The holiday season has brought a slowing of the high-stakes poker action on CoinPoker, as even the nosebleed players have other things to do besides grind. But, a few big heads-up matches have still gone down, including ‘Giselle54’ and ‘LUKAKU’ continuing to battle at $300-$600 with a $120 ante.
The latest round of play, on Dec. 29, saw Giselle54 come out on top again for a roughly $180,000 win. They played both regular pot-limit Omaha and 5-card PLO, so this week’s strategy review will cover a hand from both games.
Giselle54 Gets Lucky River After Getting Stacks in Behind
The players were 142 blinds deep in 5-card PLO when LUKAKU potted for $1,800, Giselle54 made it $5,400, and LUKAKU called.
On the J♣9♥2♣ flop, Giselle54 continued for $5,500. LUKAKU raised to $13,400, and Giselle54 called. The turn was the 4♦, and Giselle54 checked and faced a pot-sized bet of $37,800. Giselle54 shoved for $66,719, and LUKAKU called.
LUKAKU had the nuts with J♥J♠10♣6♠5♣. Giselle54 had J♦10♠8♦7♣4♠ for two pair and a wrap. The players ran it twice. The first river was the 7♥ and the second was the 8♥, so Giselle54 made two winning straights to scoop $171,278.
— CoinPokerAction (@CoinPokerAction) December 31, 2025
Hand Analysis
Giselle54’s hand is a good three-bet, as it has enough connectivity with double-suitedness to make it into the raising range. Double-suited versions of this hand that aren’t tri-suited all prefer to three-bet. LUKAKU’s hand is a clear call.
Giselle54 flops top pair and a wrap, but it’s a non-nut wrap on a flushing board. These hands are often best check-called, since they don’t play that well when a ton of money goes in. They’ll often be facing better pairs and flush draws, which have an equity edge on them.
Giselle54 does decide to bet, though, and they do face a raise. LUKAKU wants to get as much money in as possible with top set and a non-nut flush draw. There’s nothing Giselle54 can do but call.
Once the turn bricks off, it shows why Giselle54 erred in betting the flop, as they now face a pot-sized bet, leaving less than pot behind. With two pair and a wrap, they’re now ahead of hands like A-K-K-Q-10 with clubs, so they have to go with the hand
As it turns out, LUKAKU has the goods plus the club blockers, so it’s close to a worst-case scenario for Giselle54. They still have the live wrap for about 30% equity, though, and they drill it on the turn and river for a very lucky runout.
LUKAKU Pays Off River Jam After Slow Play
Playing 120 blinds deep in regular PLO, Giselle54 opened for $1,800 and called a three-bet to $5,400 from LUKAKU.
The flop came Q♦9♠8♠, and LUKAKU bet small with $3,520. Giselle54 called. On the A♥ turn, LUKAKU bet $9,020. Giselle54 again called. The river was the 3♣, and LUKAKU potted for $36,080. Giselle54 jammed in $55,542.
LUKAKU called and showed K♠Q♠Q♣6♣ for flopped top set but was no good against A♣J♣10♣4♣. Giselle54 won the $147,204 pot.
Top set w/ flush redraw sqaures off against flopped straight at $300-$600 PLO. pic.twitter.com/4KXRS4uoJC
— CoinPokerAction (@CoinPokerAction) December 31, 2025
Hand Analysis
LUKAKU’s hand is a clear three-bet, as even single-suited versions of K-Q-Q-6 three-bet preflop in a heads-up game.
Flopping top set and a flush draw is a great outcome. Even on a board with a straight possible, that hand is favored against the current nuts. LUKAKU decides on a small bet, but they can definitely bet bigger if they want.
Giselle54 makes an interesting decision to just call. It’s definitely not standard, especially against a small size. Unblocking the spades and the board pairs makes the flopped straight quite a bit more vulnerable, so it’s usually better to shovel in money against a small size rather than letting opponents see the turn for cheap.
As played, the turn brings a card that connects with even more of LUKAKU’s three-betting range. LUKAKU could bet big again, as a set and a flush draw is basically always good enough to stack off on the turn. They go for half pot, which leaves some value on the table against hands like aces up with a draw that are worse and might get stacks in.
Having not faced any raises, LUKAKU should feel they have the nuts on the river, so potting is appropriate, especially unblocking the A. Unfortunately for them, Giselle54 springs the trap and finally jams the river. LUKAKU is getting almost 7-1 on a call, so if Giselle54 is ever bluffing with blockers, then LUKAKU has to call. But Giselle54 has the goods and scoops the pot thanks to the risky slow play.
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