Hero Call by Alex Foxen Against Chidwick at WSOP 2026: Hand Analysis

Alex Foxen makes a bold hero call with bottom pair against Stephen Chidwick in the $250,000 tournament at the 2026 WSOP. A detailed analysis of the hand and the players' decisions.

There aren’t many players in the poker world you’d less like to face in a tough river spot than Stephen Chidwick. Nevertheless, that’s exactly who Alex Foxen found himself up against on Day 1 of the $250,000 Super High Roller at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP 2026). Foxen was forced to make a difficult decision facing a massive river bet — and all he had was bottom pair. In this article, we’ll break down the hand in detail, analyze each player’s decisions at every stage, and look at what the GTO Wizard solver thinks of their actions. We’ve also prepared a special section with practical takeaways for PPPoker club members. The Hand Between Stephen Chidwick and Alex Foxen: Starting Positions and Preflop In the hand that caught the attention of the entire poker community, the blinds were 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 ante. Stephen Chidwick started with about 2,500,000 chips and opened to 28,000 from the hijack holding A♣10♣ . This is a standard opening raise, fully approved by the GTO Wizard solver: all suited aces are included in the hijack opening range. Alex Foxen, with a stack of 2,100,000, was on the cutoff and picked up A♥5♥ . He decided to 3-bet to 100,000. The solver notes that with this hand, both calling and 3-betting are viable options, and both are considered correct. Foxen chose the aggressive line, putting pressure on his opponent even before the flop. Chidwick, holding A♣10♣ , most often just calls the 3-bet in this spot, which is what happened. The solver confirms that for suited A10, this is the standard play, though a 4-bet is sometimes possible. Flop: Initiative Passes to Foxen The flop came K♦Q♦5♠ , giving Foxen bottom pair. Chidwick checked, and Foxen made a continuation bet of 57,000 into a 230,000 pot — about a quarter of the pot. This bet size is typical when the cutoff retains a range advantage, allowing him to c-bet frequently on such textures. The GTO Wizard solver prefers a slightly larger bet size (about 40% of the pot) if using only one size, but Foxen’s choice (25% of the pot) is also quite common and nearly equal in expected value (EV) with A♥5♥. Thus, his decision fully fits into a theoretically sound strategy. Chidwick, despite missing the flop, did not fold. The solver indicates that for A10s without additional flush draw, calling is preferable, while with backdoor possibilities, raising is sometimes an option. Chidwick called, and the pot grew to 344,000. Turn: The Queen on Board Slows Down the Action The turn brought the Q♣ , pairing the queen on the board. Chidwick checked again. Although the queen improved the overall equity of the hijack’s range, it didn’t give Chidwick enough of an advantage to start leading out. Foxen still retained an edge in expected value, equity realization, and the strength of his best hands in range. Foxen decided to check back. The solver also considers this the optimal play for A♥5♥: bottom pair isn’t strong enough to confidently go for another street of value, and the paired queen makes aggressive play less profitable. River: Chidwick Attacks, Foxen Calls The river was the 7♥ , completing the board K♦Q♦5♠ Q♣ 7♥ . Chidwick was left with just ace-high. After the turn went check-check, Chidwick fired a huge bet — 525,000 into a 344,000 pot, about 153% of the pot. This is called an “overbet” and is used to put maximum pressure on the opponent. It’s important to note that this isn’t just a random attempt to take down the pot with no showdown value. The GTO Wizard solver notes that A10s is a good bluff candidate in this spot, though for the specific combo of A♣10♣, checking would be slightly more profitable. Nevertheless, if you’re going to bluff, this massive overbet is the solver’s preferred option. It’s crucial to understand that a balanced river strategy isn’t just about the right ratio of value bets to bluffs, but also about distributing those hands across different bet sizes. The solver splits Chidwick’s value range into two main groups: the strongest hands (full houses, straights, queens) are most often bet with the 153% pot overbet, while thinner value (like kings) uses about 