another full house tale

I limped with KJo in late position.
The big blind raised, and four of us saw the flop.
KKT, with 2 diamonds.
The big blind bet and it was folded to me.
The player in the big blind is a fish; I've played with him a lot. His pre-flop raises -- even from the blind -- are highly suspect. So I didn't put him on much of a hand. I smooth-called, planning to raise the turn.
The turn was Ace of diamonds, putting three diamonds on the board. He checked, I bet, he called.
River was Jack of diamonds, putting four parts to a straight flush on board.
He bet.
I made my full house, but with such a scary board (Queen of diamonds makes a straight flush), didn't feel like I could raise (if he had checked, I would have been likely to check it back). But, knowing the opponent, there was no way I could lay down a full house.
I called, he showed KQo - he flopped trips, and made the straight on the river.
I got lucky to win the hand.

Here's what I don't like about how he played the hand:
1) raising KQo from the big blind with 3 limpers is a bad play.
2) checking the turn is a bad play, unless you are sure your 1 opponent will bet and you plan to check-raise
3) smooth calling the turn is a bad play. If you believe you have the best hand, you have to raise; if you're beat, you have to fold.
4) betting the river with four parts to a straight flush on board -- holding a straight -- is dumb; the only hands that can call you either tie or beat you. A better play would be to check. A straight may be strong enough as a 'bluff catcher' on this board, though, with four diamonds on the board, it's too easy to lose to a flush. And, the highly coordinated nature of the board makes it likely that a full house is out there. Or even a straight flush.

playing one last hand before you go

I was crusing the 10/20 game, but had an appointment, so had to leave.
I had just paid my blinds, and was on the button when the new dealer tapped in. So, this would be my last hand (I don't like to pay time unless I am going to play most of the 1/2 hour).
I was dealt Q5, suited in clubs.
Not a great hand, but I was ahead $500 in less than 2 hours, and catching like crazy, and if you're going to play a speculative hand, the button is the right position.
So I limped after 2 limpers and we took the flop 5 way.
The flop came 5 high with a club and two diamonds. There was bet to me and I raised (top pair, good kicker, backdoor draw, and a very vulnerable hand that might want a free card).
Three of us saw the turn, which was the 6 of clubs, putting 4 parts to a straight on board. Everyone checked to me.
My hand had improved -- picking up a flush draw -- but I felt it likely that one of my opponents had the straight and was looking to check raise, so I took the free card.
The river was a club, and there was a bet to me. I raised, he reluctantly called -- he had made the straight on the turn, and also had two diamonds -- and I took the pot.

This hand plays to a few concepts.
1) when you're running well, play a few more hands. I was catching a lot of flops, but I was winning nice pots because I was 'seeing' the game well. My opponents were a little afraid of me, and I was calling, raising and folding at the right times. Because I was playing good poker, I could play a more speculative hand, knowing I could throw away a second best holding without a thought.
2) be more liberal on the button. position is everything.
3) if you have somewhere to go, be there. it's hard enough to win at poker when you're not distracted.
4) don't count on someone to bet your hand for you. my opponent checked the turn, hoping to check-raise. If he bets, I will call with my club draw, even though I am a 5 to 1 dog to hit [if there is a bet on the turn, I know my pair of 5s is no good, and that hitting a 5 or a queen for two pair or trips won't be likely to win the pot]. But, given the board, and the one-card straight draw, I am happy to get a free card. If you're not positive your opponent will bet, don't try to check-raise. On the turn, my opponent had the best hand, and I was a 5 to 1 dog to make my hand; clearly, I'll call (there was 110 in the pot; if he bets the turn, there would be 130 in the pot, and it would cost me 20 to call, a clear overlay). But, if I miss my draw, I won't give him more action. If I hit my draw, I win. So, betting the best hand on the turn is key.

you made a full house - should you bet?

Usually, when you make a full house, you want to be betting and raising until the cows come home.
But, not always.

In a 10/20 game at the Borgata in Atlantic City, I picked up 55 on the button, and limped behind 4 other players. Both blinds came.
The flop was K, 7, 5, with two spades.
The big blind bet, and was raised by a middle position player. Having played with her before, I knew she had a King, but also knew it was doubtful that she held K7, unless it was suited. I re-raised, looking to charge anyone on a spade draw the max.
The big blind and raiser both called.
The turn was a king, giving me a full house. The big blind checked, she bet, and I raised. I put her on KJ or KT, maybe K9. Having played with her before, I knew she would have been likely to raise pre-flop with AK or KQ.
They both called.
The river was a 5, giving me quads, and making a full house for anyone with a king.
The big blind again checked, she again bet, and I raised. The big blind folded, and she called.
I scooped a nice pot.
Given the action, there's little reason for her to bet on the end. If I have a King, we'll split the pot (and, I won't fold). If I have pocket 7s, I'm clearly beat, and shouldn't call (though, I do understand that most players would call with 7s full in this spot; if the action on the flop and turn had been different, calling with 7s full might be right, but given the action, she was clearly holding a King, making it an easy fold with 7s full).
So, her bet on the end: either I fold (and she makes no more money); I call (and we split the pot, and she makes no more money); or I raise, either with the same hand or a better one (meaning she either doesn't win anymore money or loses more money).
In most cases, if you make your full house, you should be betting, raising, check-raising --- whatever it takes to build the pot and win more money.
You'll rarely be up against quads, but sometimes you'll be against a better full house; be aware of this possibility can save you a lot of money over your career.

learning to lay it down

I think making smart laydowns on the river is an over-rated concept, especially in a heads-up pot. Usually, if there has been any action, the money in the pot merits calling with almost any hand that has a legit shot to win.
But, making smart laydowns on the turn - that's a different story. First, the pot is smaller. Second, in order to show down your hand, you'll have to also call a river bet.

