Poker Hand Matchup: Kazu Oshima vs. Joe Serock
Kazu Oshima	Win Pre-Flop	Win Post-Flop	Win Post-Turn
Starting Stack: 325,000	57.43 %	61.92 %	75.0 %	Winner!
Joseph Serock	Win Pre-Flop	Win Post-Flop	Win Post-Turn
Starting Stack: 1,175,000	42.0 %	38.08 %	25.0 %

Posted On: Mar 12, 2014

Outcome

Preflop, with the blinds at 6,000 and 12,000 and a 2,000 ante, Serock raised to 26,000 from the button, and Oshima called in the big blind. On the flop Oshima checked, Serock bet 23,000, Oshima raised to 53,000, and Serock called. On the turn Oshima bet 60,000, and Serock called. On the river Oshima went all-in, and Serock called 184,000.

Analysis

Playing weak Aces out of the blinds can be tough against experienced players like Serock, but Oshima stepped up with a nice check-raise bluff. He anticipated Serock’s continuation bet and counteracted his positional disadvantage with a well executed move. Serock made a bit of a loose call, he had only a gutshot straight draw but he had a mound of chips and position on future streets. Oshima reiterated strength on the turn, mounting a a semibluff that functioned both offensively and defensively. Oshima’s turn bet was sized just above his previous check-raise, so he was setting a relatively cheap price for his nut flush draw to get to the river. Serock had improved slightly, now he held the open-ended draw. Serock knew he was about a 4:1 dog to make his straight, and facing Oshima’s 60,000 bet there was 236,000 in the pot. With the math almost there and the potential implied odds for a completed draw on the river, Serock pursued. Unbeknownst to him, his hole cards were live outs to pairs as well if he could hit, and Oshima relented on the river with a check. In reality he was a 3:1 dog, not the 4:1 that the lone straight draw would have made him. Serock made his straight on the river but ran into Oshima’s nut flush. Oshima had traced one of the funnest lines in no limit hold ’em, bluff the flop, semibluff the turn, and value shove the river. Ultimately Oshima ended up in 9th for $100,480, while Serock finished in 10th for the same paygrade.