67% pot. For bluffs, weak suited aces (A2s, A3s, A4s) are more often used for the big overbet, while hands like JTs, J9s, T9s are used for smaller bets. Thus, Chidwick’s decision to use A♣10♣ as a big bluff fully aligns with solver logic, even if with this specific combo it would be slightly better to check. Foxen’s Hero Call: Great in Practice, Questionable in Theory Foxen faced a very tough decision with two pair: queens and fives. After a long tank, he called. Chidwick showed his bluff, and Foxen scooped a pot worth 1,394,000 chips. At first glance, this looks like a brilliant read and a masterful call. However, from a game theory optimal (GTO) perspective, things aren’t so clear-cut. Against a perfectly balanced range with a 153% pot river bet, Foxen needs to defend about 40% of his range to prevent his opponent from auto-profiting with bluffs. The GTO Wizard solver folds 64.4% of Foxen’s range in this spot, which is even more than the minimum defense frequency. In fact, A♥5♥ is almost always folded. The solver allows for a call with this hand only in rare cases, but overall, calling loses significantly more expected value than folding. This is where one of the most interesting lessons of the hand lies: the strength of your hand is not the only criterion for making a river call. Why Weaker Fives Are Better Call Candidates It may seem strange that A♥5♥ is recommended as a fold, while some weaker fives, like 5♠4♠ or 6♠5♠, can be used for calling. The key lies in the concept of “blockers.” Hands like 5♠4♠ and 6♠5♠ are objectively weaker, but they don’t contain an ace. This is important because they don’t block Chidwick’s natural ace-high bluffs. If Foxen holds an ace, he reduces the number of possible ace-high bluffs Chidwick can have, making the call less profitable. When you face a huge polarized river bet, sometimes it’s more important what bluffs you block than the absolute strength of your hand. This is a reminder that a hero call isn’t just about hand strength, but also about analyzing which hands you “remove” from your opponent’s range. Theory vs. Practice: Why Foxen’s Decision Works at the Table but Not in the Solver In this hand, almost all player decisions up to the river matched theoretically optimal strategy. Chidwick’s preflop call, Foxen’s flop c-bet, Chidwick’s flop call, and the turn check are all solver-approved. Even Chidwick’s huge river bluff has logical justification: while checking yields slightly more EV, if you’re going to bluff, the 153% pot overbet is the solver’s best option. Only Foxen’s call with A♥5♥ falls outside the theory. Against a perfectly balanced opponent range, this call is a losing play. But at the real table, against a specific opponent in a specific situation, Foxen found a reason to make an unconventional decision — and he was right. Hand Summary Table: Tournament: $250,000 Super High Roller, WSOP 2026 Day: 1 Blinds: 6,000/12,000 (12,000 ante) Players: Stephen Chidwick (A♣10♣, 2,500,000), Alex Foxen (A♥5♥, 2,100,000) Preflop: Chidwick raises to 28,000 (hijack), Foxen 3-bets to 100,000 (cutoff), Chidwick calls Flop: K♦Q♦5♠ (check, bet 57,000, call) Turn: Q♣ (check-check) River: 7♥ (bet 525,000, call) Pot: 1,394,000 Winner: Alex Foxen (two pair: queens and fives) What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club members, this hand is a great example of why it’s important not only to know the basics of game theory optimal (GTO) play, but also to apply them flexibly, taking into account specific situations and opponents. Even the world’s top players, like Alex Foxen and Stephen Chidwick, don’t always follow solver recommendations to the letter — and sometimes that brings them success. Practical takeaway: if you play in PPPoker clubs, try to analyze not just the strength of your hand, but also which bluff combinations you block from your opponent. This is especially important against aggressive opponents capable of making big river overbets. Don’t be afraid to make tough calls if you have strong reasons to believe your opponent’s range is bluff-heavy — but remember that in the long run, deviations from GTO should be deliberate and backed by solid reads. Finally, pay attention to how top professionals combine theory and practice. Study hands like this one to improve your decision-making skills in tough spots. This will help you raise your game in PPPoker clubs and achieve better results over time.