After an always superb dinner at Fernando's where I witnesses a couple of diner's wearing Poker Stars tops it was off to the Grand Waldo for a look-around.
After locating the Poker room I thought I'd give myself forty minutes to check out the play and get a feel for the place with a view to returning some other time when more time was available.
Two games were on offer 10/20 and 25/50. I opted for the the 10/20 of course. Minimum buy-in was HK$400 and maximum buy-in $2000. With a couple of jugs of sangria and the potential involvement of some APPT involvees I decided to err on the side of caution and bought in for $1,000 and a new table was set-up.
Initially six people at the table. Three Americans and two Chinese guys.
I start off in middle position and fold my way the first round and a half getting a feel for the table. I note a show-down of two pairs where one player slow-played two-pair on the flop and then bet out on the turn. The Chinese player called the raise and checked it down on the river when an Ace landed which gave him two pairs (he had previously called a turn bet with bottom pair). An under-the-gun raise from one of the Americans is called by his buddy in the big-blind.
Its checked down the whole way. UTG shows TT and big blind shows 44.
My first action is after 3 limpers and I have K9s on the button. I pump it up to $140 and get one call only from the initial limper. Its A93 flop and he leads for $200. I suspect he has a weaker Ace but don't think its a time to come over the top just yet so let it go.
A few round later and there are two limpers in front of me and I pop it up to $120 with pocket sixes. The same middle aged Chinese guy makes it $320 to go. I'm playing with less than $900 now so I don't have anything like the implied odds I need to flop a set and its an easy fold. I'm feeling sober now and starting to regret playing with half a stack as it means I should adjust my play. The table now fills up to eight people again meaning I should adjust to a more full ring strategy - something I'm pretty rusty on (maybe calling with the sixes would have been better.)
On the button again and with two limpers and I make it $120 to go with KJ. The same Chinese opponent makes a call and we are heads-up.
He checks it to me on a QTx rainbow flop.
I bet $180 and he folds after a small pause and I take down my first pot.
Mrs Phillberto comes up to check on my progress and my stack is hovering around $930.
Shortly afterwards there are a five limpers in front of me and I look down at Pocket Cowboys.
I make it $160 to go. Its folded around pretty fast until the cut-off, a youngish Chinese guy new to the table, who makes the call.
Now $430 in the pot and I have $770 remaining. No Ace I think.
Flop comes AJT rainbow and its checked to me.
Ouch. A pretty horrible flop for me.
He didn't have the odds to call for set-value although I can't assume he knows that. He didn't raise so an Ace with a medium kicker could well have hit him. Pocket Tens or Jacks may also be possible or even a speculative call with JTs that he didn't want to fold.
I check behind probably now happy to get to a free showdown and maybe beat pocket 8s.
The turn brings a K - giving a full rainbow flop and he leads for $300.
Pot now at $730 giving me practically a pot sized bet left.
Trips for me but it also means one card to a straight.
$300 to call. If he has a Queen then if I fill-up for a full house I will get his stack so $300 to win just shy of $2,000. 11 outs and 2 for a split. Approx 3-1 with 2.5 pot odds and implied odds definitely making it a call. Its of course very possible I still have him beat.
AK is of course very unlikely. AJ and AT are possible which now have crushed and trip Tens is also virtually drawing dead. Its looking like a way ahead/way behind situation so I elect to just call.
The river brings a 2 so the board is essentially unchanged and he puts me all-in fairly quickly.
$430 behind and a pot of $1890 at stake.
4.4-1 pot odds against an unknown player.
My big pre-flop bet means he should be worried I have trips or the straight unless he has the Queen himself. I reckon there has to be a strong chance he has it.
So the question is what other hands could he be willing to get it all-in with? I'll be astonished if he showed up with Aces there. Tens are possibilities, Jacks slightly less so and Queens even less likely. Most people would raise pre-flop after so many limpers though with all three pairs. AJ or AT are possibilities. I would have liked him to give some more thought to his river bet though.
