Could you pull off this big bluff against jacks at the $10K final table?

At the final table of the $10,000 GGMillion$ tournament, Andrey Derzhipilsky went for a bold bluff against a pair of jacks. Find out how this intense hand unfolded.

At the final tables of major poker tournaments, players often have to make decisions that determine not only their continued participation in the game but also the fate of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bluffing in such situations is especially difficult—the cost of a mistake is too high. Nevertheless, Andrii Derzhypilskyi took just such a risky step against Tamas Adamszki at the final table of the $10,000 GGMillion$ tournament, turning A♦4♣ into a big river bluff against his opponent’s J♦J♠. In this article, we’ll break down the hand in detail, examine the players’ decisions at each stage, and see how ICM (Independent Chip Model) influenced the play. Context: The $10,000 GGMillion$ Tournament and Its Final Table The hand took place at the final table of the prestigious online tournament $10,000 GGMillion$ . Nine players remained, and the top prize was $409,882 for first place. The blinds were 30,000/60,000 with a 7,500 ante. Tamas Adamszki started the hand in the small blind with a stack of 3,217,354 chips (53.6 big blinds), while Andrii Derzhypilskyi was in the big blind with 1,921,868 chips (32 big blinds). Adamszki was dealt J♦J♠ and raised to 210,000. Derzhypilskyi, holding A♦4♣, called. Street-by-Street Breakdown Preflop: Player Decisions and GTO Wizard’s Assessment According to GTO Wizard—a poker solver that calculates optimal strategies based on game theory—a raise with J♦J♠ from the small blind is absolutely justified. Interestingly, the solver mixes raise and call strategies in this spot, with calling yielding slightly higher expected value ($EV), but the difference is minimal, so both options are acceptable. As for Derzhypilskyi’s decision with A♦4♣, the solver also suggests a mixed strategy: sometimes calling, sometimes shoving all-in. Shoving brings slightly more $EV, but calling is also part of the optimal strategy. Thus, both players played correctly preflop. Flop: K♦8♦2♠ — Range Advantages and ICM Impact The flop came K♦8♦2♠. Although Adamszki was the preflop aggressor, Derzhypilskyi in the big blind actually has more strong hand combinations here: he is more likely to have KxXx and 8xXx than his opponent. This is known as range advantage. GTO Wizard recommends the small blind checks 65.6% of their range on this flop. If betting, a sizing of about 25% of the pot is preferred with medium-strength hands like JJ. Adamszki chose a bet of 243,750—about 50% of the pot, which is larger than recommended. While betting JJ is acceptable, the solver believes a check or smaller bet would be more profitable. Derzhypilskyi calls with A♦4♣. The solver confirms this is the correct decision, especially with a diamond in hand (A♦), as it increases the chance of making a flush on later streets. Notably, against a half-pot bet, the solver does not recommend raising any big blind hands—due to ICM. ICM (Independent Chip Model) takes into account that at a tournament final table, losing chips as a short stack is about 1.72 times more costly than gaining them (Bubble Factor 1.72). This forces shorter stacks to avoid risky, high-variance plays like flop raises, and stick to calling or folding. Turn: 6♥ — Changing Dynamics and the Start of the Bluff The turn is the 6♥, which doesn’t change the board structure much. Adamszki decides to check his J♦J♠—which fully matches solver recommendations: the best strategy for all jack combinations here is to check. Seeing this show of weakness, Derzhypilskyi decides to get aggressive and bets 390,000 (about 40% of the pot) with A♦4♣. This isn’t just a random attempt to take the pot: GTO Wizard prefers exactly this bet size with A♦4♣, and betting here yields more $EV than checking. Adamszki calls—with JJ, this is the only correct decision, as all pairs higher than third pair should continue against this bet. River: 2♦ — The Decisive Moment and Maximum Pressure The river is the 2♦, making the board: K♦8♦2♠6♥2♦. Adamszki checks again, which fully aligns with solver recommendations for JJ and most other hands in his range. Derzhypilskyi has 1,078,118 chips left, while the pot is already 1,755,000. At this point, he decides to shove all-in, turning his A♦4♣ into a pure bluff. The solver advises the big blind to shove the river with a huge portion of hands—55.2% of the range—because of the third diamond on the board. Derzhypilskyi has far more flushes on the river than his opponent, allowing him to apply maximum pressure with a polarized range (strong hands and bluffs). The A♦ blocks some of the opponent’s strong combinations and has no showdown value itself. GTO Wizard shows that shoving here yields significantly more $EV than checking, so Derzhypilskyi’s decision is optimal. Folding JJ: Justified Caution or Overly Tight? After the all-in, the pot was over 2.8 million chips. Adamszki thought for a long time but ultimately folded his J♦J♠. GTO Wizard’s analysis confirms this was