Final Table Takedown: Justin Young Shares Hand Reading Skills on Way to Capturing First World Poker Tour Title

Justin Young is a former mechanical engineer who quit his job to play poker full time in 2006. Young took second at the 2008 Doyle Brunson Classic Championship for $950,000 and won the 2011 Festa al Lago Classic for $349,000.

Though mainly a cash game player, Young has career cashes that exceed $4.3 million, including three World Poker Tour final tables. This coming October will mark the date of his tenth wedding anniversary, and he could not have achieved all of this success in poker without the loving support of his wife, Morgan.

Key Concepts: ICM; Hand Reading; Assessing hand values

Craig Tapscott: Set the table up for us Justin.

Justin Young: Okay. After getting a big double up early with K-K vs. Q-Q, I began opening much wider, even the 8-4 offsuit was in the mix. Outside of Chae, most of the players to my left were playing Independent Chip Model (ICM)-conscious, as the pay jumps were significant with seven people remaining. I was hoping to take down a lot of uncontested pots with meager holdings. 

Young raises to 200,000 from the hijack holding 6 5. Greer raises to 575,000 from the button.

CT: What is your read on Greer?

JY: Greer had been playing very cautious, and given that there was a shorter stack than him at the time, I expected him to be at the top of his range 9-9+ and A-Q+.  A good argument can be made for just folding six-high, but I thought I had just enough wiggle room to play the hand against his perceived range. 

Young calls.

JY: I ambitiously called the three-bet, leaving Greer with about 2.5 million behind, or a little over two times the pot. 

Flop: Q 10 6 (pot: 1,405,000)

CT: Not a great flop for you.

JY: What are you talking about? I did flop a pair. But you are right; it is not the best board for my hand. In order to continue, I would have to plan to represent spades if one were to roll off. 

Young checks. Greer bets 425,000.

CT: Can you continue with your plan now?

JY: If I called, it would leave Greer with about a pot-sized bet behind. The sizing seemed small for a draw-heavy board like that, so I called hoping I had the best hand, hoping I could hit a 6 or a 5, or hoping I could represent a spade if one appeared.
Young calls.

Turn: K (pot: 2,255,000)

Young checks.

CT: You got the card you wanted. What now? Can you bet out?

JY: True. I did. I got the spade I was hoping for, but because it was a King I decided to give up on the turn. The King completes much of Greer’s range and I believed leading the turn would just be throwing chips away. 

Greer checks.

CT: Maybe he just opened a door for you to capture this pot.

JY: Perhaps. To my surprise, he did check back, which was curious, as he should be continuing with all sets, A-A, A-K, J-J, or any spade over a ten.

River: 2 (pot: 2,255,000)

CT: Can you confidently shove here and put him to the test?

JY: This was a very close decision to put him all-in or not. The ICM was a big factor at this stage of the tournament. I believed I could get him to fold A-A, A-K ,J-J ,or 9-9, but with him checking back the turn, I perceived him to be much stronger. After a long tank from me I…

Young checks.

JY: I pretty much was conceding the hand at this point.

Greer bets 1,000,000. Young folds. Greer wins the pot of 2,255,000.

CT: I guess you thought it was a good fold according to the action as it played out.

JY: Well, I later found out on the livestream he had A 7. He was able to use his image to not only three-bet me wide, but also to represent a very nutted hand at the completion of the board. I still believe the turn check by him was very strange, as he is never drawing dead and I can only call with sets and flushes. The check also allowed me to possibly take the bluff away from him or make a correct hero call. I made a bad read on Greer to start the hand, and it cost me a large pot at a critical time of the final table. Greer is a fantastic player who got the better of me in this spot.

CT: Do you have a few tips to share on hand reading from your vast experience in the game?

