The recent $3,500 buy-in WPT Rolling Thunder Championship, which crowned a champion in Shawn Daniels, witnessed several thrilling moments and hands. One pivotal moment in the tournament occurred during level 24 when a brutal cooler unfolded between David Ha and Eric Afriat. Let us break down what exactly happened in the thrilling hand.
With just nine players remaining and blinds running 25,000-50,000 and 50,000 ante, the tension was high with every pot being crucial. The action had reached the turn and there were over 500k already in the pot.
With the turn board reading 10♣ 9♣ 8♠ K♥, David Ha (Cutoff) bet 300k with 9♥ 9♦, holding a set of nines. Eric Afriat (Button), holding Q♥ J♠ correctly raised it upto 800,000 with a straight.
Recognizing the current strength of his hand and good pot odds, Ha moved all-in for 825,000. Afriat called, holding the best hand on the turn board.
Now Ha needed the board to pair to survive against Afriat’s king-high straight. The lucky river brought the K♦, pairing the board and giving Ha a full house. David Ha secured a big double-up to 2,200,000 (44 BBs), while Eric Afriat unfortunately dropped to 3,000,000 (60 BBs) after the cooler.
Ha’s Turn Bet & All-In Decision
Ha correctly bet 300,000 to extract value from weaker hands. When faced with Afriat’s raise, he fell in a tough spot to make a move—fold, call, or shove. Given his stack and the possibility of getting called by two-pair or a draw, Ha shoved all-in on the turn board, running his set into the straight of Afriat.
Afriat’s Raise & Call
With the nut straight, Afriat’s raise was a standard one to extract maximum value from hands like a lower straight, a set or two pairs. After his raise and a call, Afriat had no real decision left but a mandatory call over Ha’s shove on the turn.
River Luck
While Afriat made the right move, the poker gods were with Ha, who got the lucky river to crash Afriat’s straight and win a crucial double to survive. This was truly a bad cooler at the recent 2025 World Poker Tour (WPT) Rolling Thunder Main Event. Afriat dominated Ha on the turn but finally became the victim of variance on the river.
Ha won a crucial double-up, which helped him to ladder up and finish 5th for $69,000 – a strong finish after that pivotal moment. Despite being hit by a brutal cooler, Afriat ultimately came close to the title but fell short in 3rd, earning $122,000 and a $10,400 seat into the WPT World Championship.
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Hand Credit: World Poker Tour
