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

Ukrainian poker player Andriy Derzhypilskyi made a bold bluff against Tamas Adamski at the final table of the $10,000 GGMillion$. Let's break down the key hand and the players' decisions.

Final tables of major tournaments always become the stage for the most intense and interesting hands. Especially when hundreds of thousands of dollars are at stake, and every move can cost a player not only prize money but also their shot at victory. This was exactly the situation Ukrainian player Andrii Derzhypilskyi found himself in, when he decided to make a daring bluff against Tamas Adamszki at the final table of the $10,000 GGMillion$ tournament. In this article, we’ll break down the hand in detail, where Derzhypilskyi turned his A♦4♣ into a powerful bluff, putting his tournament life on the line, and look at why both players made decisions approved by poker solvers. Context: GGMillion$ Final Table with a $10,000 Buy-in The hand took place at the final table of the $10,000 GGMillion$ tournament on the GGPoker platform. There were 9 players left, and the winner was set to receive $409,882 . The blinds were 30,000/60,000 with a 7,500 ante. Tamas Adamszki was on the small blind with a stack of 3,217,354 (53.6 big blinds), and Andrii Derzhypilskyi was on the big blind with 1,921,868 (32 big blinds). Here’s how the hand played out street by street: Preflop: Adamszki is dealt J♦J♠ and opens with a raise to 210,000. Derzhypilskyi defends the big blind with A♦4♣. Flop: K♦8♦2♠. Adamszki makes a continuation bet of 243,750 into a 487,500 pot. Derzhypilskyi calls. Turn: 6♥. Adamszki checks, after which Derzhypilskyi bets 390,000 into a 975,000 pot. Adamszki calls. The pot grows to 1,755,000. River: 2♦. Adamszki checks again. Derzhypilskyi shoves all-in for 1,078,118. After a long tank, Adamszki folds his jacks. Preflop: Were the Players’ Actions Correct? The poker solver GTO Wizard confirms that both players played preflop optimally. For the small blind with J♦J♠, GTO recommends both raising and calling, with calling being slightly more profitable, but the difference is negligible—both actions are part of a balanced strategy. As for the big blind, with A♦4♣, Derzhypilskyi can also either call or shove all-in—both options are acceptable, though the all-in is slightly better in terms of $EV. However, calling with this hand fits perfectly into the GTO big blind defense strategy against a small blind raise at a final table. Flop: Why Doesn’t Derzhypilskyi Raise? On the K♦8♦2♠ flop, the initiative remains with Adamszki, but it’s actually the big blind—Derzhypilskyi—who has more combinations of strong hands, such as top pairs (Kx) and middle pairs (8x). This is because the big blind’s defending range is wider than the small blind’s opening range. According to GTO calculations, the small blind should check 65.6% of their range on this flop, and for medium-strength hands like J♦J♠, it’s preferable to choose a bet size of 25% of the pot. Adamszki bet 50% of the pot, which is acceptable but less optimal compared to check-calling or a smaller bet. Derzhypilskyi makes the correct call with A♦4♣: according to the solver, specifically combinations with the ace of diamonds (A♦) are profitable to continue with, while A4 without a diamond is more often folded. It’s worth noting that despite having a range advantage, Derzhypilskyi doesn’t raise the flop—and this is due to the ICM (Independent Chip Model), which has a significant impact on strategy at final tables. In this situation, the Bubble Factor for Derzhypilskyi is 1.72, meaning that losing chips is almost twice as painful for him as gaining them. This forces the shorter stack to avoid risky plays and stick to a passive call/fold strategy rather than aggressive raises. Turn: The Bluff Begins The turn brings the 6♥, and Adamszki checks his J♦J♠—this fully aligns with GTO Wizard’s recommendations, which advise checking all jack combinations on this board. After Adamszki’s check, his range becomes weaker, since he would usually bet his strongest hands (like top pairs and sets). This gives Derzhypilskyi an opportunity to apply pressure: he bets 390,000 (40% of the pot) with A♦4♣. This move isn’t just a simple bluff: the solver prefers exactly this bet size with A♦4♣, and betting brings more $EV than checking. Adamszki, in turn, is obliged to continue with J♦J♠—against this bet size, jacks always call, as do any