you split...very tuff decision , allready on the turn

[@waltermacelt2556]

Hi 1000% disagree! Garrett would not try to angle or mislead anybody in my humble opinion. He would just keep his mouth shut like the professional he’s always demonstrated

[@davidholmes892]

you are correct in general. but you forgot that Garrett is a human being. he is not perfect. he makes mistakes. here, i understand he looks semi-angle shooting but it's heads up and he is allowed to talk. i know he's not the type who would do that but we all do something out of character some times. so imho, g was indeed doing a speech play to induce a call even though he had never done it before.

[@DarkTruth1]

@@davidholmes892 you have a baseless assumption other than "he's human and he COULD make a mistake". While obviously that's technically true, we have to understand that it's so far less likey to be an option knowing what we know about Garrett and without much further evidence other than your "gut feeling"... in fact, I could point to several bits of evidence that says otherwise, that he didnt do this as a form of speech play. And I would also like to point out that making a mistake with judgment of your own morals isn't like making a natural human mistake. It's much harder to do and way more conscientious. It's not like, OPPS I tripped over my shoelace mistake. When you cheat on your gf you can't say "OPPS she just tripped on my dick". He 10000% knows cameras are on him too which again, make this so much less likey to be.

[@AlluckyTV]

How can you say Ethan was clearly going to fold

[@raylax7056]

I'd fold after 2 minutes of analyses...... especially if I think he's using reverse psychology b/c then I can reverse his psychology to make a correct play, although 10% chance its mercy

[@losyart]

Easiest fold on the planet . But if u should calldown sometimes its probably against Garrett

[@Oheeeoh]

I think Garrett was done with the hand and wanted it over because he was tired of looking at Jacky's white shirt belly. :D

[@stebrabakone]

Everybody saying he wanted him to fold- then why even bet lmao makes no sense

[@paulpena5040]

Honestly I would probably pay him off I'm embarrassed to admit.

[@dennisje2925]

Fold in my games. Mostly against better hands here. Against a pro its maybe a call, but still very close I think.

[@rongxu2119]

i will fold, maybe super exploitive from my opponents perspective

[@rickwelch8464]

Good fold young fella.

[@davidholmes892]

if G realized after he bet that he wanted to save the kid the money, he wouldve shown his card. or he wouldve just checked. people, especially garrettes friend nick, are brainwashed into thinking Garrett was being nice and didnt want the kid to call. wtf??? hello mcfly! Jonathan is 100% correct. G. was clearly trying to induce a call. that's normal. that's poker. G. wasnt being a bad person. it's heads up. G. diddnt do anything wrong. he's employing speech play. Jonathan even gave an example of how he induced a call w/ KK. i understand G's got a lot of fans but it's called cognitive dissonance. ppl are so biased and brainwashed that they are rationalizing after the fact to make G. look good no matter what. it's unbelievable.

[@mrdjr6544]

Relax. You'll live longer.

[@dingledangle265]

@@mrdjr6544 He is right tho.

[@mrdjr6544]

@@dingledangle265 He might be right but he's gonna have an embolism at this ratem

[@dingledangle265]

@@mrdjr6544 That would be unfortunate.

[@mrdjr6544]

@@dingledangle265 An emolosm at the table would be a disaster... But also good for TV.

[@TheRobstargames]

Is he capable of bluffing? Yes. But… Do I beat any value hands? Not really, unless he thinks he can get value from A9s? The obvious bluff was KQ, and that got there! And, think about his 3-betting range. AK, JJ, TT. AJs, ATs are all beating you now. It’s just a fold, isn’t it?

[@kalignacio]

Almost a snap fold.

[@chriszehren3856]

I would fold. To many 2 pair and sets. Not really beating anything but kings in his 3 betting range.

[@elwinvanwees8516]

Call against LAG, fold against TAG, coin flip against Garret 😀

[@jimwetherell]

easy fold

[@greybeard277]

Sad to see people wearing face diapers. I think his statement was a little bit of mercy.

[@staytight6340]

Fold

[@jameswinchester9405]

I probably lose it all

[@coalhouse1981]

Id probaly fold cause Im a nit...

[@heinrichh.6369]

fold

[@conradcoolerfiend]

devious move

[@MikeLeeSr]

Easy fold... you lose to A5 AT AK and AJ..

[@richardc3693]

What’s up?!

[@adrianoalves20]

Foooollllldddd