There are Some New Limit Hold’em Games in Las Vegas

There are some new limit hold’em games in town, and the dynamics and face of limit hold’em in Las Vegas have been transformed. Bellagio has modified its limits and structures from $8-$16, $15-$30, and $30-$60 to $10-$20, $20-$40, and $40-$80, with two-chip/four-chip blinds rather than the two-chip/three-chip structure of old. The changes have revitalized interest in limit hold’em in Vegas.

As I turned over my straight, my defeated opponent asked, “Why didn’t you raise?” “Action Sam” immediately chimed in with a wisecrack about me lifting up my skirt while I played. But raising should be done only when there is sound value attached to the play. The need to feel “macho” shouldn’t have anything to do with it. In fact, there are some damn-fine, aggressive female players out there these days!

Two players had limped in, and Action Sam put in his usual raise, folding the line of weak-tight pros sitting right behind him. I called from the small blind in this spirited $40-$80 game with the 10♣ 8♣. The big blind called, and so did both limpers. We took the five-way flop for $80 each, making the pot $400.

The flop was 10♦ 7♥ 6♦, giving me top pair, albeit with a weak kicker, and a gutshot-straight draw. While pondering whether to lead or check-raise, I thought about the value of each play and the probability that a check-raise would work. My hand was vulnerable; it was not one looking for callers, and not one to give away a free card, either.

Action Sam, the preflop raiser, being the frisky guy he is, was highly likely to bet, as he was in last position with a board that would have at least partially hit most of his hand range. Sam was highly likely to have either paired his holding or flopped some kind of draw. Seeking to live up to his nickname, he probably would bet as little as a gutshot from last position.

The fact that Action Sam was last to act and I was first was also a significant factor. If I succeeded in check-raising him, I would make it two bets cold to the rest of the field, thereby forcing them to either fold or call, and assume the risk of being trapped between raisers. Check-raising was the best play. I knuckled.

It was checked around to Action Sam, who dutifully fired. I check-raised, and was called by the big blind, a recreational player who was visiting Las Vegas. Sam also called after the other two players had folded.

The turn was the 9♥, giving me the straight, albeit a community one, in which any 8 made a straight. I fired $80, and was raised by Mr. Big Blind. Action Sam folded. I contemplated my options and thought about Mr. Big Blind’s possible range of hands. An 8 was highly likely, and if he held one, he also could have a flush draw with it. The likelihood of him holding a flush-draw freeroll was doubled because the board contained two suits. He also might possess J-8, giving him the nut straight; and he would play that hand suited from the big blind. He also might have a non-straight hand that he thought was good, like two pair or a slow-played set. However, I questioned whether he would play either of those hands in that manner.

Stone-cold bluffs were also in his range. I had seen him get caught bluff-raising in a couple of previous pots, and there were other pots in which I had suspected that he might not hold the hands that he had represented, but the hands were not shown.

After analyzing his range, I felt the best play was to call. If he held an 8 without a flush draw or higher straight draw, reraising had no value, as we would split the pot. If he held an 8 with a flush draw, reraising him would have negative value. If he had J-8, reraising would have huge negative value. If he had a legitimate non-straight hand, reraising would have value only if he called my river bet and was planning on checking if I checked. But I thought that scenario was not very likely. If he was on a bluff, reraising would win me the pot right there unless he had outs. But even if he had outs, reraising would make the same amount only if he missed and folded the river, and didn’t bluff the river; and I would lose more if he made his hand.

In almost all of the plausible scenarios, flat-calling was the best play. I flat-called, and was thinking, “Black, black; turn a black one.” My prayers were answered when the 3♣ hit on the river. I checked, he bet, and I flat-called. He turned over the 9♠ 6♠, having made two pair on the turn, thus evoking the slurs. Nonetheless, stacking the pot felt pretty good.

This hand speaks to playing your hand in a manner that yields the greatest value based on your read of your opponent’s range of hands. Had I reraised the turn, in the “current scenario,” I would have gained an extra bet if Mr. Big Blind called the river. I also might have gotten a call if I had check-raised the river. But if I raised the river, I also might have lost two more bets if he held J-8. Since I didn’t think it was likely that he would pay off a raise with a hand I could beat, the risk of being reraised was greater than the gain from raising. Of course, after seeing my opponent’s hand, raising was probably a better play. But you can make decisions based only on the information that you have at the decision point; and my decision was correct based on his potential range of hands, which is all that I can ever ask of myself. ♠

Roy Cooke played poker professionally for 16 years prior to becoming a successful Las Vegas real-estate broker/salesman in 1989. Should you wish to get any information about real-estate matters — including purchase, sale, or mortgage — his office number is (702) 396-6575, and his e-mail address is [email protected]. His website is www.roycooke.com. You also may find him on Facebook.