Here are two spots where this concept came up recently; I think I played one well, and the other poorly.

10/20 limit game, I held AKo in the small blind. An early position player opened with a raise, and a few players called; hoping to disguise my hand and possibly have a greater edge on a later street, I just called. The only player I figured to knock out of the hand with a raise was the big blind (in this game, in for a penny, in for a pound, so I knew my show of strength wouldn't get anyone to fold). With a slightly stronger hand (AA, KK, QQ, or AKs), I would be more inclined to raise. Another thought was that if I re-raised with AK, and hit the flop, a lot of hands would be getting the right odds to draw against me, whereas if I called, the pot would be smaller, perhaps making it easier to protect a potentially fragile holding (top pair, top kicker, etc).

The flop came A, rag, rag, with two spades. I checked, the big blind bet, and everyone called. I considered check-raising, but opted to wait until the turn. I was confident that the big blind had an ace, and would bet the turn, making it possible to check-raise on the more expensive street; I knew that a player must be on a flush draw, so I wanted to wait in order to reduce the odds that player would be getting; and I didn't have a spade.

A spade hit the board. I checked, the big blind checked, and a middle position player fired. Since I didn't have a spade (which would have set up re-draws on the river), I folded my top pair, top kicker hand. The big blind called, then check-called the river, and nodded, "Nice hand" when the player showed a queen-high flush. The big blind had an ace, with a worse kicker.

I was happy with my laydown.

A few hands later, holding 8,7o on the button, I limped behind 4 players. The big blind raised, and we all called.

The flop came 7, 6, 3. It was checked to me, I bet, and three players called. The turn brought a 3, and it was again checked to me. Thinking the 3 helped my hand, I bet, only to be check-raised! I called, then called the river, and my opponent showed 3,2s.

While I was a bit incredulous (he limped with 3,2s in middle position! he called the flop with bottom pair, no kicker!), paying him off was a mistake. I didn't want to believe that he was that bad a player that he could have a three, so I paid him off when he check-raised the turn (and I know that a check-raise on the turn means 'big hand').

I think I am giving away a lot of my profit by paying off hands when I feel I am beat. I think players pay off to feed their ego -- the attitude being, "I'm not going to get bluffed." That's an attitude that just costs money.

if you hate bad beat stories, skip this one

If you always won with pocket Aces, the game wouldn't be nearly so much fun.
Though, when you seem to keep losing with them, the game can be very painful.
In early position, I opened the action with a raise with A,K (holding the king of clubs).
A middle position player cold-called, and we took the flop heads-up.
The flop came Ace of clubs, a red jack, 8 of clubs.
I bet, he raised, I three bet. He called.
The turn was the four of clubs, I bet, he called.
The river was the 10 of spades. I bet, he raised!
With more then $200 in the pot, I was getting more than 10 to 1 on my call, making it the right play to throw in the bet.
He showed Ace, ten. He made two pair on the river.
I had feared that he may have flopped two pair, which was one reason why I three-bet the flop. I wanted him to define his hand early if that was the case.
When the third club hit on the turn, I picked up the nut flush draw to go with top pair, top kicker.
My opponent cold-called pre-flop with Ace, ten (suited, of course). He had been at the same table with me for an hour, and this was the first hand I had raised pre-flop, from any position, which should have set off some warning bells.

He raised the flop and called a re-raise on the flop with a dominated kicker (I can understand the raise, if he put me on KK; calling a re-raise in such a situation is questionable).
On the turn, with three clubs on the board, he called my bet, even though he held red cards.
On the river, he caught one of only two outs that made him a winner (the ten of clubs would make me the flush).

I hate his pre-flop call. Ace, ten suited is the kind of hand you'd like to play in late position, with a big field, and for one bet. It's not a strong hand to play in a raised, heads-up pot.

I like the raise on the flop; find out where you are on the cheap street. When you get re-raised, you know you're beat. You can call the bet, planning to fold the turn if you don't improve.

I hate the call on turn. It's clear you're beat, and that your outs may be tainted (as was the case here, if the ten of clubs hits). While most players would blindly call with top pair, ten kicker, this is a pretty clear fold. Also, even if Ace, ten is leading, there are 3 clubs on the board, and you don't have a club. Even if your opponent is bluffing, if he has a club, you're very vulnerable.

The raise on the river is a good value move; since he's called along this far, raising after hitting his card makes sense. However, a pre-flop raiser could have held KQ, suited in clubs for a flush, or unsuited for a straight, or JJ or AA for a flopped set, making this a risk.

