Poker Hand of the Week: 4/9/15You Decide What's The Best Play |
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Give us your opinion in the comments section below for your chance at winning a six-month Card Player magazine digital subscription.
Ask any group of poker players how you played your hand and they’ll come up with dozens of different opinions. That’s just the nature of the game.
Each week, Card Player will select a hand from the high-stakes, big buy-in poker world, break it down and show that there’s more than one way to get the job done.
The Scenario
There are three players left in a mid-stakes regional tournament. You are currently in second place with 769,000 at blinds of 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante. You are considered to be the most inexperienced player left at the table.
The chip leader with 774,000 opens to 32,000 from the button. The small blind, who started the hand with 679,000, folds. You look down at 8
6
in the big blind and decide to take a flop.
The flop is 10
54 and you check. Your opponent bets 42,000. Knowing your opponent will continuation bet with pretty much any two cards in this spot, you check-raise to 120,000 with your gutshot straight draw. Your opponent calls.
The turn is the 7, giving you the nuts. You have 620,000 remaining and your opponent has you covered by just 5,000. The pot size is currently 318,000.
The Questions
Do you check or bet? What is the best way to earn maximum value in this spot? If betting how much? If checking, what is your plan for the river? Given the fact that your opponent called a check raise on the flop, what kind of hand could he be holding? Should you be weary of the flush draw on board?
What Actually Happened
At the 2015 Card Player Poker Tour Atlantis main event in Reno, Nick Weinberg opted to move all in for 620,000 holding 86 on a board of 10547.
His opponent, Jesse Rockowitz, called with A10 for top pair, top kicker, but was drawing dead. The inconsequential river card was the 4 and Weinberg doubled up. Rockowitz was left with just 5,000 and was eliminated in third place shortly afterwards.
Rockowitz earned $17,400 for his third-place finish. Weinberg went on to win the tournament and the $38,625 first-place prize.
What would you have done and why? Let us know in the comments section below and try not to be results oriented. The best answer will receive a six-month Card Player magazine digital subscription.
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