Final Table Takedown: Matthew Shepsky Shares In-Depth Pot Control and Shorthanded Strategy

Matthew Shepsky graduated from UIC in Chicago with a business management degree. He started playing poker in college and has been doing it full time for 11 years. Before Black Friday, he specialized in heads-up sit-n-gos, six-max sit-n-gos, and multi-table tournaments. For the last couple years, Shepsky has put most of his poker focus on live pot-limit Omaha (PLO) cash games and has shied away from tournaments.

He currently still plays mostly live PLO cash games, but is excited to play more tournaments in the future. Shepsky enjoys having fun at the table and emphasizes the importance of being respectful to everyone. When Matthew isn’t playing poker, he enjoys playing golf (even though he stinks at it) and spending time with his family. Shepsky credits a very supportive family and amazing wife for much of his success and claims that being a new dad of seven months has really motivated him to play his best.

Event: 2015 Heartland Poker Tour Golden Gates
Players: 721
Entry: $1,650
First Prize: $227,864
Finish: 1st

Key Concepts: Pot controlling out of position; trusting your read; playing to win

Craig Tapscott: Set the stage in regards to the other stacks at this final table?

Matthew Shepsky: There were quite a few short stacks, but I was looking to make a really deep run and wasn’t so concerned about laddering up the pay jumps, as most of the money was in the top three. The table was also playing on the tight side and I felt I could use this to my advantage. 

Shepsky raises to 325,000 from the hijack holding A 10. Clinkscales calls from the button.

MS: Even if I didn’t hold A-10 suited, I would be opening a very wide range in this spot. The cutoff was extremely tight, the small blind was a little sticky, but was playing tight, and the big blind was extremely tight as well. My only concern is getting called by Clinkscales and playing the rest of the hand out of position. 

CT: Any reads on Clinkscales at this point?

MS: I felt this would be a good spot to three-bet me with big hands because there were a few short stacks and he could easily apply pressure, as I had been opening a lot. My initial read was that he had a marginal playable hand like a small pair, suited connector, or a hand like two paint cards.

CT: Were there any Jedi mind games going on between the two of you?

MS: (Laughs) No. We weren’t getting too out of line with each other, but I felt maybe he wanted to defend a button on this hand. I was opening a lot and he was the chip leader.  We just weren’t playing many pots together. 

Flop: 9 3 3 (pot: 1,130,000)

Shepsky checks. Clinkscales bets 280,000.

CT: Any read on this bet?

MS: I felt like his strategy against me would be to pot control in position. I took his smallish bet on the flop as a hand that doesn’t have much equity or showdown value.  Having said that, I would have expected he would check back strong ace-high type hands and I’d go so far as to say he might even check back a nine in this spot. I would have feared a check on the flop more than a bet. 

Shepsky calls.

MS: I decide to call the flop, keeping the pot as small as I can at this point with what I believe is the best hand. 

Turn: 3 (pot: 1,690,000)

CT: What does this card change for you?

MS: I like this turn card because if I was ahead on the flop, then I am still ahead on the turn.

Shepsky checks.

MS: I expect Clinkscales to check back most hands that have showdown value. We hadn’t played any hands together past the flop the entire tournament and I wasn’t shocked that he might test me on the turn with another bet. A lot of players cave to pressure on the turn in this spot, and I know that Clinkscales knows this. I felt this was a good spot for him to fire two bullets, especially with this dry board texture. And the way I was playing my hand, it very much looks like I have an ace-high type hand that wants to get to a cheap showdown. 

Clinkscales bets 480,000. Shepsky calls.

MS: I went with my initial read and decided to call again with what I believed was still the best hand. 

CT: What are factors are you weighing?

MS: I felt Clinkscales and I would clash quite a bit later on and I wanted him to know that I wouldn’t be giving up on many pots. I was, in a way, trying to “set the tone” for future hands and didn’t want to give him the green light to run me over in position.

River: 9 (pot: 2,650,000)

MS: I get excited when I see this river.

CT: Why? How can you use this river card to your advantage?

MS: I’m fairly certain that we are both playing the board and that an all-in bet will surely win the pot.

