If you give action, you get action. It’s an adage that’s been bandied around poker rooms since the internet generation of deranged and nose-bleed players ripped up the poker rulebook and brought their near-suicidal aggression into the live arena the game was invented. And one of the most renowned action players in the game today is Shaun Deeb, online tournament sensation, PokerStars passport owner and here in Kyiv courtesy of an FPP satellite win.
Yesterday Deeb was on a table among his online brethren, including Andrew Mallot, and earlier today he has the pleasure of another online friend to sit beside, Greg Dyer. Dyer has since departed and Deeb’s table has broken, shuttling him across to table 11, where I’m not sure if he knows many of his opponents. But if you give action, you get action. It’s an adage that’s bee- … yeah, you get the picture … and Deeb’s new table may not be the most vocal, but he’s putting his chips to work and finding others doing the same.
On the first hand I watched on a recent sweep of the room, Deeb was involved with the German player Joram Voelklein. The flop showed 8♦ A♣ K♦ and Deeb had a bet of 12,000 in front of him. Voelklein raised to 25,000 and Deeb shoved all in for another 40,000 on top. Err, fold.
Then Lika Gerasimova also caught the raising bug. She may be among the most diminutive players at any poker table, but she is a fierce player, more than capable of mixing it with the very best, as proved by her final table at the high rollers’ event at the PCA. Gerasimova raised 4,200 pre-flop, which attracted the calls of both Voelklein and Dmitriy Kim in the big blind. Kim and Gerasimova checked, which prompted Voelklein to have a 4,200 stab at it. Kim re-raised to 12,000 and that was good enough for another extremely aggressive player.
Gerasimova got her chips back on the next-but-one hand, firing out on the turn with a bet of 5,200 on a paired board. That was good enough. But it was almost six hands since Deeb had got involved, and that had to change soon. Sure enough he got to a flop with Voelklein again, saw A♣ 2â™ 8â™ and Deeb bet 4,600. Volklein called. The turn was Q♦ and this time Deeb’s 10,600 was good enough.
It’s worth noting that also sitting on this table, to Deeb’s left, is the tournament chip leader Jonas Kronwitter, also from Germany. Kronwitter was the man who crippled Allan Baekke with aces against queens, all in pre-flop, in a pot worth close to 300,000.
Deeb is in what’s traditionally regarded as the worst position to attack that stack, but has shown scant regard for the rulebook so far.
If you give action, you get action, etc., etc., and so forth.
* * * * *
WELL TIMED VIDEO BLOG OF THE HOUR
Shaun Deeb shares his tips for WCOOP play:
Watch EPT Kyiv S6: ‘Deeb’s Top Tips on the WCOOP on PokerStars.tv
* * * *
Back to Top
