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Zophar

I copied and pasted this from a bluff article by Phil Laak. I was always under the impression that this is now considered a dead hand by casino rules. Or do the rules only apply to tourneys? I love the play personally.

Phil Laak
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One night I flop the nut flush draw. And on the turn � voila � the nuts. Wow. A rare thing indeed. It turns out he had the second nuts and I didn't felt him. This is my hell. Why can't I just whack him for his whole stack?

Well, mostly it's because he is trying not to lose it. Most opponents don't like to lose the whole lot in one hand. And there lay the foundation of my problem. Like Archimedes in the tub (Greek history, circa 230 BC), it hit me. Only I was in the shower, and I would not run through the streets screaming, "Eureka." For me it would be a quiet "Feltopia." No running, just quiet musings. In the meantime, there would be lots of waiting � till the moment reappeared.

First, the preconditions:
1. No-limit cash game � not a turny (intentional misspelling).
2. You start with A-x suited and flop the nut flush draw.
3. You know your opponent loves his hand (second nut flush draw or maybe a set).
4. You have only one opponent (this is key).
5. On the turn you make the nuts.
6. Your opponent has a very hefty stack.
7. You have a reputation for sometimes pulling off sick moves. Or at a minimum, have been playing fast.

Here is the gist. You bet the draw on the flop, he calls. On the turn you have the nuts and bet again. If he raises you here he will likely fold to a big bet or an all-in bet (especially if it is seven or more times what is now in the pot). But this is where the shower shuffle comes in. You don't just go all-in. But you go all-in and flip over the ace. Ahhhh! Now you just sit there (or, in my case, seal up the hood and wait).

I have done this move twice since that fateful shower. Both times my opponents thought themselves into a recursive line of reasoning that ended with a call. "Why would he show me the ace if he had the flush already? He has to be semi-bluffing and wants me to fold." The last time this happened to me it was the Commercino (shorthand for Commerce Casino). It went optimally.

The $20/$40 no-limit hold'em game went for about 10 hours before breaking. I did great. And being the degenerate that I sometimes am, I chose to keep playing. But it would have to be $10/$20 no-limit hold'em, as it was the only game going. Finishing on the $20/$40 game, I had about 70K in front of me. This was superfluous now, as the biggest stack at this $10/$20 game was 15K. I would buy in for 20K and � hmmmm � what should I do with the last 50? Well basically, I had three options for the remaining 50K. I could go to the box and tuck it away (no good; very sensible, but I hate to miss hands when I have the itch). I could stuff the larger portion of it in my pockets and play, let's say, 15K myself (no good; I like to gamble with empty pockets). Or I could just put it all on the table, with most of it doing nothing. This seems good to me. Way overkill, but what the hell?

Funny thing is this: Even though the extra money isn't in action, it actually is. Some people think that if you have too much money, you will play poorly and give it away.

I post the 20 in the cut off. A few limpers, my turn to act. Ah-8h, I make it 80 to go. Four callers. Flop is Kh-9h-2c. Three checks to me. I bet 200. Call, fold, fold. Turn was the 5h.

I have the nuts.

He checks (with the second nuts, and 13,200 left). I bet 300 (at the time I thought I was trying to get a king no kicker to call). The pot had 80 times four, plus 200 times two, or about 720. When he raised me 1,000, I realized it was shuffle time. So on with the hood, and then � I raise 4,000 and table the Ah for all to see. In the tank he goes. Once he is in the tank for about a minute, I know I got him. Motionless moments later, he declares all-in. Thump.

His second nuts faded into nothingness as I pulled in his entire stack.

A pretty sick story, but the moral is this: Never underestimate your opponent's ability to find reasons to call you. People like to call. And that's why it's all so crazy nowadays. They like calling and raising more than folding. That's what makes poker great.

dmoore1998 · Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 7:48 pm Post subject:

While I'm not a professional by any means I do know that it used to be legal in tournaments to flip over your hand heads up when it was your turn to act to get a reaction but that was disallowed. While not sure about cash game rules in general I have to imagine that any casino can pretty much make it's own rules on it. I know the casino I play there have been several times where someone has flipped their hand face up and not had it be a dead hand (mostly accidentally, as when they thought someone had already called their bet but in fact had not). So I know that in practice the place I play does not consider it a dead hand.

comin4you · Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 8:08 pm Post subject:

That rule applies to all tourneys, but cash games depend on the casino. Commerce allows you to show one or both your cards during a hand. Phil made great use of it in this case, and I will defintely have to try that out sometime.

Steve Brecher · Full Tilt Pro Joined: 22 Jun 2005 Posts: 115

(a) Tournaments only.

(b) In tournaments, not a dead hand, but a penalty (time away from the table) may be imposed. This is per Tournament Directors Association rules, which are widely followed.

Zophar · Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 10:59 pm Post subject:

Thank you for clearing that up Steve. I have been aware of the flip up to gain information about whether to call, but never thought of it to induce a call and was always unclear of the actual rules regarding the play. Appreciate you responding.

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