Shepsky moves all-in.

MS: Calling off another 2.6 million for a chop is something I didn’t think Clinkscales would do. Had I checked the river, I think he may have checked back, just in case I was trapping with an overpair. He may have made a large bet or put me all in, thus taking the move away from me. I really didn’t think he had tens or better, and picking up this pot was a pivotal hand for me at this stage of the tournament.

Clinkscales folds. Shepsky wins the pot of 2,650,000.

MS: Winning this hand put me at about 30 big blinds with plenty of maneuverability at this stage of the game, whereas giving up on the pot would have left me roughly 16 big blinds and not nearly enough room to play.

Key Concepts: Short-handed play; stack sizes; using pay jumps to your advantage

CT: Set this up for us.

MS: I had the best position on the table as Miller was the short stack on my left and I had position on Clinkscales for two out of three hands during three-handed play.

CT: How are you going to take advantage of your position?

MS: I had a very specific plan to use Miller’s short stack to handcuff Clinkscales into not being able to play back at me and basically give up a lot of pots to me. My plan was to raise every button because Clinkscales can’t really risk busting in third when there is a stack with only six big blinds, which makes picking up the blinds and antes on the button that much easier for me. When Miller was on the button, he would usually fold and then I would have position against Clinkscales, who is in the small blind and would have a hard time playing in this spot. 

CT: He’s handcuffed. It’s such a great spot for you.

MS: Yes. When he would raise, I would reraise, when he would limp, I would raise, and in most cases, I was getting a lot of walks. When Clinkscales was on the button, he would usually have to fold due to me playing back at him. And with Miller being so short, I would usually give him a walk to keep him in the tournament to keep this scenario going as long as I could. Occasionally, I would try to bleed Miller off a few chips, making it worse for Clinkscales to play back at me and risk busting and missing out on an extra $50,000 pay jump.  

Shepsky limps from the small blind holding J 6.

CT: Why limping vs. this small stack?

MS: Most players might question this and say that this is an automatic shove and a horrible limp. Miller hadn’t shoved on my limps the entire tournament and I was hoping to just see a flop, continuation bet, and take down the pot and keep him short and the three-handed dynamic I had going. Although shoving would have won me the pot most of the time, I didn’t want to risk busting Miller just yet. I was picking up a lot more chips uncontested with him in the tournament.

Miller checks his option.

Flop: 10 7 2 (pot: 520,000)

Shepsky bets 225,000. Miller calls.

Turn: A (pot: 970,000)

CT: Can you continue when the ace hits?

MS: I have no draw and am basically done with the hand since Miller had been playing extremely tight and hadn’t continued with many hands. I decide to check/fold the turn if

Brandon bets…

Shepsky checks. Miller checks.

MS: At this point, and before the hand started, I would rather lose a small pot to Miller than bust him, because I can pick up many more chips on future hands and then have a bigger stack vs Clinkscales when we get to heads-up.

River: 2 (pot: 970,000)

Shepsky bets 225,000.

CT: So you haven’t quite given up on this pot yet?

MS: A lot of straight draws he may have had on the flop missed and getting a fold here would leave him with about a million or five big blinds. A 225,000-chip call is a decent portion of his stack and getting a fold would have continued to leave him short so that I could continue my three-handed strategy. I decided to take a small stab at the pot even though I had previously given up in my head, as this bluff only needs to work roughly 1 out of 4 times. We played a hand earlier as well where I had limped and he checked. I bet the flop, check/check turn and I bet river and he folded.  

Miller moves all in. Shepsky folds. Miller wins the pot of 1,195,000.

CT: What do you think he had?

MS: I would guess he had turned a flush or had at least an ace. He played the hand well, trapping me on the turn where I was most likely drawing dead and getting me to put in an extra 225,000 into the pot on the river. I lost about 650,000 on the hand and was on the button the very next hand and proceeded to raise, thus picking up the blinds and antes uncontested for 420,000.

CT: I like the hand and your thoughts on short-handed play.

MS: Thanks. It is not the most exciting hand, but this really does illustrate my strategy during three-handed play with this type of stack size set up. ♠