I Checked to Make an Extra Bet

The $30-$60 hold'em game I was in was comprised of a pretty solid group. The Friday night tourist crowd had yet to get off the planes and into the games. I looked down to see the 10 9 in second position under the gun. This is the type of holding with which I often like to make deceptive plays. If I hit the flop, no one will put me on the hand I make, and if bigger cards come, I can legitimately represent them. However, the situation has to be right. Making deceptive plays against players who will not fold no matter what, or who don't bother to read hands or don't have the ability to read hands is a waste of money.

I don't make plays with this kind of hand very often from early position unless the circumstances are just right. In this game, though, all of the pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit together nicely. The players were tight and knowledgeable. Also, the blinds were tight players, and the first player had folded. I slid $60 forward, raising the pot. A tight and tough player three-bet from two seats behind me. I knew this player had to have a very strong holding in order to three-bet after I had raised the pot from an early position. He had respect for me and for his chips. I put him on jacks or better, or A-K. The rest of the field folded, I called, and we took the flop heads up. I knew I was in a very bad spot, out of position with a significantly worse holding than my opponent's.

I got real lucky! The flop came 10-9-4 rainbow. I had flopped the top two pair. I checked, intent on check-raising, knowing that my opponent was sure to bet any holding with which he had three-bet preflop. He didn't disappoint me, and fired $30 into the center. I raised, and he called.

The turn card was an offsuit 5, making no flush draw possible. I thought about what my best play was, trying to get the best value out of my hand. I thought it was likely by the way he had played his hand that he had A-K, and if he didn't have A-K, he had played his hand in such a manner to make me think he had A-K. If he really had A-K, I knew from my past experiences with him that he would fold the turn for a bet. And I didn't want him to fold the turn if he had A-K, since he would be drawing dead to my holding. The bets that your opponents put into the pot when drawing dead have far more value than those put in when your opponents are drawing to win, even if that win draw is a mighty thin one.

If my opponent held an overpair, he might raise me if I bet; however, he might not pay me off with some of the smaller wired-pair hands if I three-bet the turn. And if he had an overpair, he would be drawing to eight wins over my holding, and the value of those bets I gained would be reduced due to the times I would lose the pot. If I checked, he would be forced to bet an overpair, and I could check-raise. If he held A-K, he might check or he might try to bluff. If he checked the turn, he was likely to call the river with ace high or bet if he hit an ace or a king, in which case I could check-raise.

I broke the problem down to individual hands. If my opponent had A-A or K-K and I bet, he would be likely to raise and I could reraise and probably get paid off. If I check-raised, I would get in one less bet, assuming I got paid off. That one bet, however, would be reduced in value, since my opponent could still suck out on me and win. Also, I could get away from my hand if an overpair beat me on the river, since his hand would be defined by his play on the turn.

If he held J-J or Q-Q, he would probably call me down if I bet and bet if I checked. He might fold J-J and possibly Q-Q if I check-raised, hands that I would be better off having him fold in the long run. If your opponent has a hand that is receiving the right price from the pot to draw out on your holding, you will do better in the long run if he mucks his hand.

If he held A-K, I would gain a bet if he bet the turn and folded when I raised. I would gain a bet if it induced a call from him on the river with ace high. And I would gain two bets if he caught an ace or a king on the river after I checked the turn and check-raised the river and he called (he would be just over 6-1 to catch an ace or a king on the river).

I checked the turn and my opponent checked behind me. A 4 came on the river. I bet and got called, and turned over my tens and nines. He mucked his hand without showing it. I assumed he had A-K. I had gained a dead bet by checking the turn. It didn't have to play out that way; in some scenarios, I would have lost value by checking the turn. But, I was very happy with the result of the hand.

Note the scenarios in which I gain value and the scenarios in which I lose value. Poker is a game in which you make a decision on the best overall play to make based on the range of your opponent's holdings. Often, the correct conclusion will be the wrong decision at that time. You must recognize that fact and resist the temptation to adjust your play to the way the cards are running. Make the decision that has the maximum earn potential, regardless of short-term past results!

It is also important that you learn how to gain bets by basing your decisions on the value of a bet, not the amount of a bet. Keep in mind your opponent's potential to win and adjust the value accordingly. Thinking in these terms requires practice. It took me years of experience to make good estimates in situations such as these. Some of the best minds in poker are able to come to exact numbers when calculating these types of equations. Learn to mathematically analyze various holdings. By that I mean, learn to calculate the mathematical odds of one holding against another. Make decisions based on these variables and you will be on your way to becoming a world-class player.

Editor's note: Roy Cooke played winning professional poker for 16 years. He is a successful real estate broker/salesperson in Las Vegas.