Some $40-$80 Hold'em Button Play

I was playing in a ninehanded $40-$80 hold'em game at The Mirage in Las Vegas recently when the following hand came up. Since the hand involved actual players, I have changed their names to protect their identities. This was a good game, with lots of loose players who didn't raise much but would go too far with hands. I was on the button with the K Q. Sitting in early position was Karen, while Larry was in middle position, and Eric was on my immediate right in the cutoff seat. These players were tourists and I did not have a good line on their play, but they seemed to be typical of the players in this game.



Karen limped in, as did Larry and Eric. There were four and a half small bets in the pot.



Question No. 1: What should I do?



Answer: Raise. This is a good hand that plays well in a multiway pot. Since no one raised ahead of me, I do not figure to be dominated by A-K or A-Q. The limpers probably have weaker hands than mine, and it is important to make them pay extra to take a flop. With a weaker hand like Q-J suited or a medium pocket pair, I would not raise, but just limp. With the former hand, I can easily be dominated, and with the latter, I need to flop a set to win. I have seen many players raise with any pocket pair in this situation. They argue that they will win a larger pot if they flop a set and may get a free card if everyone checks to them. I don't believe these advantages outweigh the cost of the raise.



Furthermore, with a medium or small pocket pair, you want the blinds in, not out, so a raise is counterproductive.



Occasionally, someone may three-bet, which further increases your cost to take a flop and might have the undesirable effect of driving out players.



I raised. The blinds folded and the limpers called. There were nine and a half small bets in the pot. The flop arrived with the J 9 6, giving me a gutshot-straight draw with any 10, a backdoor-flush draw, and two overcards. Karen checked. Larry bet and Eric called. There were 11.5 small bets in the pot.



Question No. 2: What is my play?



Answer: Raise. I have four outs to the nuts with any 10 and a king or a queen may be an out, so I could have as many as 10 outs. The backdoor-flush draw is worth about one out. Neither Karen nor Eric figure to have much, since Karen checked and Eric merely called. Raising maintains the initiative and may result in getting a free card on the turn. Many players prefer to simply call. They reason that they are drawing, and don't want to drive out players with a raise.



Furthermore, they fear a reraise, which increases their cost to draw. The only player who might be driven out is Karen, since she checked. But she might be folding regardless of whether or not I raise. Larry certainly will call and Eric is probably drawing, so he will call with all of that money in the pot. I would not be overly concerned about a reraise.



Someone who bets out in this situation frequently has nothing better than top pair. With two pair or better, many players might simply check to the raiser and then check-raise in order to get more money in the pot. Other players holding a strong hand might even check-call the flop and wait until the turn to raise. Since I raised preflop, my opponents expect me to bet the flop, especially one that is J-9-6 rainbow.



I raised. Karen folded, but Larry and Eric called. The turn was the 3. Both opponents checked. There were almost eight big bets in the pot.



Question No. 3: What now?



Answer: Bet. It is critical to fire a bet here. I have just picked up a flush draw, which gives me nine more outs, for a total of anywhere from 12 to 18 outs. Twelve outs give me either the second-nut flush or the nut straight. So, about 25 percent of the time I figure to win on the river. I have six more outs to top pair with an excellent kicker, which has a good chance of being the best hand. There is even an outside possibility that both Larry and Eric will fold now that the bet has doubled. They have no way of putting me on a draw. I raised preflop and on the flop, and I am now betting the turn. To them, it looks like I have a made hand, most likely an overpair or at least top pair, top kicker. It would be criminal to take a free card with such a lovely turn. I would be telling my opponents that I have nothing and am simply drawing. The worst that can happen is that I get check-raised. But if that occurs, I still have sufficient outs to a straight or a flush to merit continuing.



I bet. Larry folded and Eric reluctantly called. There were almost 10 big bets in the pot. The river was the 2. Eric checked.

Question No. 4: What is my play?



Answer: Bet. I probably cannot win a showdown with only king high. With almost $800 in the pot, it is worth risking another $80, hoping Eric will fold. Eric almost certainly will fold a busted draw. A busted draw is a very real possibility, given the fact that he has merely been calling the whole time. He might even fold something worse than top pair. Keep in mind that I have told a very consistent story with this hand. The story is that I have a big overpair or at least top pair, top kicker. From Eric's standpoint, I could even have a set.



I bet and Eric folded as he slammed down the A 10. "I can't catch a card to save my life," he whined.



Of course, in retrospect, I didn't have as many outs as I thought. This frequently is the case in hold'em, but that does not mean the play was wrong. Having position over the opposition creates lots of betting and raising opportunities that would not exist otherwise. This often enables you to represent a hand that you don't actually have.



Eric's call on the flop was poor. He was getting only about 10-to-1 pot odds, and all he had were three overcard outs (about a 15-to-1 shot) and some runner-runner possibilities. But his overcard outs will occasionally lose to a bigger ace or just a better hand. He is also being bet into with other players, including a preflop raiser, yet to act. He has a clear fold on the flop.

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