Victor Shih and Ryan Laplante found themselves in a high-stakes battle at the final table of the 2025 Card Player Poker Tour Venetian main event. With six players left and the blinds set at 40,000-80,000 with a big blind ante of 80,000, the hand started with Shih raising from under the gun. Laplante defended from the big blind, setting the stage for an intriguing post-flop confrontation. What followed was a mix of calculated aggression, a sneaky straight draw, and a disciplined call on the river that gave Laplante an important boost in chips.
The Setup: Pocket Pairs Collide
Laplante entered the final table in third place in chips but was quick to apply pressure on his opponents. As the action began, Shih, the chip leader at the time, opened the betting with pocket fives. His raise to 160,000 from under the gun was a standard play, looking to either take down the blinds or see a favorable flop.
Laplante, holding pocket threes, decided to call from the big blind. With deep enough stacks, defending with a small pair was reasonable, especially against an opponent with a wide opening range. The move signaled his willingness to navigate post-flop play and put pressure on the leader if the board ran in his favor.
Flop Action: A King Changes the Landscape
The flop came K-x-x with a rainbow texture—relatively dry, but still offering some potential. Laplante checked, allowing Shih to take the betting lead. Shih made a small continuation bet of 90,000, slightly over a single big blind. This was a cautious but effective sizing, leveraging the strength of his middle set while keeping Laplante guessing.
Laplante, still unsure if his threes were good, called the bet. At this point, he wasn’t just chasing a set; he knew that Shih’s range included many high-card hands that could be bluffing. Folding wouldn’t be the worst play here, but given the price, a call made sense.
The Turn: A Sneaky Draw Emerges
When the 4♣ hit the turn, Laplante’s hand picked up unexpected strength. He now had an open-ended straight draw, adding another layer of deception to his line.
This time, rather than checking, he took the lead, betting 160,000 into the pot. The move was small in size but meaningful. It applied pressure on Shih’s overpairs and high-card hands while also keeping the pot manageable. For Shih, sitting on a set of fives, the call was straightforward—his hand was too strong to fold, but a raise would only force weaker hands to fold while keeping stronger ones in.
The River: The Ace Completes the Wheel
The river card, the A♠, completed Laplante’s straight. Suddenly, what looked like a marginal holding preflop had turned into the best hand.
Laplante now faced a crucial decision. He could check, hoping to induce a bet from Shih, or he could go for value with another bet. He opted for the latter, firing 200,000 into a pot of 940,000—a blocker-sized bet designed to get called by worse hands.
Shih, after a brief moment of deliberation, called. His logic was clear: if Laplante had been bluffing with missed draws or weak pairs, this call would win the pot. But this time, the sneaky straight was revealed, and Laplante took down a sizable pot.
The Impact: Laplante’s Momentum Builds
The hand wasn’t just a mathematical win; it shifted the dynamic of the table. Laplante, who started the final table in third place, suddenly found himself closing in on the chip lead. Meanwhile, Shih, despite losing the pot, remained in contention, but the psychological edge had momentarily swung in Laplante’s favor.
With newfound momentum, Laplante wasted no time. He eliminated short-stacked Paul Lozano Martin, thinning the field to five. However, his run wasn’t all smooth sailing. In a crucial preflop all-in confrontation, his pocket queens were cracked by Cody Wiegmann’s A-J, slowing his surge.
- Laplante’s defense with pocket threes was reasonable considering his stack and position.
- Shih’s continuation bet was disciplined, but his pot-control strategy on the turn and river allowed Laplante to dictate the action.
- Laplante’s river bet was a brilliant small-sized value bet, designed to extract chips from Shih’s weaker hands.
- Momentum matters in tournament poker, and this hand helped Laplante establish his presence at the table.
As the tournament played on, the dynamics continued to shift, proving once again that in poker, every decision—no matter how small—can have massive implications.
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