Calvin Anderson Finds A Way in Epic WPT Prime Championship Hand

A jaw-dropping hand took place with just three players left in the 2023 WPT Prime Championship – one that left the crowd, commentators, and players stunned.

Jeff Walsh
Dec 19, 2023
Calvin Anderson at the final table of the WPT Prime Championship.

At the same time as the WPT World Championship was dealing out sick hands on its feature table, the final table of the WPT Prime Championship was seeing some amazing play of its own. With the $1.3 million first-place prize looming over the final three players, a hand between four-time WSOP bracelet winner and former #1-ranked online pro Calvin Anderson and start-of-day chip leader Jay Liu – a hand that left the crowd, and commentators, stunned.

Anderson and Lu took it to the streets and played an improbable hand that will go down as one of the wildest in the short history of the WPT Prime Championship.

After Aaron Pinson folded his button, Lu completed the small blind to 3,000,000 holding the Heart 4Heart 3. Anderson looked down at the Spade 5Diamond 4 and decided to put in a raise to 10,000,000, and Lu made the quick call.

The flop came Heart QDiamond 3Club 3, putting Lu way ahead with flopped trips and leaving Anderson with just 5% equity. Lu checked it over to Anderson who put out a small bet of 6,000,000 leaving himself with roughly 25 big blinds behind.

Lu check-raised to 14,000,000 and after a moment, with just 5-hi, Anderson made the call pushing the pot to 51M in chips.

“Strap in everyone,” said commentator Ashley Sleeth on the livestream.

The turn came the Club 6, which breathed new life into Anderson’s hand as he picked up an open-ended straight draw. But Lu kept the pressure on and bet out 19,000,000, more than a third of Anderson’s remaining stack.

Anderson went into the tank shuffling his chips and checking out his stack.

“I’m nervous for him,” Sleeth said.

Anderson slid out a calling stack and the pot swelled to 89,000,000. Then it happened: the dealer put theSpade 7 on the river and Anderson had gone from 5% equity to 100% with his runner-runner straight.

“This is the sickest hand,” Sleeth said. “How did he know?”

“This is a disgusting one or Jay [Lu],” co-commentator Jeff Platt added.

After that Lu, covering Anderson, moved all-in and Anderson snap-called, tabled his hand, and dragged a pot of more than 190,000,000 in chips.

“What just happened?” Sleeth continued.

“Everybody seems to be in absolute shock, us included,” Platt said.

“Tournament-defining pot right here,” Sleeth added.