Savage Rules! 'I would have pushed that $190K pot the other way'

PokerOrg knows that Matt Savage is the ultimate bigwig at the Tournament Director’s Association and pretty much never, ever wrong regarding proper poker rules and etiquette.

At least, that’s what Matt told us.

With that in mind, we've enlisted Matt to break down hands, controversial rulings, and other poker procedural craziness that comes across the PokerOrg news desk.

Watch the video above for his in-depth breakdown of the hand below.

Was the hand 'unmucked'?

Who: Ryan Feldman vs. Rob Yong

Where: Hustler Casino Live in Monte Carlo

This hand occurred during Hustler Casino Live’s Onyx Club - Merit Cyprus broadcast on November 26, 2024 between HCL owner Ryan Feldman and the founder of UK-based casino Dusk Till Dawn, Rob Yong.

The blinds during the high-stakes cash game were $200/$400. Yong opened to $1,000 from the cut-off holding . Feldman called from the button holding , and Sinan reraised to $8,000 from the small blind holding . Both Yong and Feldman called.

The money went all in on the turn when an ace fell. Feldman shoved with his two pair. Sinan folded the pocket kings, knowing the turned ace had most likely crushed his flopped overpair. Yong briefly tanked and eventually called with second pair on the board.

When Feldman turned over his two pair, Yong - thinking he was drawing dead - pitched his hand face down toward the muck.

What happened next turned out to be one of the most talked about hands of 2024, as Yong's cards were turned face-up and he rivered the winner.

But didn't drag the pot.

Rob Yong posted about the controversial hand.

Feldman's response

PokerOrg reached out to Ryan Feldman for his own take on the hand.

“When I asked Rob to turn over his hand, I wanted to make sure he wasn’t making a mistake,” shared Feldman. “I never want to win a pot the wrong way, and we both wanted things handled correctly.

"When the queen fell on the river, that was the craziest part of the hand. I was shocked. Rob, though, didn't care. He said, ‘It doesn't matter; you win.’

"I insisted that he take back at least the last $50,000 bet. He wouldn’t have it. Rob just wanted to do the right thing. He said, ‘In a normal game [that wasn’t a stream], the moment I mucked, the dealer would have grabbed the cards, and you would have won the pot. It’s over.’

"There was no point in us continuing to argue. It’s his casino. It would turn into a negative situation if I continued to insist. I didn’t want that.”

Matt Savage is the WPT Executive Tour Director, founder of the Tournament Directors Association, and a much beloved and respected member of the poker community.

Follow Matt on X @SavagePoker. For more info visit PokerTDA.com and WPT.com.