Potomac Summer Poker Open | AA vs. KK vs. QQ, three players go all-in, Einsidler tops set, narrowly avoiding a flush.
International newsOn August 16, 2026, an extremely rare pre-flop clash of strong hands occurred at the Potomac Summer Poker Open in Maryland, USA. In the $400 40/40 event, three players held pocket Aces, pocket Kings, and pocket Queens, resulting in a three-way all-in. Izzy Einsidler, who initially held a significant advantage, hit a top set on the flop, but the turn gave Henry Black a flush draw, and he only managed to triple his hand on the safe river. This $400 40/40 event was a two-day tournament with a guaranteed prize pool of 40,000. For Einsidler, having the strongest starting hand of the night, AA, against KK and QQ in a three-way all-in was a dream come true, but the board kept the hand suspenseful until the river. A pivotal hand involving three top-tier starting hands collided at 500/1,000 blinds and a 1,000 ante in the big blind. Henry Black, in the HJ position, raised to 2,000, and Izzy Einsidler, in the BTN position, with A♠A♥, 3-bet to 6,500. Einsidler, a live player from Virginia, has accumulated $25,491 live tournament winnings, according to PokerNews. While AA against KK seemed unusually rare, George Karmires in the small blind then 4-bet all his chips with Q♦Q♣. Black didn't back down and immediately shoved all in again; Einsidler, with the fewest chips of the three and pocket aces, had no room to fold and called immediately. All-in hand: Izzy Einsidler A♠A♥ Henry Black K♣K♦ George Karmires Q♦Q♣ This was a rare situation in Texas Hold'em where the strongest three pocket pairs clashed directly, with Einsidler holding a clear advantage pre-flop. The flop came an Ace, giving Einsidler a top set and further extending his lead: A♦ 3♣ J♣. Einsidler hit an Ace on the first community card, upgrading his pocket Aces to a set of Aces, the top set on the board. At this point, Black's pocket Kings and Karmires' pocket Queens were significantly behind, especially Karmires, who was almost ready to accept elimination, even standing up and picking up his backpack before the community cards were fully dealt. However, the real crisis came on the turn. The 7♣ fell, and Black suddenly got a flush draw. The turn card was 7♣. The board now showed three clubs: A♦ 3♣ J♣ 7♣. Since Black held K♣, his previously almost uncompetitive pocket kings suddenly gained a crucial outlet – if another club appeared on the river, he could use K♣ to complete a flush and overtake Einsidler.