third pairs or better. River: The Decisive Shove and a Tough Fold The river is the 2♦, and Adamszki checks again—this is GTO for his range, including J♦J♠. Now Derzhypilskyi has 1,078,118 chips left, with 1,755,000 in the pot. At this point, the solver advises the big blind to shove all-in with 55.2% of their range—the reason being that a third diamond appears on the board, and the big blind (Derzhypilskyi) has many more flushes in his range than the small blind. This advantage in nutted hands allows the big blind to put maximum pressure on the opponent, combining value hands and bluffs. A♦4♣ is the perfect bluff candidate: the ace of diamonds blocks some possible flushes for Adamszki and has no showdown value. The solver shows that shoving here brings significantly more $EV than checking. Derzhypilskyi follows this plan and shoves. After the shove, the pot is over 2.8 million chips. Adamszki tanks for a long time and folds J♦J♠. According to GTO Wizard, this is absolutely the right decision: the solver advises calling the all-in with only 47.3% of the range—mainly flushes, trips, and top pairs. All pocket pairs below kings, including tens, jacks, and queens, lose $EV by calling, so folding J♦J♠ is fully justified. This makes the hand especially interesting: both players navigated a complex ICM situation at the final table perfectly. Hand Summary Tournament: $10,000 GGMillion$ (GGPoker) Date: Final table, 9 players remaining Blinds: 30,000/60,000, ante 7,500 Adamszki’s Stack (SB): 3,217,354 (53.6 BB) Derzhypilskyi’s Stack (BB): 1,921,868 (32 BB) Preflop: Adamszki (SB) — J♦J♠, raises to 210,000; Derzhypilskyi (BB) — A♦4♣, calls Flop: K♦8♦2♠; Adamszki bets 243,750, Derzhypilskyi calls Turn: 6♥; Adamszki checks, Derzhypilskyi bets 390,000, Adamszki calls River: 2♦; Adamszki checks, Derzhypilskyi all-in for 1,078,118, Adamszki folds Analysis: What Can We Learn from This Hand? This hand is a great example of why you can’t rely solely on the strength of your two hole cards at final tables. Even though Derzhypilskyi had a weak hand, his range was stronger than his opponent’s on several streets, but due to the high Bubble Factor, he couldn’t afford an aggressive play on the flop. After Adamszki checked the turn, the situation changed: now the big blind had the opportunity to start applying pressure. The third diamond on the river further strengthened Derzhypilskyi’s position: his range contained many more flushes than Adamszki’s, allowing him to execute a powerful bluff. His A♦4♣ became an excellent candidate for an all-in, while J♦J♠ turned into what’s called a “bluff-catcher”—a hand that only beats bluffs, but isn’t strong enough to call in this spot. Both players demonstrated a deep understanding of ICM and GTO strategies at the final table, allowing them to make optimal decisions in a tough hand. Quick Facts: Who Are Andrii Derzhypilskyi and Tamas Adamszki? The original article provides no additional background information about the players beyond their names and participation at the GGMillion$ final table. The article also mentions professional player and streamer Lukas "RobinPoker" Robinson , who set a Twitch record in 2021 for poker streaming hours (1,000 hours in 100 days) and took part in the first season of the “Game of Gold” show. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club members, this hand is a clear example of how important it is to consider not just hand strength, but also range dynamics, payout structure, and the impact of ICM. Even if your hand seems strong in absolute terms, at the final stages of a tournament the correct decision may be far from obvious. Don’t be afraid to fold strong hands if the situation calls for discipline—just as Tamas Adamszki did with his jacks. The hand also highlights the power of a well-thought-out bluff based on blockers and range advantage. In PPPoker club tournaments, you’ll often encounter situations where aggressive play on later streets against opponents with capped ranges can be successful—especially if you can accurately assess board texture and your opponents’ ranges. Finally, this example shows that studying modern strategies (such as using GTO solvers) and understanding ICM significantly increase your chances of success in tournaments of any level. Even if you play in private PPPoker clubs, incorporating these approaches into your game will help you make more informed decisions and achieve better results at final tables.