Recently I was playing in a $50,000 buy-in no-limit hold'em game in Las Vegas. The blinds started out at $200-$400, but a mere two hours into the game, they were kicked up to $500-$1,000. Rebuys were $50,000 a pop, and that made this particular game the biggest no-limit hold'em game that I have ever played in. However, when I played on the excellent
GSN (
Game Show Network) television show
High Stakes Poker (showing weekly right now), the buy-in was $100,000, and the blinds were $300-$600 with a $100 ante. So, the games were comparable in size, except for the fact that the $50,000 buy-in game had no professionals in it, and thus it played bigger.
In any case, a great hand came up during play. With the blinds at $500-$1,000, Player A opened for $4,000, Player B called from the small blind, and Player C called, as well, with J-10. The flop was J
10
4
, Player B checked, and Player C checked. Player A bet $15,000, Player B called, and Player C announced, "I raise." Player C raised it $45,000 more, Player A folded, and Player B called instantly, saying, "I call"; but, strangely, Player B didn't put any chips into the pot, which is OK, as verbal declarations stand. On the turn, the 9
hit, and now Player B quickly announced, "I'm all in."
Player C studied awhile - with his top two pair - while counting down his own chip stack. He had more than $150,000 in chips left in front of him, and he was faced with a tough decision. What would you do with J-10 here? Player B is capable of any of the three following moves: slow-playing a huge hand like a flush on the flop, making a huge bluff, or betting a straight. If Player C called and was beat, he could pretty much kiss his $150,000 goodbye, unless he hit the 10-to-1 shot (a jack or a 10) and made a full house. Of course, most of us would fold this hand, unless we had a strong read on our opponent. After all, it is rare that someone bluffs this much money, and equally rare that another player could make that call.
That's why I give Player C so much credit for making a great call. It all came down to his read of Player B, and he thought that Player B was bluffing and he had the heart to put the $150,000 into the pot. It would have been easy for Player C to fold and go on with the rest of his evening with $150,000 left in front of him; in fact, he still would have been winning $100,000. So, Player C made a great call, but he still wasn't out of the woods, as Player B flipped up the A
Q
.
Player B had 15 outs: nine spades, three kings, and three eights. Player C had the rest of the deck to win, 29 cards. So, Player C was less than a 2-to-1 favorite (29-to-15) to win the approximate $450,000 pot. When the 3
came off on the river, Player C's great call had paid off for him. I must say that I give Player B credit for making a tough $150,000 bluff. It takes a lot of heart to shove in $150,000 on a bluff! However, I would have liked his play even more if he had pushed all in on the flop. If he had moved all in on the flop after Player C's $45,000 raise, he would have been almost even money to win the pot (roughly a 50 percent chance) against Player C's hand. And this way, he represents to Player C that he has a made flush.
I also had an interesting decision to make that night. While holding 5-5, the flop was 9
8
5
, and I bet big and was called by two players, including Player B. The turn was the 4
, and now Player B bet out $20,000. While raising was the obvious move to clear out any flush draws and/or straight draws, I decided to wait for one more card to come off. I just called, because maybe Player B was weak and would bluff the river. Or, maybe Player B was strong, but not strong enough to beat my hand, and would bet the river. The river was the 4
(9-8-5-4-4), and now Player B made his second-biggest bet of the night, $60,000. The 4
was one of the best cards that I could think of, so I counted down my stack and found that I had another $65,000. As I counted down, I was thinking, "Should I move all in here or not?" It seems like an easy all-in move most of the time, but then again, it was Player B's second-biggest bet of the entire night! I didn't want to have to rebuy, but the right move is the right move. If I had had another $200,000, I wouldn't have moved all in, but for $65,000, I believed I had to pull the trigger.
I moved all in, and Player B folded his hand fairly quickly, mumbling that he had a pair of eights.
Making a great call is all about reading your opponent perfectly, having guts, and having a big heart.
