World Poker Open Hands - Part III

This is the third in a series of columns covering some instructive hands that were played at the World Poker Open in Tunica, Mississippi. Since these hands involve actual players, I have changed their names to protect their identities. The hands are laid out in a question-and-answer format so that you can decide for yourself what you would do before seeing what actually happened.

Harry, a friend of mine, was in the big blind in a 10-handed $20-$40 game with the K J. A tight player by the name of Tom limped in from early position. It was folded around to Dick in the small blind, who plays loosely before the flop and somewhat unconventionally after the flop. Dick is a tricky player but not a bad one. Dick raised.

Question No. 1: What is your action if you are Harry?

Answer: Call. You are getting almost 5-to-1 pot odds to take a flop with your moderate hand. It is a reasonable call because Dick might be raising with a wide range of hands, many of which are worse than yours. Had the players been reversed, with Dick limping in and Tom raising, a fold would have been in order, since Tom figures to have a good hand in this situation. Three-betting has some advantages because it might get Tom to fold a better hand, like K-Q or A-J. The problem is that Dick may have a good hand and your position is bad, so calling is probably best.

Harry called, as did Tom. There were six small bets in the pot. The flop arrived with the J 9 2, giving Harry top pair with an excellent kicker and a backdoor-flush draw. Dick came out betting.

Question No. 2: What would you do?

Answer: Of course, you should raise. Your hand is probably the best and you want to drive out Tom if he happens to have an ace, a queen, or a 9. Merely calling with the intention of raising on the turn is bad, because it gives Tom good pot odds to remain with all kinds of hands.

After Harry raised, Tom folded and Dick called. There were now 10 small bets in the pot. The turn was the 4. Dick bet. There were six big bets in the pot.

Question No. 3: What now?

Answer: Dick's bet is a little confusing. This card does not figure to have helped him. With a strong hand like two pair, Dick would have three-bet on the flop or maybe tried for a check-raise here on fourth street. Dick may be betting for one of two reasons: He may have top pair and not want to give you a free card if you are drawing. The flop had both a two-flush and two high cards just one gap apart. The other possibility is that he has picked up some kind of draw and is semibluffing. In either case, your hand is still the best. Therefore, you should raise. Note also that raising may prevent Dick from betting the river, giving you a free showdown if you wish.

Harry raised and Dick called. The river was the 8. Dick checked. There were nine big bets in the pot.

Question No. 4: Should you bet or check?

Answer: This river card creates both straight and flush possibilities. There are several hands that Dick could hold that give him a better hand than yours. Dick may have a couple of diamonds for the flush, Q-10 offsuit or even 10-7 suited for a straight. Hands like J-8 suited and 9-8 suited give Dick two pair, and he is loose enough preflop that he would raise with these hands from the button. Betting will make money only when Dick has specifically Q-J or J-10. Many of the other possibilities result in (a) Dick folding a worse hand, (b) Dick calling with a better hand, like A-J, or © Dick check-raising with a hand like two pair or better. You should check and be happy if your hand holds up.

Harry bet and Dick raised. There were 12 big bets in the pot.

Question No. 5: What is your action?

Answer: You have to call given the pot odds and the fact that you have to catch Dick bluffing only one time in 11 to show a profit.

Harry called, and Dick won with the A 9 for a backdoor diamond flush.

I think Harry played well until the river. His river bet was a major blunder that cost him $80, or about two hours' pay for a pro working at this level. Harry failed to fully comprehend the kind of player he was up against. Dick's play was consistent with someone who plays a loose-aggressive style preflop and is deceptive post-flop. Dick raised preflop because he likes suited aces and he thought he could isolate Tom, who is a tight, predictable player. If Harry folded, Dick could probably bet Tom out of the hand at some point without having to make anything. Dick bet the flop since he had raised preflop, caught a piece of the board, and could win the pot outright against Harry and Tom. When he got raised, he was getting 9-to-1 pot odds. He had five outs to either two pair or trips, plus he had a backdoor-flush draw, which was worth about one out. A six-outer was about a 7-to-1 shot, so he was correct in calling Harry's raise, and this was assuming that Harry had top pair. If Harry was raising on a draw, Dick was playing the best hand. Dick then picked up the nut-flush draw on the turn, so he had to play to the river. On the river, he caught the best card he could have hoped for, since it gave him the nuts, and diamonds was not the flush suit on the flop. This enabled Dick to set a little trap for Harry. Dick knew Harry had a decent hand and might well bet the river if he checked. Dick also knew that Harry would have to pay him off when raised, since he was "pot stuck" at that point.

The moral of this story is that you need to consider the type of opponent you are facing and whether or not the river card is likely to have helped him if he was drawing.

Jim Brier has co-authored a book with Bob Ciaffone titled Middle Limit Holdem Poker. It is available through Card Player. To read Part I and Part II of this series, go to www.CardPlayer.com.