He really has to put me on a big hand here if he is a thinking player.
I have a big hand none-the-less and big pot odds and I make the call.
So what is the thinking then?
Easy call?
A tough call but given the pot odds it has to be made?
Time for a brave fold?
Call An unknown player could well turn up with A8 here?
A pretty tough spot for me.
So have a guess what happened.
A. I make the call and he shows a Queen
B. I make the call and he shows A2.
C. I make the call and he shows TT.
D. I make the fold and he tells me he had AQ. I cash out with half my buy-in intact.
E. I make the fold and don't ask what he had and then lose it all reraising allin pre with AK.
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6 comments:
You already said you made the call.....
Anyway from what I've heard a call should be enough to beat his pair of tens...
Indeed I did. Decided to add the multi-choice element later.
He showed AQ to felt me.
I still have a nagging feeling that I could have got away with half my stack left. I then tell myself that for those pot odds I couldn't fold. I then think though that any other hand would have had to have given some thought to the river push.
I actually made my decision on the turn that I was calling of my stack so I called it off right away.
So how much more money would I have needed behind me to find a fold? A full buy-in and could have let it go I'm sure.
I'll edit the text now.
Nothing worse than knowing you are probably beat but having to call off your stack because you can't be sure.
I presume you would never ever lay that down then?
But why not make a pot-sized continuation bet on the flop? Betting the pot here should clear out any straight draws and if he calls or raises then you can assume he's got at least an ace or two pair or a weak set. Then when the K comes on the turn you know you're leading.
Its a pretty hefty raise from him to call after limping so it actually is almost like a reraised pot given the stack sizes.
The texture of the flop was pretty horrible for me. It would also be pretty scary for my opponent. If he has an Ace or trips I am drawing with 6 outs. If he has an underpair eg 99 then he is drawing to 2 outs. If I am ahead its unlikely he is putting any money in. Basically I fold out hands I beat. I had trips here I may well check to make sure I get at least a bet out of Ax. If he has trips I'll likely get his stack.
The problem with the K arriving and him then showing interest in the pot meant I didn't know if it was the fact the King helped him (ie a straight) or he was slowplaying before expecting me to bet. It could have been either and anyway I had plenty of outs.
The river bet was the tricky decision. If he had two pairs the river would look pretty scary to him and thus reduce the chance of him shoving. I almost certainly had Top two pair or better so I guessed that he also could beat two pairs and that he had trips or a Queen.
Can you clarify the positions here?
5 limpers in front of you, so you are seat 8, and the cutoff is seat 9?
How many at the table by that point?
Don's C-bet suggestion is interesting, not sure if I would have the guts to do it in that situation live.
I was on the button. The cut off had limped (after four previous callers) and was the only person to call my raise.
According to Sklansky there are three reasons to bet.
1 - You have the winning hand.
I didn't think I did have. Measuring his most likely range. Say AQ-AT and medium pairs 77-JJ I reckoned to be behind.
2. To get a stonger hand to fold. -- Will he fold AK. No. AQ. Unlikely if he was willing to call a raise with it. AJ or AT with two pairs. Even A9 suited can't give up there. Fold Trips - no way. Everything else I am beating so no need to bet.
3. To not give draws the odds to chase.
- No flush draws. What two pairs could he hit Jx Tx. If he does have a J or T its likely to be AJ, AT or JT all of which hit.
KQ has the flush. AK, AQ I am already behind. QJ/QT is unlikely. There only are two Kings left and if it gives him the straight I have odds to fill up.
I don't have to chase out draws so I think a check is better. If I checked with trips which is perfectly possible then I can still get it allin with two bets.
If he wants to get it allin without an overbet then he has to make a move first giving me some information.
The King landing is horrible because it not only gives him the nuts but also moves my hand ahead of others in his range. Enough to mean I win sometimes and enough to justify my call.
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