Card Player Pro

In my recent videos for Card Player Pro, I’ve reviewed several high-stakes sessions with the help of another top online poker professional — Aaron “aejones” Jones. Together, we’ve looked at some big hands that I’ve played at high stakes, and each given our strategy perspectives on the hands. This hand comes from one of our online session reviews.

I opened with the 5 5 to $30 from the cutoff in a $5-$10 no-limit hold’em game with an ante. The button, a talented, aggressive regular, reraised me to $110, and the big blind, an unknown, flat-called $110. The action was back to me.

Aaron and I discussed what we should do preflop. We both agreed that with a stack of 200 big blinds and a multiway pot, we can call the reraise and hope to flop a set. However, calling here isn’t always “standard.” So many players see a pocket pair and a reraise, and say, “I have implied odds to flop a set!” Then, they mindlessly call. This is just wrong. Playing small pairs out of position against aggressive players with deep stacks is a losing play. You rarely flop a set, and even when your small pair is the best hand, good opponents will be run you off your hand post-flop. The reason I was able to call here was because I viewed the big blind as being a weak player who would make mistakes post-flop, and the button and I had an aggressive history. If I hit a big flop in this specific instance, I figured I could win a huge pot.

Heads up against just the button, I’d fold. For $80 more, I called.

The flop came down 6 6 5. I flopped a full house.

The big blind checked, and I checked. Aaron and I both agreed that giving the button a chance to bet either for value or as a bluff would be the best play. It also gives the big blind a chance to put extra money in the pot, and builds the pot in case someone has a strong second-best hand. Even if it is checked through, we’re really not worried about giving a free card.

The button bet $210, the big blind called, and I put in a check-raise to $540.

It’s important to pay attention to bet-sizing in spots like this. Inexperienced players will see a big pot forming and will want to pump as much money in as they can. The truth is, if someone has a monster (trip sixes), we’re going to win a big pot anyway; so, we need to focus on my opponents having weaker hands (one pair, A-K high), and make sure that we extract value from those hands, as well. Thus, $540 is small enough to keep one-pair hands in, but big enough to let us get all in on the turn or river.

The button called the raise, and the big blind folded.

The turn was the 10.

Aaron and I disagreed on what the best play should be here. I decided to check — but looking back on it, I agree with Aaron that going all in is by far the best play.

By check-raising the flop and then checking the turn, I tried to represent weakness. I wanted my opponent to think that I was check-raise bluffing on the flop, and now was giving up on my failed bluff. But I’d never take this line if I was actually bluffing. If I’m bluffing, I want my opponent to fold, and the only way I can get him to fold is to bet. While not obvious to novice players, by checking the turn, I signaled to my opponent that I probably had a strong hand. There’s a much better chance that he puts me on a bluff if I shove the turn rather than wait until the river.

The river was the 7, and I moved all in.

With $1,338 left and $1,661 in the pot, I had no choice here but to shove. Unfortunately, given how the board came, it’s very hard to get paid. The only time that he’s going to call this bet is when he puts me on a massive bluff that didn’t bet the turn. However, since it’s so rare that I’d ever take this line as a bluff, I can only hope that he thinks I’m crazy and calls anyway.

Against a weak player, I can probably get a crying call out of K-K or A-A, but against a talented pro, I’m rarely getting looked up. My opponent tanked for a bit, and folded.

When playing monster hands, you need to keep in mind what hands you want to get action from, and what you are representing with your actions. In this hand, I wanted to represent weakness, but given my flop play and river play, I didn’t tell a proper bluffing story. Against good hand-readers, you need to be very aware of what you’re representing with your actions, and you must keep your bets in line with the story that you want to tell.

To watch Dani Stern comment on and play this hand, point your browser to Card Player Pro, the complete online poker training site, at www.CardPlayer.com/link/Ansky-1.