Final Table Takedown: Chris Klodnicki

Hand One

Key Concepts: Using your image to represent a strong hand.

Craig Tapscott: This was a very strong final table. Very successful players surrounded you; Michael Mizrachi, Scott Clements, Joe Tehan, Sorel Mizzi, Noah Schwartz, David Williams and Jason Mercier. It was quite the murderer’s row. Did you have a plan of attack when you began the day?

Chris Klodnicki: I rarely have a set plan when I enter a final table, but usually have an idea of which type of play will be optimal for me given the situation. I entered the final table with an average stack and had Mizrachi and Tehan to my left. Everyone had over 100 big blinds except Clements, who had significantly fewer chips than the rest of us. Given the aggressive nature of Mizrachi and Tehan, and the sizable pay jump from fifth to fourth, I planned on playing tight and keeping pots small until Clements busted. After we were four-handed, I decided that tight play was probably best for me given my competition and the super-deep stacks.

Klodnicki raises to 25,000 on the button holding K 10. Lichtenberger three-bets to 80,000 and Klodnicki calls. 

CK: This is one of the first hands of heads-up play. I know he can three-bet a wide range of hands here, and my hand plays pretty well in position with deep stacks, so I called. Folding seemed a bit tight, and four-betting didn’t seem optimal in this situation.

Flop: A Q 6 (pot: 164,000)

Lichtenberger bets 77,000.

CK: Andrew makes a standard continuation bet. Normally, I would opt to float here with a gutshot and a backdoor-flush draw. But given my image at the time and Andrew’s aggressive nature, I thought raising would be better. 

Klodnicki raises to 200,000.

CT: What’s the plan by putting in the raise?

CK: Well, he knows I will be floating this flop a fair amount, so I expect him to double barrel much of the time and my hand can’t really stand a double barrel. By raising, I realize I am representing a super narrow range (A-Q, A-6, 6-6) and would only make this play against a very good or very bad player. I am expecting him to fold out most of his air and weaker hands. At this point, I haven’t decided whether I will continue with the bluff or not if he calls. 

Lichtenberger calls.

Turn: 3 (pot: 564,000)

Lichtenberger checks.

CK: The turn brings a flush draw. This is a pretty harmless card and should not change the hand strength for either of our hands. By calling my raise on the flop, Andrew is telling me he has a real hand. 

CT: What do you think he is calling your flop raise with?

CK: I figure his most likely holding is a pair of aces. He could be slowplaying a hand like A-A, Q-Q, 6-6, or A-Q as well, or he could be semi-floating out of position with a hand with J-T, K-J, or K-T hoping to take the pot with a bet on the river if I check back the turn. At this point, I make the decision to bet the turn and bet most rivers. 

Klodnicki fires 260,000. 

CK: I think he will often call the turn with one-pair hands, expecting that I will shut down on the river if I am bluffing. I bet just under half pot, which is pretty standard given the texture of the board. I probably could have bet a little more to better represent a very strong hand.

Lichtenberger calls.

River: 3 (pot: 1,084,000)

Lichtenberger checks. Klodnicki bets 550,000.

CT: Three strong bullets.

CK: Yes. At this point, I had pretty much made up my mind that I would bet most rivers. I did realize that Andrew could be slowplaying, but I think he more often has a one-pair hand, and I also am expecting him to fold a hand as good as A-K. The trey on the river changes nothing. I would probably have to give up if a six or queen comes. Also, maybe if the river is a king or ace.

CT: Any reasoning on your river bet sizing?

CK: I make a pretty standard value bet on the river. I could have overbet, but I thought in this situation the value bet would offer a greater risk/reward.

Lichtenberger mucks. Klodnicki wins the pot of 1,084,000.

CT: Any take on how Lichtenberger viewed your game or your image at the final table?

CK: I had played many hands with Andrew before this one, and I showed down mostly winners and was rarely caught bluffing. I also know that Andrew is capable of folding a big hand. I would not play this hand this way in most situations.

Hand Two

Key Concepts: Previous history with an opponent; Defining an opponent’s hand range.

Klodnicki raises to 40,000 from the button holding 10 10. Lichtenberger reraises to 105,000.

CK: This hand takes place during the second heads-up match after I had already won the first. At this point, I like my hand just enough to try to get it in preflop. Andrew and I had many preflop confrontations at this final table so there’s a good chance he won’t give me much credit for a four-bet here. 

Klodnicki pops it up to 255,000.

CK: I made a slightly larger than usual four-bet here based on stack sizes and my hand strength. I’d prefer him to shove or fold here. I made it big enough so that four-bet folding isn’t much of an option. I don’t really want to get flatted here because my hand will be vulnerable on many flops.

Lichtenberger calls.

CT: What do you make of his call? It has to set off alarm bells in your head.

CK: It was a surprise to me. I did not expect him to flat here often and tried to quickly figure out what his range could be. Hands like aces and kings are possible, with aces being more likely. I would never expect him to have any pairs below kings, although it is possible for him to have something like nines, although suited Broadway cards and suited connecters are also possible.

Flop: A 6 4 (pot: 516,000)

Lichtenberger checks.

CK: I do not have a spade in my hand and I am torn between the decision to bet or check. I ultimately decide to bet because I don’t think he is deep enough to check-raise bluff and I think that I have the best hand most of time on this flop.

Klodnicki bets 250,000.

CT: What if you had checked?

CK: Well if I check back, so many bad cards can come and I will have a tough time figuring out where I am at in a massively inflated pot. So I made a standard c-bet of just under half pot.

Lichtenberger raises to 550,000.

CT: What’s he holding?

CK: At this point his range becomes very narrow. It would have to be aces, a flopped flush, or possibly a hand like A-J or A-T. It is either one of these or a bluff. I would expect him to shove a semi-bluff hand, although there are almost no semi-bluff hands that he could have in his range here (naked spade or a pair plus draw). Andrew has put in over half of his stack, and has put me in a really difficult spot. If I shove and he calls, I’m almost certainly drawing close to dead. 

Klodnicki folds. Lichtenberger wins the pot of 766,000.

CK: Ultimately, I decided to fold my hand because I didn’t think he would be bluffing often enough. He later told me he had 9-7 suited (not spades), so he got the best of me in that hand. ♠