Club Fear

In a $5-$10 stud game, I was the low card with the 2. I brought it in for the mandatory $2. The player to my left, with the Q showing, immediately completed the bet to $5. The action was called in four places, with no one having a doorcard higher than a queen. I looked down to see the J 2 in the hole. It was not a great hand, but there were no other deuces out, plus the action couldn't get raised behind me, so I threw in my $3.

Fourth street did not visibly help anybody. I caught the 7 for a 2 7 board. The player two to my left caught an ace for an A-5 board, and as first to act, he checked. Everyone checked around to me. There's no question that everyone expected me to check to the third-street raiser, who had a board of Q-J. But a quick glance at everyone's cards and actions told me two things: The first was that nobody had anything they were too proud of. The second was that there was only one club out there besides my two. At that point, I bet! I was expecting the player to my left to raise to isolate me, and he did not disappoint. Everyone folded around to me, and at that point, regardless of the outcome of the hand, the play could be considered a success.

Can you see why? Surely, I did not have the best hand with a pair of deuces, but against six players, I would have to get extremely lucky to end up with the best hand. Against this lone opponent, I had two ways to win the hand. If I improved to trips or even just two pair, it might be enough to win. Chances were that he had only a lone pair of queens. But I was also confident I could win the hand if I caught a club on fifth or sixth street! I was betting a board of 2 7, so surely he must put me on a club draw. What else could I be betting? And the chances were decent that I'd catch a club among the next two cards, as there was only one club out among the other 12 cards I could account for (including my two holecards).

If he visibly improved his hand, I was done with mine unless I was lucky enough to make trip deuces. It would be nearly impossible to bluff him off two pair or better. Even if he thought he was beaten by a flush, he would call to the river to try to fill up. And then, even if he didn't fill, he would surely make a crying call on the river with such a large pot at stake. But I was taking a gamble that he would not improve beyond one pair, and, as a general rule, that gamble will be in my favor. It also didn't hurt that I had one of the jacks that would give him two pair.

How did the hand play out? About as well as it could have for me. I caught the 10 for a 2 7 10 board, while he caught the 2, of all things! Although I wouldn't have minded that card for myself, I was sure that it didn't help his hand. He checked, I bet $10, he instantly folded, and I won the $54 pot without a fight. I was lucky that the cards fell so favorably, but I think it was a calculated risk worth taking, and the risk paid off.

Basically, I was taking advantage of a flaw in many poker players: Too many of them have an unhealthy fear of flushes. In this particular hand, I was able to represent a flush draw very clearly, to the point where even I would fold if I were in his shoes. But there are other situations in which it's not hard to get opponents to fear a possible flush. In hold'em, if there's three of a suit on the board and you show significant strength, it's not unusual for players to fold hands as good as top pair. Generally speaking, a suited board is a bluffer's paradise, both in hold'em and stud.

I understand that such bluffs are not for everybody. Maybe you are not the type who could bet a pair of deuces with a 2 7 board, and that's fine. If you decided to check and fold, I couldn't fault you for it. Checking and calling, however, would be a much worse option. You probably would need at least three deuces to win against so many opponents, and you're not getting the correct odds to try to spike one. And then, even if you manage to find a deuce, that does not guarantee you will win the hand.

So, if you're going to continue with the hand on fourth street, take the initiative! You shouldn't always have to produce the best hand in order to win the pot. When you have a situation such as this, when you can combine the possibility of a bluff with the possibility of making the best hand, I recommend taking advantage of it.

The funny thing is, if you really had four clubs on fourth street, the preferable play would be to check! Otherwise, the player to your left would raise, as expected, and scare off your other opponents, and you'd lose the multiway pot that you'd want with a hand such as a flush draw. You'd be stuck in a heads-up or three-way situation and end up on the defensive, needing to hit your flush to win. Furthermore, if you got lucky enough to hit a club right off the bat, your opponents would probably be scared away, and they wouldn't pay you off. (Keep in mind how fast my opponent folded when I hit the 10).

Many players would check my pair of deuces, but they'd bet a four-card flush in the same situation. If you fit that description, all I'm asking you to do is consider your alternative plays in both situations. It might give you a whole new outlook on the way you play the game.