After my $200 buy-in had slowly dwindled to just under $100 left, I started coming back, winning a few smallish to mid-size pots that put be back in the black. I guess I had about $240-$250 in front of me, and was getting near the end of the session, hoping to get some more but more or less satisfied with leaving a bit ahead after being down earlier.
Sitting in Seat 9 (it is 9 handed), I was the small blind and had pocket Aces. Four people limped in before me, so I made it $16. At the risk of giving away my play, lately when I raise preflop, I use a standard raise of $8 (regardless of my hand) unless the table is radically different than "normal." Then I add $2 for each limper before me. So that's how I got to $16.
Sitting in Seat 9 (it is 9 handed), I was the small blind and had pocket Aces. Four people limped in before me, so I made it $16. At the risk of giving away my play, lately when I raise preflop, I use a standard raise of $8 (regardless of my hand) unless the table is radically different than "normal." Then I add $2 for each limper before me. So that's how I got to $16.
The table had been pretty tight, and a lot of preflop raises went uncalled. One woman was complaining about not getting her raises called and actually started raising to only $4 or $5 to get action.
In other words, I thought there was a really good chance I'd take the pot down right there. When I raised, I was more concerned with that than with getting a ton of callers. However, the Big Blind called, the player under-the-gun called, and one person in late position called. Gulp. I didn't really want to play my Aces against three players. I was surprised and not happy.
According to the odds calculator at--where else?--Ante Up Magazine, you're only a 64% favorite to beat three players preflop with a couple of Aces. Heads up you're a 85% favorite.
So the pot was over $60 and the flop came Queen high, two spades (the Queen was the non-spade). I doubled checked and indeed one of my Aces was the spade. I led out with a bet of $40, about 2/3's the pot. Big blind folded but UTG put out a min raise to $80. Hmm.
He was the newest player at the table, unfortunately, and the only one I didn't have a read on. He had bought in for $300 and I hadn't noticed him in many hands at this point. But he apparently had won a nice pot when I was away from the table using the restroom, as he now had at least $400 in front of him, so he had me well covered. It was unfortunate that I hadn't seen that hand where he'd gotten those extra chips. Just from the way he had handled himself when he got to the table, I had a feeling he wasn't a particularly experienced player, but that was more a gut feeling than anything else.
It folded back to me and I called. I guess of all my decisions, this is the one I'm thinking about the most. Should I have folded there? Was he just luring me in with the min raise? Should I have put him on the flush draw and shoved to make him fold or make him get his money in bad? Should I have made a pot sized bet in the first place instead of the 2/3's bet? I thought the most likely hand he had was a Queen...top pair. Of course I could be behind to a set or a lucky two pair (the two spades were 10/6, so it would have been a bad call of my raise to have two pair--but a set of 6's or 10's was certainly a possibility).
With the pot close to $200 I decided to call. At the time, the only other option I strongly considered was coming over the top, most likely a shove. but I just called.
The next card was the 8 of clubs. I wasn't worried about a crazy straight, but the flush was still out there and now I had no chance for my Ace of spades to make a four card flush. I checked.
New guy bet out $50. Fifty? Into a pot that big? When we'd both put $80 into the pot the previous street? Now I was totally confused. Was this guy a really, really good player setting a trap? Or was he just a bad player? For the size of the pot, it was an easy call, and I wasn't confident enough about my hand to shove.
The river was the 9 of spades. Again, the straight didn't really concern me but of course I was concerned about the flush. I checked. BB tanked for awhile. Then he asked to see my stack, to see how much I had behind. Gulp. Clearly he was going to put me all in. For the size of the pot, I'd be getting nearly 4 to 1, so I was probably pot committed there. I think I would have called if he had bet. I couldn't dismiss the possibility he was overplaying top pair. Not for 4 to 1.
But after thinking about it for a few more moments, he checked I was relieved, and assumed briefly if he had checked, my Aces were good.
Nope. After I showed my rockets he flipped over Queen/Jack of spades for the flush. He had flopped top pair with the flush draw, a very good hand. He took down a nice pot that cost me $146. I was in shock. No, not from the flush, I certainly feared that. I was shocked he hadn't made a value bet on the river. I even said to the dealer, "Why didn't he bet there?" I wasn't complaining, believe me. Just surprised. With no pair on the board, I guess he was concerned I had a bigger flush. Yeah, I could have raised preflop with AK of spades. Or a smaller suited Ace and raised pre trying to steal all the limpers' money.
I was both upset and relieved at the same time As grateful as I was I didn't get stacked, I just kept replaying the hand over and over in my mind, wondering if and where I went wrong.