JY: In order to become better at hand reading, you need experience, and lots of it. Every hand you can watch your opponents play is invaluable towards future decisions. So even when you are not in the pot, you should not only be paying attention, but also studying how every hand breaks down. In addition to getting the nuts and bolts of the hand, you will also pick up on pattern recognition. Bet sizing, timing, and a whole host of physical tells will become apparent over time, allowing you to pinpoint your opponents hands.

Key Concepts: Metagame; Board Textures; Hand Reading

Haugen raises to 300,000 from middle position. Young calls from the button holding K Q.

CT: Did you consider raising?

JY: I would consider three-betting this hand sometimes, but given how unlikely it was that the blinds would squeeze and, most importantly, wanting loose action from Hyoung Chae in the big blind, it was a pretty clear-cut call from me. Passing on these spots was a strategy I used for most of the final table. I am very comfortable playing multi-way pots and I have had a good bit of experience playing with Chae from cash games. But in this case, the blinds folded and we were heads-up. 

Flop: Q 10 6 (pot: 900,000)

JY: The flop was a good one for me, giving me top pair and a couple back door draws.  Given the texture, I would expect Haugen to lead most of the time, only giving up with small pairs and weak aces without many back door draws. 

Haugen bets 325,000. Young calls.

Turn: 9 (pot: 1,550,000)

JY: The turn put two clubs on the board. 

CT: What range of hands do you put Haugen on?

JY: I expected Haugen to check a lot of his range here. A bet to me would mean he has Q-J or better or some kind of combo draw like a flush draw plus a gutter-pair and a straight draw or a pair and a flush draw. 

Haugen bets 750,000.

CT: What’s the best play here after your read on the turn?

JY: Most people would just call in this spot, as I have showdown equity and a straight draw. Haugen had been playing really well throughout the final table, and I thought there was a very good chance he was going to fire the river regardless if he had K-Q+ or a missed combo draw. A river bet of 1.7 million would put me in a really tough spot. Instead of having that potential decision, I raised to take control of the pot. Because I have a king in my hand, it is less likely that Haugen would have K-J. Therefore, I don’t believe Haugen can reraise me with much of his range. If Haugen does raise here, it is an easy fold for me, as I expect him only to do that with sets and straights. Another thing the raise does for me is that it allows me to fold out some of Haugen’s equity if he is holding similar strong hands. In addition, he may call with much of his combo-draw range, giving me good value while I have the best hand. So I raised to…
Young raises to 1,800,000. Haugen tanks and calls.

CT: Do you have a plan for the river? I’m sure you do.

JY: Yes. My plan is to check back all dry rivers since K-Q has decent showdown value. If he checks to me when a flush or straight card hits the river, I can have the option to turn my hand into a bluff to get A-A, K-K, A-Q, K-Q, 10-9 to fold. Given how the final table was set up for me, I was leaning heavily towards checking back. 

River: Q (pot: 5,150,000)

Haugen checks.

CT: Easy bet or not?

JY: This was a very close spot in my mind whether to bet or check back. I was not fearful of getting check-raised, but most of what Haugen can call with may have me beat. Since there was a decent chance that Haugen could put me on a combo draw myself, I thought giving him the chance to hero call with any hand that has showdown value was worth the risk. So I…

Young bets 2,600,000. Haugen folds. Young wins the pot of 5,150,000.

JY: Matt quickly folded and later in the live stream I discovered he had 6 5 for bottom pair and a flush draw. Winning this 5 million-chip pot and getting maximum value from a drawing hand gave me a lot of confidence going forward at the final table.

CT: You have been so consistent and very successful over many years on the live circuit. Can you share some of your recipe for success and steady play?

JY: In order to be a consistent winner over a long period time, you need to love the game and have a deep desire to beat your opponent. Though it sounds easy, it requires a lot of hard work and tons of hours devoted to what appears to be a relatively simple game on the surface. I spend a lot of time not only playing with some of the best players in the world in the Las Vegas cash games, but also analyzing hands with them. It is amazing how many successful styles there are in poker, and while implementing them in your game may seem impossible, understanding them is essential.  ♠