Although I was there purely for entertainment, not education, I couldn’t help but take away three big lessons from Nagy’s play and was shocked to learn just how big of a profit he took from the game.
Your Words Reveal Your Mindset
Before his heater even began, Nagy showcased a mindset “hack” that poker players would be wise to emulate.
When one of his opponents lost a pot and lamented “lose every pot,” Nagy didn’t miss a beat in firing back “No. Win every pot. Think positive.” While neither losing nor winning every pot is a realistic expectation at the poker table, Nagy’s comment pointed to a mental leak that so many of us poker players struggle with: the expectation of defeat. When you’re running bad or in the midst of a downswing, it can start to feel like lady luck, or even the poker gods themselves, are against us. But it’s in exactly those moments that finding inner resilience is so important. When we take on the defeated attitude of “nothing I do makes a difference,” we inevitably find ourselves making poor decisions that we likely wouldn’t if luck was on our side. Ultimately, keeping a positive mindset is the greatest freeroll of all. Either the universe listens and we manifest some poker goodness, or we at least keep ourselves from punting good money after bad.
Size Your Bets Appropriately
Nagy provided a masterclass in value-betting during a hand where he held AQ on a 2-6-Q-6 runout against his opponent’s QJ. After flopping top pair, Nagy bet twice, leaving himself about a pot-sized bet behind. Though he was likely planning on shoving most rivers, when an ace landed on the river, Nagy masterfully changed his plan, betting only about 1/5th pot. While most players would try to go for it all, having set up the perfect river shove, Nagy recognized that the ace was a terrible card for his opponent’s range, especially given that he was holding one in his hand (reducing the odds of his opponent holding one as well), and elected to extract value by “down betting.” The play worked to perfection, with his opponent making a crying call, confirming the likelihood he would have folded to a shove.
A Little Voodoo Magic Never Hurts
Finally, Nagy employed the use of a strategy I had not considered before: voodoo magic. After Santhosh felted Tony G in a massive pot with QQ against 88, Nagy rubbed his hands on him and “showered” himself with his luck, trying to transfer it onto himself. Although you won’t find this approach in a poker solver or a Daniel Negreanu Masterclass, considering Nagy ended up the biggest winner at the table, pocketing more than $600k between the three sessions I watched, it might be one I’ll have to pull out the next time I’m feeling desperate!
