Paying Off at The Mirage

Prior to the opening of Bellagio, I spent many years playing at The Mirage. It still has a beautiful poker room there, although the games are not as high as they once used to be. The room rates are lower than Bellagio's, and the facility is still one of the nicest in Vegas; among many other wonderful features, its pool is a gem. Cardroom Manager Donna Harris has done a great job of playing the hand she was dealt, and the room has improved continuously and tremendously over the last several years. I consider it one of the world's nicest poker rooms.

I stop by The Mirage every now and then for nostalgic reasons and to see old friends. As a general rule, the highest hold'em game is $20-$40, although the stud games run higher, including a fast-playing $40-$80 game daily and higher limits sometimes. The games seem to be softer than those of comparable limits at Bellagio. Recently I stopped in and played a few hands, and had a few cups of tea served by some friendly waitresses I had known for many years. It felt good to be in an old home of mine.

I was in a $20-$40 hold'em game that was very loose and generally passive, with the exception of one tourist who seemed to be schizophrenic. He played tight but aggressive for a while, and then occasionally did something wacko without any rhyme or reason. Overall, he appeared to have pretty good judgment, although time and again he did something totally ignorant. This made him a very hard read.

Another player limped in, the schizoid limped in, and the button raised. I peeked down to see the A 3 in the small blind, and called. The big blind called, the two limpers called, and we took the flop off fivehanded.

The flop came Q-5-2 with two diamonds. There were two ways to play this hand. I could lead into the field, but if I led, I would probably have to make a hand to win the pot. If I did connect, and there were lots of cards to enable me to do so, this would probably get me the best possible price on the hand. Or, I could check-raise the preflop raiser, hoping to fold the field and increase my chances of winning the pot by either driving out a better ace or firing through against a thinner field.

The player on the button was tight-aggressive, and certain to autobet any hand in that spot if it was checked to him. He also respected me and would not pay me off without a legitimate hand. I decided that my best play was to check-raise the button. I checked, it was checked around to him, and he fired. I check-raised, and a bad thing happened: The wacko called, and the button folded. I was heads up with the wacko.

The turn card was the 6. It was a rough spot. I didn't like his call. He had to have something, and I was out of position. If he had a hand and I checked, he would probably bet and I would have to call. Betting would have some advantages, as I could catch a scare card on the river, or he might be drawing and my hand could be good. I also could get raised. It was a close decision. In most cases in which a decision is close, I lean toward betting, because making a mistake that costs you a bet is not that critical, yet making a mistake that costs you a pot with this many bets in it is very critical. I bet and the wacko called.

The river brought the Q, pairing the top card on the board. I was unsure of where I stood in the hand. I had shown strength, and thought he might have been drawing to a pair and might fold, as I had seen him do that before. I had not played the hand as if I were drawing, and I thought he thought I had something. I bet, hoping for a fold.

Bad news – he raised me! My first instinct was to muck, but it seemed like a strange raise. He shouldn't think I had an overpair to the board. If he put me on a better hand than his on the turn, I should have a better hand now. He seemed like he knew enough about poker to know this. He might have trapped with a big hand and waited until the river to raise, or he might be bluffing. Often when I find myself in unusual hand-reading situations, the player either has a huge hand or is bluffing. I decided to pay this one off. To my delight, he mucked his hand without showing it, and I took the pot without showing mine.

Paying off is a delicate decision, particularly in situations such as this one, when your hand is very weak and can beat only a bluff. You must weigh saving a bet against the number of bets in the pot. Making the mistake of throwing away a winner can be very costly when considering the number of bets in the pot. That said, however, if you routinely call every pot, going broke is in your future. I analyze every situation independently, and ask myself questions. Is the player capable of making a play in the current situation? Is he someone with a propensity to bluff? How has the hand played up until now? Can he have the hand that he is representing? Analyze the price the pot is laying you and try to determine if paying off is worth the price. Sometimes even when the pot is huge, the price is far too small. But, keep in mind that while those extra bets saved add up at the end of the year, those lost pots can add up to a much greater sum much quicker!

I posted a nice little win in my visit to The Mirage, loved seeing old friends, and left impressed, as always, with Donna Harris. I'll be visiting again.

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