How he makes Poker Pro John Juanda Fold With Quads in Cash Game

 

📌 Hole Cards:

• Lebedev: K♦ J♦

• Juanda: 6♥ 6♠

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🟠 FLOP: A♥ A♦ 6♦

Board Now: A♥ A♦ 6♦

Hand Strengths:

• Lebedev: No made hand, just a flush draw with the K♦ J♦. Outs: 9 diamonds (assuming no other known holdings), giving him ~35% equity.

• Juanda: Full House – Aces full of Sixes.

Action:

• Lebedev checks — standard with a drawing hand.

• Juanda bets $75,000 — value betting with a full house.

• Lebedev check-raises to $225,000 — representing strength, leveraging fold equity + flush draw equity.

• Juanda calls — with a strong full house, this is a straightforward call.

✅ Odds After Flop:

• Lebedev: ~35% equity

• Juanda: ~65% equity
  Lebedev has 9 outs to the flush (if Juanda has no diamond), but zero outs to beat Juanda's full house unless he hits runner-runner Aces or 6s — extremely unlikely.

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🟡 TURN: A♣

Board Now: A♥ A♦ 6♦ A♣

Hand Strengths:

• Lebedev: Now makes a full house — Aces full of Sixes.

• Juanda: Still holds a full house — Sixes full of Aces.

This is a classic cooler scenario because both players hold full houses, but Juanda is still ahead. However, Lebedev is now drawing dead — he has 0% equity.

Action:

• Lebedev checks — slow-playing his made full house.

• Juanda bets $75,000 — small value bet, possibly to induce a call.

• Lebedev calls — selling the image of a bluff catcher or weak Ace.

❌ Odds After Turn:

• Lebedev: 0% equity — drawing dead

• Juanda: 100% equity — he’s already won unless he folds

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🔴 RIVER: 6♣

Board Now: A♥ A♦ 6♦ A♣ 6♣

Hand Strengths:

• Lebedev: Full House – Aces full of Sixes

• Juanda: Quads (Four Sixes) – virtually unbeatable

Now Juanda has the second-best possible hand. Only A-A (quads Aces) beats him. Lebedev still has a full house and no idea Juanda hit a one-outer.

Action:

• Lebedev bets $200,000 — a bold value/bluff that ends up being a perfectly timed bluff.

• Juanda folds after thinking — an astonishing laydown.

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🧠 Final Breakdown and Psychology:

Juanda likely thought:

• “If Lebedev is check-raising the flop, slow-playing the turn, and betting the river, what hands does he have?”

• Possibilities he may have assigned to Lebedev:

  • A-6 for full house Aces full of Sixes

  • A-A for quad Aces (crushing Juanda)

• Juanda may have believed Lebedev wouldn’t bluff into a potential quad or full house board — leading to an ultra-disciplined fold.

Juanda folded the 2nd nuts to a stone-cold bluff — a masterful display of poker psychology by Lebedev.

Full Video:

Why Did Juanda Fold Quads?

This is the crux of the hand. Let’s consider what Lebedev is representing:

• The board is A-A-A-6-6.

• Only hands that beat quads here are A-A (quads Aces) and A-6 (Aces full of Sixes, a better full house pre-river).

• Juanda may have thought:

  • "What hands would Lebedev check-raise on the flop, call turn, and lead river with?"

  • KJ of diamonds? That’s a bluff line.

  • A-6? Yes.

  • A-A? Yes (super rare though).

Juanda must have thought Lebedev wasn't bluffing – that he had the last Ace (A-A for quads) or A-6.

In high-level poker, even quads can be folded if your opponent is credibly representing a better hand and you’re deep-stacked.

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Conclusion:

• Juanda folded the second nuts (quads) to a bluff.

• Lebedev pulled off a masterclass in storytelling and pressure.

• The psychological pressure, mixed with Lebedev's earlier aggression and confident river bet, convinced Juanda that he was beat.