The only man to fold AA on Pre-Flop and the unbelievable ending

 

Hand Setup (Pre-Flop)

Players and Hands:

• Fishman (Small Blind): A♦ A♣

• Laak: 6♥ 6♣

• Mercier: 4♥ 4♣

Action:

• Laak raises to $2,000

• Mercier calls

• Fishman folds pocket Aces (AA)

Pot after this action: $5,200
Fishman folds the best starting hand in No-Limit Hold'em pre-flop, without seeing the board.

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📋 Board Runout

• Flop: 6♦ K♥ 6♠

• Turn: J♠

• River: 2♥

Final Hands:

• Laak: Quads (Four of a Kind, Sixes)

• Mercier: Two pair (Sixes and Fours)

• Fishman (if he had stayed): Aces over Sixes — beaten badly

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💡 Analysis of the Decision

📉 From a Pure Math/EV Standpoint

• Folding AA pre-flop is almost never correct in traditional hand ranges or standard play. Against two players, pocket Aces are a huge favorite (over 75% equity).

• Fishman's fold, on paper, looks like a massive blunder. But...

🧠 Psychological & Meta-Level Thinking

What makes this fold legendary is that it was:

• Done pre-flop, with no information from the board

• Correct in hindsight, as he would have lost massively

• Likely influenced by a deep read on his opponents or a specific live tell — especially knowing Laak's loose-aggressive style and that a re-raise could induce more action.

Fishman may have:

• Suspected a set-over-set trap, or

• Felt he was up against hands that would stack him if he hit top pair only

• Or had an intuition based on body language or betting rhythm

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🗣️ Commentary on Fishman’s AA Fold

"Folding pocket Aces pre-flop is usually a sin. But doing it, and being right — that's next-level. Fishman made what looked like an insane fold... and it turned out to be genius. This wasn’t just a rare moment — it was historic."

• This fold has become one of the most iconic folds ever caught on TV, because it broke every conventional rule — and yet it was the only way to avoid a total bust-out.

• It shows that poker isn’t just math — it’s psychology, timing, intuition, and deep player knowledge.

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🔚 Conclusion

• Fishman folding AA pre-flop was mathematically shocking, but factually correct.

• Laak flopping quads makes this an extremely rare situation (odds of quads vs AA on flop = approx 0.25%).

• This hand is a masterclass in folding strong hands when your read tells you something is off.

📽️ No wonder this hand lives on as poker folklore — a legendary read that saved Fishman thousands, maybe everything.

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