Anyway, when I cashed out, I ran into the dealer. He finally answered my question. He didn't think the guy was a very experienced player, that's why he didn't bet the river. I guess so, the way he played the hand. I wished I'd seen his play more before the hand. So, I assume because I still had over $100, he didn't want to risk another $100 on the hand where he didn't have the nuts and he was going to win a nice pot even without the risky value bet.
But the fact that he was an inexperienced player only makes me more upset that I didn't figure out a way to outplay him and take his money.
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In other words, I thought there was a really good chance I'd take the pot down right there. When I raised, I was more concerned with that than with getting a ton of callers. However, the Big Blind called, the player under-the-gun called, and one person in late position called. Gulp. I didn't really want to play my Aces against three players. I was surprised and not happy.
According to the odds calculator at--where else?--Ante Up Magazine, you're only a 64% favorite to beat three players preflop with a couple of Aces. Heads up you're a 85% favorite.
So the pot was over $60 and the flop came Queen high, two spades (the Queen was the non-spade). I doubled checked and indeed one of my Aces was the spade. I led out with a bet of $40, about 2/3's the pot. Big blind folded but UTG put out a min raise to $80. Hmm.
He was the newest player at the table, unfortunately, and the only one I didn't have a read on. He had bought in for $300 and I hadn't noticed him in many hands at this point. But he apparently had won a nice pot when I was away from the table using the restroom, as he now had at least $400 in front of him, so he had me well covered. It was unfortunate that I hadn't seen that hand where he'd gotten those extra chips. Just from the way he had handled himself when he got to the table, I had a feeling he wasn't a particularly experienced player, but that was more a gut feeling than anything else.
It folded back to me and I called. I guess of all my decisions, this is the one I'm thinking about the most. Should I have folded there? Was he just luring me in with the min raise? Should I have put him on the flush draw and shoved to make him fold or make him get his money in bad? Should I have made a pot sized bet in the first place instead of the 2/3's bet? I thought the most likely hand he had was a Queen...top pair. Of course I could be behind to a set or a lucky two pair (the two spades were 10/6, so it would have been a bad call of my raise to have two pair--but a set of 6's or 10's was certainly a possibility).
With the pot close to $200 I decided to call. At the time, the only other option I strongly considered was coming over the top, most likely a shove. but I just called.
The next card was the 8 of clubs. I wasn't worried about a crazy straight, but the flush was still out there and now I had no chance for my Ace of spades to make a four card flush. I checked.
New guy bet out $50. Fifty? Into a pot that big? When we'd both put $80 into the pot the previous street? Now I was totally confused. Was this guy a really, really good player setting a trap? Or was he just a bad player? For the size of the pot, it was an easy call, and I wasn't confident enough about my hand to shove.
The river was the 9 of spades. Again, the straight didn't really concern me but of course I was concerned about the flush. I checked. BB tanked for awhile. Then he asked to see my stack, to see how much I had behind. Gulp. Clearly he was going to put me all in. For the size of the pot, I'd be getting nearly 4 to 1, so I was probably pot committed there. I think I would have called if he had bet. I couldn't dismiss the possibility he was overplaying top pair. Not for 4 to 1.
But after thinking about it for a few more moments, he checked I was relieved, and assumed briefly if he had checked, my Aces were good.
Nope. After I showed my rockets he flipped over Queen/Jack of spades for the flush. He had flopped top pair with the flush draw, a very good hand. He took down a nice pot that cost me $146. I was in shock. No, not from the flush, I certainly feared that. I was shocked he hadn't made a value bet on the river. I even said to the dealer, "Why didn't he bet there?" I wasn't complaining, believe me. Just surprised. With no pair on the board, I guess he was concerned I had a bigger flush. Yeah, I could have raised preflop with AK of spades. Or a smaller suited Ace and raised pre trying to steal all the limpers' money.
I was both upset and relieved at the same time As grateful as I was I didn't get stacked, I just kept replaying the hand over and over in my mind, wondering if and where I went wrong.
Anyway, when I cashed out, I ran into the dealer. He finally answered my question. He didn't think the guy was a very experienced player, that's why he didn't bet the river. I guess so, the way he played the hand. I wished I'd seen his play more before the hand. So, I assume because I still had over $100, he didn't want to risk another $100 on the hand where he didn't have the nuts and he was going to win a nice pot even without the risky value bet.
But the fact that he was an inexperienced player only makes me more upset that I didn't figure out a way to outplay him and take his money.
Could I Have Gotten Away From this Hand?
Reviewed by asiana
Published :
Rating : 4.5
Published :
Rating : 4.5