I've sucked out on opponents. And this won't be the last time someone sucks out on me. I was a little annoyed that he was proud of himself for his good play, but pretty confident that such false pride would help the chips find their way back into my bankroll before long.

In retrospect, I should have checked the river. If a total blank had come, betting out makes more sense. If I put a pre-flop cold-caller on a range of hands, I would include: AQ; AJ; AT; Axs; KQ; pocket pairs. AQ would call on the end, while every other hand would either beat me or fold.

finding the outs

I didn't play this hand, but found it interesting.

In a 3/6 game at the Mirage, the player in the big blind held A,8, suited in hearts. Six players limped, and she raised (a questionable play, but not the crux of the story). Everyone called, and they took the flop seven handed.

The flop came 8,8,2, rainbow, and she bet. One player called, the button raised, and everyone else folded. She re-raised, the limper cold-called, and the button raised again (cap). Everyone called.

The turn was a queen, putting four suits on board, and the big blind bet out. The middle player called, and the button raised. The big blind, feeling good about three-of-a-kind with top kicker, re-raised (VERY questionable raise), the middle player again cold-called, and the button again capped the action.

The river was an ace, and she bet, the middle player again called, the button again raised, she re-raised, the middle player called, the button capped, and everyone called.

The button -- of course -- held 2,2, and had flopped a full-house.

The middle player, one can assume from the action, held the case 8.

The loser of the pot, in telling me how bad the winner played, almost screamed, 'She only had 3 outs! 3 outs!'

Well, no. And, while her reckless raising ended up costing him a lot of money, it would be impossible to expect that any player in a limit game is going to fold three-of-a-kind with top kicker.

On the flop, she had 4 outs (the case 8 and any ace). On the turn, she picked up three more outs (any queen that pairs the board gives her eights full of queens, which beats twos full of eights), for a total of 7 outs. Even if she was positive that the button held pocket twos, she would have been right to call him down. If the button would be aggressive with an eight or an over-pair, she has to call.

14 small bets went in pre-flop. Another 15 small bets went in on the flop. That's 14.5 big bets.
On the turn, with 7 outs, the odds against improving are better than 6 to 1, making it an easy call. Actually, raising is OK, especially if there's any chance trips with top kicker is good. The big blind bet, the limper called, the button raised. Now, there's 18.5 big bets, and she's 6 to 1 against making her hand. She's getting 18.5 to 1 on a call, or better than 9 to 1 on a raise, a clear overlay. If she checks, the pot would be laying 15.5 to 1 on a call, or almost 8 to 1 on a raise, still a clear overlay.

Finding 'hidden' outs is a key concept. Given the excessive flop action, it's reasonable to assume that no one had a queen, so when the queen hit the turn, it created an additional three outs, making it clearly correct to continue with the hand.

no free cards!

Many players love the check-raise, and it hurts their game.
It hurts the most when it backfires and gives your opponents a free card because no one bets.

A great example came in a recent 15/30 game. I was the big blind with 66. A late position player raised, and we saw the flop 6 handed.

The flop came K, K, J, a horrible flop for 66. I checked, and it checked around. If someone had breathed on the pot, my hand was going in the muck, but I love a free card.

The turn was a beautiful 6, which happened to put two hearts on the board. I felt confident that one of my opponents was slowplaying a King, and was a little afraid that someone might be slowplaying a big full house, but, not wanting to check my full house, I bet. I was called in two spots.

The river was the 9 of hearts. I bet, got called, then the other player raised! Knowing my full house was far from boss, I called, as did the player in the middle.

The raiser showed A,6 of hearts for the nut flush - he was drawing dead and got there. My other opponent tossed his hand in the muck when he saw my full house, shaking his head, knowing that if he had bet his king on the flop, he would have won a small pot instead of losing a big one.

overestimating opponents at the Mirage in Vegas

At the Mirage in Vegas, I raised under-the-gun with JJ. everyone folded to the little blind, who called. The big blind folded.
The flop came J, 9, 2, rainbow, giving me top set. After raising preflop, I figured a check would be suspicious, so I fired after she checked; she called.
The turn brought a queen. She bet.
I put her on a queen, and raised.
She re-raised! I re-evaluated, and figured she must have flopped a small set, and waited until the turn to raise. So, figuring my trip jacks were good, I raised again.
She raised me!
Now, I had to re-evaluate. I figured that if she had pocket queens, she might have re-raised pre-flop, or might have bet or check-raised the flop. But, she was a little tricky, so I thought there was some chance she had a set of queens.
I called.
The turn was a blank, she fired, and I called, and she turned over K,T. She called my pre-flop under-the-gun raise from the small blind in a pot likely to be heads-up (the big blind was tight) with a hand that was very likely to be dominated.
Then, she called the flop with a gut-shot straight draw and one overcard in a heads-up pot.
Because I thought she was a better player, I put her on a tricky set, and raised and re-raised the action on the turn.
If I had realize what a fish she was, I would have just called her down and saved 4 bets.
Oh well.
Of course, if the board had paired on the river, this would be a different post...