A Tough $40 - $80 Hold'em Hand

I was playing in a $40-$80 hold'em game at The Mirage in Las Vegas when the following hand came up. Since the hands involved actual players, I have changed their names to protect their identities. The game was loose-aggressive and the hand involved the following three players: Chen (the big blind), Brad (the cutoff seat), and Glen (the button). Chen is a loose-aggressive player who goes on tilt when he takes a bad beat. He likes to make random raises with a wide variety of weak holdings, trying to get his opponents to fold or maybe get lucky and make a hand. Brad is a solid, winning player. Glen is loose-passive and plays more like a low-limit hold'em player. Glen's primary post-flop strategy is to check and call while hoping for the best. Brad had the 8 8, and everyone folded to him.



QUESTION NO. 1: What should he do?

Answer: Raise. His hand figures to be the best with only three players remaining, and it is important to drive out the button so that he can act last if the blinds choose to play. Limping in would be bad since he would be inviting the button and blinds to come into the hand cheaply, making it quite likely that he would be outdrawn if he didn't flop a set. With this hand, you are very vulnerable to overcards, so you want the pot to be shorthanded, or you want several players involved so that you are getting good pot odds to flop a set. Playing this hand against three opponents, with one of them having position over you, is very undesirable.



Brad raised, Glen called, the small blind folded, and Chen made it three bets.



Question No. 2: What is Brad's play?

Answer: He should just call. If four-betting would get Glen out of the hand, it would be the right play. But Glen is already halfway in with two bets, so he will call, hoping it doesn't get capped and praying that he catches a good flop. The other problem with four-betting is that Chen may cap the betting. Pocket eights is not a good enough hand even in this situation to pay five bets to take a flop. While Chen is loose-aggressive, this fact does not preclude him from having a premium hand. Brad should just call and see what the flop brings.



Brad called, as did Glen. There were 10 small bets in the pot. The flop arrived with the Q Q 2, giving Brad two pair.



Chen came out betting. There were 11 small bets in the pot.



Question No. 3: How should Brad respond?

Answer: He must raise. Chen's bet means nothing, since he three-bet preflop and a bet at this point is almost automatic. It would be premature for Brad to put Chen on trip queens. But it is critical for Brad to get Glen out of the hand, since Brad's pocket eights are very vulnerable to overcards. Glen will almost certainly fold any overcards he might have, and will call only if he has made a pair or trips, or started with a pocket pair. This is actually a decent flop for Brad's hand, since no one is likely to have a queen and his eights are a good second pair.



Brad raised. Glen thought for a while and reluctantly called. Chen immediately made it three bets. There were 18 small bets in the pot.



Question No. 4: What should Brad do?

Answer: He should call. This now looks ominous. Brad's first concern is Glen, who just called two bets cold. There is no flush draw or straight draw on this flop. Glen's reluctance to call the initial raise seems to indicate that he does not have a queen. The only other possibility for Glen is that he has a pocket pair. Brad can rule out pocket aces or kings, since even Glen would three-bet preflop with these hands. Glen would cold-call a preflop raise with pocket jacks through pocket deuces. But with pocket deuces, Glen would not be reluctant to call, having flopped a full house. So, this leaves five pocket pairs lower than eights and three pocket pairs higher than eights. Now, what about Chen? Even Chen must have something to keep pounding the pot like this. Nevertheless, Brad is getting 18-to-1 pot odds to call and take off a card. His two-outer is a 23-to-1 shot, but if he turns an 8, he will collect some big double bets on the turn and river, which are more than enough to make up for the shortfall. There is also a chance that Brad's hand is still the best, and that things may slow down on the turn, where prices double.



Brad called, as did Glen. The card on the turn was the 4. Chen came right out betting. There were 11 big bets now in the pot.



QUESTION NO.5: What is Brad's play?

ANSWER: He should fold. The pot odds are now only 11-to-1, and it is too likely to be playing two outs at this point, especially with Glen still in the hand. Even loose-aggressive players like Chen get hands from time to time, just like the rest of us. When this happens, they bet and raise with their good hands, as well. Chen can see the board just as clearly as Brad can. Even without a queen, he still could have a bigger pocket pair than Brad's. Now, when you throw Glen into the mix with his pocket pair, it is not worth calling. If Glen raises, Brad will have to fold. The other problem is, what should Brad do on the river if he misses and Chen continues betting? He will be tempted to call again because of the pot odds he will be getting. So, he could be investing two big bets only to find out that he was playing two outs.



Brad called, as did Glen. There were 13 big bets in the pot. The river was the 9. Chen bet.



Question No. 6: What should Brad do?

Answer: Having failed to fold on the turn when he should have, Brad should call here since he is getting 14-to-1 pot odds. He may have Chen beat, and Glen is an unknown quantity at this point because all he has done is simply called. Of course, this is typical of Glen.



Brad called, Glen now raised, Chen three-bet, Brad folded, and Glen just called. Chen showed the A Q for trip queens with an ace kicker. Glen showed the 9 9 for a full house on the river.



Question No. 7: Despite losing the hand, was it better for Brad that Glen won the hand or would it have been better for Chen to have won the hand?

Answer: It was much better for Glen to win the way he did by hitting a two-outer on the river than for Chen to have his hand hold up. Now, Chen will go on full tilt and Brad will be one of the main benefactors.

Jim Brier has co-authored a book with Bob Ciaffone titled Middle Limit Hold'em Poker. It is available at www.CardPlayer.com. Jim can be reached at [email protected].