Playing on the Come

I was in poker heaven as the chips were flying in the Thanksgiving weekend $40-80 limit at Bellagio. A mixture of loose-playing tourists and aggressive pros were generating a hot action, pot-building combination. The game was a lot of fun.

It was the texture of game which makes me want to play more volume hands. Since the pots are large, many players are price-right to draw at medium strength hands, producing no equity value on those bets. But hands like suited big-flush draws and wired pairs tend to make big hands, which my opponents would be drawing thin to dead against, giving me a big edge on my bets. With these volume hands, I would prefer the preflop entry price to be small, but as long as I am getting significant multiway action, I am willing to pay a higher price.

I limped under the gun, holding the A 6 and was immediately raised by the local aggressive pro to my left. Four players called, including the big blind. I called, and we took off the flop for $80 each, six-handed with $500 already in the pot.

The dealer flopped the 8 5 4, providing me with the nut-flush draw, an ace overcard and a gutshot. The BB checked, it was my move, and I could play it in many ways. I “huddled” and mentally went through my options. I could check with the intent of check-raising, check with the intent of calling, check with the intent of making a decision when it came back to me, or I could lead right out.

Since leading or not would commit me either way, I mulled it over. If I led, the aggressive pro behind me would raise with any wired pair and might also raise with two overcards. The pot was large, and his raise could have the effect of folding a better ace or maybe even another six, giving me extra clean outs if Mr. Aggressive-Pro held a wired pair under aces. And, if I got another six to fold, it would prevent a split if an offsuit seven came off. Small percentage increases in winning the pot increase in value as the pot gets larger.

However, I might be able turn this pot into a massive one. The thought of stacking a monster felt good to me. But was it the correct play? Since you can never be sure how any hand will play out, you usually can’t precisely quantify your options. But, if you understand the applicable poker concepts and have a good feel for the game, your decisions should be generally correct.

Mr. Aggressive-Pro would bet 100 percent of his range if I checked. With four players to act behind him, I could get a read from the field and possibly from Mr. Aggressive-Pro about the strength of their hands. With that information I would know more when it got back to me than I did now. At that time I could assess my chances of successfully semi-bluffing or design strategies to acquire the best odds for my draw. With that in mind, I knuckled.

As expected, Mr. Aggressive-Pro fired a wager and was called by the next three players. Then the BB check-raised, making it two bets cold to me. The fact that Mr. BB’s hand range was strong enough to check-raise four players eliminated any thoughts of bluffing.

If I three-bet I brought the potential increase in equity from folding an ace or a six back into play. That said, if I flat-called and Mr. Aggressive-Pro held a big wired overpair he might three-bet it and obtain the same effect. Or, if I just called and Mr. Aggressive-Pro called too, the field would probably also just call and I would get 5-to-1 on my bets for the flop action, a high-equity scenario. My thinking gravitated to obtaining my best price to draw.

I flat-called the $80, not knowing what would occur behind me, but hoping to maximize my volume. Uncooperately, Mr. Aggressive-Pro three-bet, folding all but one of the callers. Mr. BB hit it again; I knew I needed to make a big hand to win. All three of us called the four-bet.

The turn was the K. Mr. BB led $80, I called and Mr. Aggressive-Pro raised it, folding the remaining flop caller. Mr. BB hit it again. I called the extra $160, knowing at this point that I was up against three kings held by Mr. Aggressive-Pro and a straight held by Mr. BB. “Turn a club,” I said to myself. “Just not the K or the 5,” I mumbled on in my head. I was trying to incorporate some mental telepathy with the dealer into my play of the hand. I know I’m incapable of telepathy, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

Amazingly, it didn’t work! The dealer rivered the J. “That’s not what I asked for,” I thought to myself. Mr. BB wagered, and Mr. Aggressive-Pro paid him off. Mr. BB turned over an offsuit 6-7 for the nut straight. Mr. Aggressive-Pro nodded as he threw his hand in. It was as if he called just to confirm something he already knew. I’ve done that more than a few times myself!

Well, I didn’t get to stack a big one. Matter of fact I fired off $480 on the hand. But I did my best to make good decisions. I considered my alternatives, thought about the value of blowing players out or letting them in, controlled what I could control and made sound judgements. And at the end of the day, that is all I can 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 any information about Real Estate matters-including purchase, sale or mortgage his office number is 702-396-6575 or Roy’s e-mail is [email protected]. His website is www.roycooke.com. You can also find him on Facebook.