Potomac Summer Poker Open | AA vs. KK vs. QQ, three players go all-in, Einsidler tops set, narrowly avoiding a flush.

On 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, respectively, 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 when the safe river arrived.

This $400 40/40 tournament is a two-day event with a guaranteed prize pool of $40,000. For Einsidler, being able to start with the strongest hand of the game, AA, against KK and QQ in a three-way all-in situation should have been a dream come true, but the community cards kept the hand suspenseful until the river.

Three top starting hands clash head-on at 500/1,000 blinds.

The key hands occurred at blinds of 500/1,000 and the big blind ante of 1,000.

Henry Black raised to 2,000 from the HJ position, and Izzy Einsidler, sitting on the BTN with A♠A♥, 3-bet to 6,500. Einsidler is a live player from Virginia, and PokerNews reports his accumulated live tournament winnings as $25,491.

It was thought that AA against KK was rare enough, but George Karmires in the small blind then got Q♦Q♣ and 4-bet all his chips.

Black didn't back down and went all in again; Einsidler, who had the fewest chips among the three and held pocket aces, naturally had no room to fold and immediately called.

Three-way all-in hand

This is a rare situation in Texas Hold'em where the three strongest pocket pairs collide directly, with Einsidler holding a clear advantage pre-flop.

The flop came out with an Ace, giving Einsidler a top set and further extending his lead.

Flip the card:

A♦ 3♣ J♣

Einsidler hit an Ace with his first community card, upgrading his pocket Aces to a set of three Aces, which is the top set on the board.

At this point, Black's pocket Kings and Karmilies' pocket Queens were both far behind, especially Karmilies, who was almost ready to accept elimination, even standing up and putting on his backpack before all the community cards had been dealt.

However, the real crisis occurred on the turn of the week.

The 7♣ fell, and Black suddenly got a flush draw.

Turn Card:

7♣

At this point, three clubs have appeared on the deck:

A♦ 3♣ J♣ 7♣

Because Black holds K♣, his pocket Ks, which had almost lost their competitiveness, suddenly gained an important way out—if another club appears on the river, he can use K♣ to complete a flush and overtake Einsidler's three Aces.

This has created a huge suspense again in what seemed like a closed three-way game.

For Einsidler, even with AA against KK or QQ preflop, and a set on the flop, a single turn card could still turn the entire huge pot around on the river.

The river card 2♥ landed safely, and AA completed a triple.

The last community card:

2♥

No clubs appeared on the river, nor did any other hand form a winning combination.

The final complete hand is as follows:

A♦ 3♣ J♣ 7♣ 2♥

Einsidler successfully defended his three Aces, winning the three-way all-in and doubling his bet.

Karmires had already packed his backpack and was ready to leave, but this so-called "backpack magic" failed to bring about a turnaround. He suffered a major blow in this hand and was officially eliminated from the tournament shortly afterward.

Einsidler: If the river card is clubs, my day is ruined.

After the safe river card fell, Einsidler visibly breathed a sigh of relief at having successfully avoided the clubs.

He said after the game that if another club had appeared on the river, it would have completely ruined his day. For a hand that had the best situation pre-flop and hit a top set on the flop, being reversed by a backdoor flush would indeed be a very impactful bad beat.

This hand also illustrates once again that in poker, being "cooler" doesn't mean the outcome is predetermined. Even if AA vs. KK vs. QQ creates an almost ideal pre-flop situation, the community cards can still create new draws and comeback opportunities later in the game.

$3,000 Main Event enters final two tables simultaneously

At the same time this rare collision occurred, the Potomac Summer Poker Open's $3,000 Main Event had also entered its final two-table stage.

Casey Hatmaker, who qualified through the online qualifiers, is still in contention and is looking to reach the Potomac Main Event final table for the second consecutive time. The entire Potomac Summer Poker Open series is scheduled to conclude on Monday, August 17th.

For $400 40/40, Izzy Einsidler's hand of AA with KK with QQ undoubtedly became the most talked-about hand of the day. From the simultaneous appearance of the three strongest pocket pairs pre-flop, to the top set on the flop, the flush crisis on the turn, and finally the safe landing on the river, the five community cards fully presented the most typical high-tension cooler in live tournaments.

Ultimately, AA did not become a victim of the Bad Beat, and Einsidler successfully took down the huge pot and tripled in; this all-in game became one of the most memorable hands of the 2026 Potomac Summer Poker Open.

Want to change Texas Holdem from "can understand" to "can win"?

If you want to learn more about Texas Hold'em, you can continue reading：

The Origins of Texas Hold'em: Why is it the World's Most Popular Poker Variant?
Texas Hold'em Hand Rankings and Showdown Rules (Beginner’s Essentials)
Texas Hold'em Betting teaching: Check / Bet / Call /Raise and Betting Strategy Analysis
The importance of Texas Hold'em position? Why is the back position more advantageous?
How to play Texas Hold'em? Novices learn Texas Hold'em rules, processes and betting teaching in 10 minutes
Texas Hold'em Starting Hands Strategy Guide: Which Hands to Play?
Texas Holdem Starting Hands Chart Tutorial: Complete Starting Hand Chart and Position Strategy
How to play Texas Hold'em? Complete rules and a hand's flow (Preflop / Flop / Turn / River)

Hunter Poker offers comprehensive tutorials, hand analysis, and strategy sharing to help players upgrade from simply "reading the cards" to understanding the range . This allows you to make better decisions in every hand.

▶️ In Facebook Follow Hunter Poker.
📘 In Youtube Follow Hunter Poker.

Want to learn more about Texas Hold'em gameplay and strategies?

Online Texas Hold'em free tournaments typically have no entry fee, making them ideal for beginners to familiarize themselves with the rules and for advanced players to test strategies and gain experience. View full brand profiles to learn about each platform's free tournament schedule, features, and target audience.

Go to learn more