correct: the solver recommends calling the all-in with only 47.3% of the range—mainly flushes, trips, and top pairs. All pairs below kings, including tens, jacks, and queens, lose $EV by calling, so folding JJ is the only correct decision. Thus, both players played the hand at the highest level: Derzhypilskyi found the perfect moment to bluff, while Adamszki resisted the pressure and managed to fold a strong hand. Tournament Table and Payouts The hand involved: Andrii Derzhypilskyi — big blind, stack 1,921,868 (32 BB), hand A♦4♣ Tamas Adamszki — small blind, stack 3,217,354 (53.6 BB), hand J♦J♠ At the time of the hand, 9 players remained in the tournament, and the winner was set to receive $409,882 . Strategic Analysis: The Impact of ICM and Range Advantage This hand clearly demonstrates that at tournament final tables, you can’t rely solely on the strength of your two hole cards. Derzhypilskyi had range advantage on several streets, but the high Bubble Factor (1.72) prevented him from attacking too aggressively on the flop—the risk of losing chips was too great compared to the potential reward. After Adamszki checked the turn, the situation changed: his show of weakness allowed Derzhypilskyi to start applying pressure. The river strengthened his position even more—the third diamond gave him a significant advantage in possible flush combinations, allowing him to execute a powerful all-in strategy with a polarized range. The A♦4♣ hand became an excellent bluff candidate, while JJ turned into what’s called a “bluff-catcher”—a hand that can only win if the opponent is bluffing, but isn’t strong enough to call against such heavy pressure. Both players demonstrated a deep understanding of ICM and ranges, allowing them to make optimal decisions in a tough spot. Poker Terms and Format Explanations Blinds — mandatory bets posted by the two players to the left of the dealer before the cards are dealt. In this hand, the blinds were 30,000/60,000. Ante — an additional mandatory bet posted by all players at the table before the hand begins, here—7,500. Stack — the number of chips a player has. Raise — increasing the size of the current bet. Call — matching the current bet. Check — declining to bet when you have the option to stay in the hand for free. Fold — discarding your cards and giving up your claim to the pot. All-in — betting all your remaining chips. Flop, turn, river — the three stages of community card dealing in poker: flop—the first three cards, turn—the fourth, river—the fifth. Range — the set of possible hands a player might have in a given situation. Range Advantage — when one player’s range contains more strong hands than their opponent’s. ICM (Independent Chip Model) — a mathematical model that evaluates the value of chips in a tournament, taking into account prize payouts and current stacks. Bubble Factor — a coefficient showing how much more costly it is for a short stack to lose chips compared to gaining them at the late stages of a tournament. Bluff-catcher — a hand that can only win if the opponent is bluffing. Polarized range — a range consisting of very strong hands and bluffs, with no medium-strength hands. Showdown value — a hand’s ability to win at showdown without needing to bluff. Who Are the Players in the Hand? Andrii Derzhypilskyi — a player who showed creativity and courage by executing a big bluff at the final table of a prestigious tournament. Tamas Adamszki — a final table participant with a large stack, who managed to make a tough fold with a strong hand, avoiding the loss of a huge number of chips. The hand analysis was conducted using GTO Wizard —a modern poker solver that helps players find optimal decisions in difficult situations. Hand breakdown authors: professional player and streamer Lukas "RobinPoker" Robinson , known for his world record Twitch stream—1,000 hours of poker streaming in 100 days—as well as his participation in the first season of "Game of Gold". What This Means for PPPoker Club Players This hand is a great example of how a deep understanding of ranges, ICM, and final table dynamics allows you to make decisions that may at first seem too risky or, on the contrary, overly cautious. PPPoker club players can take several important lessons from this situation. First, don’t evaluate your hand strength in a vacuum—it’s important to consider not only your own cards, but also the board texture, opponents’ ranges, and the tournament situation. Even strong hands like JJ sometimes have to be folded if the situation calls for caution. Second, the ability to recognize moments to put pressure on your opponent is key to success in tournaments with progressive payout structures. Use your range advantage and don’t be afraid to bluff if the math (for example, GTO Wizard analysis) confirms the profitability of such a move. However, always take ICM into account and don’t take unnecessary risks, especially in the late stages of a tournament. Finally, regular work with solvers and analysis of high-level hands will help you improve your strategy and make more balanced decisions in PPPoker club games, regardless of format or buy-in size.