Online Poker Forum at Full Tilt Poker

Jasonroz · High Card Joined: 30 Mar 2006 Posts: 2 Location: Calgary

I was playing a Live 1/2 NL Game, late thursday night. I have just over $400 in front of me. I pick up 10-8o.

I am in the BB, mp raises to $5. Four player and myself call the small raise.

Flop: 7c - 6c - 5h

Raiser bets $8, everyone folds around to me, I figure am opened ended, and if I hit my 9, I have the nuts, if its not a club.

Turn: 9h

OK, so I just made the nuts. I check, and he bets $40. I think about it for about 8-10 seconds and just call, thinking he would put a larger bet on the river.

River: 5s

The Five pairs the board, so I don't have the nuts anymore. If it wasn't a heart or a club, or a card that paired the board I was going to check raise him all in. Anyway I check, and he bets $75. And I just call, thinking he might have had a set on the flop or turn.

But he didn't, he had pocket 88, for the low straight. I made a large pot, but could have been larger. I think I played it correctly, I was thinking of putting him all in on the turn. But I wanted to make sure the river didn't make a flush.

What do you think?

dmoore1998 · Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:18 pm Post subject:

First of all calling with 10-8o in early position is probably not a great play in general, but for only $3 more it gets a little better. I like the call on the flop, I like the check on the turn but I think I would have raised him here depending on what kind of player I think he is. I would have either min-raised him to build the pot, or made a substantial raise to try to get him out of the pot since there is a flush draw on the board. Also because I want to announce that I've made my hand, if he's not on a flush draw and another flush card hits I don't want to scare him off if I bet. I want to "announce" that I've got a made hand, whatever that may be, and that I'm not on a draw. In this case a raise here probably gets you his entire chip stack since he also hit a straight, and the only hand that has him is 10-8. Depending on how much he had in front of him I might have put him all-in, but I would definitely raise, I don't want him drawing to a flush essentially for free (yes he bet $40 but by calling you're letting him draw without putting any more in the pot). I like the check/call on the river, you can't push there I don't think, though I think I would have bet the river, value-bet, because I want to take the big bluff away from him.

Jasonroz · High Card Joined: 30 Mar 2006 Posts: 2 Location: Calgary

Thanks for the reply, that would have been a great way to play it, he had me covered in chips btw. After actually talking to the guy about the hand, he said he might have called an all in, without really think about what I could have.

aztecgator · Two Pair Joined: 28 Jul 2005 Posts: 70

You and four other players call his raise, so there is about $30 in the pot preflop. The raiser bets $8 on the flop and everyone folds to you. The flop is scary, with flush and straight possibilities. If he had flopped a set, I think he would want to make a large enough bet to take down the pot right then (maybe $25 or more). But instead he made a small bet. So, I would not put him on a set.

There are a number of hands he could have in this situation, such as an overpair or two over cards both of which are clubs and he wants to see where he stands. You are getting 38:8 = 4.75:1 odds on your call. Your odds of making the straight on the turn are about 10.75:1, so the question is is there sufficient implied odds for you to make the call? I don't think so since if a 9 did hit on the turn and he has two overcards w/ flush draw or an overpair, I can't see him playing the hand aggressively enough to get alot of money from him. I think you made a loose call on the turn.

But you got your card. Then what do you do? You give him an opportunity for a free card if he is chasing the flush. I really don't like the check here because as I said if he has anything other than pocket 8s, he would most likely check behind you. I like betting out (maybe 1/2 the pot) since it gives him the opportunity to raise either as a bluff or because he has a hand like 88. If a club did fall on the river and you check and he makes a big bet (maybe an all in bet) it would be a very hard call for you.

The fact that he did bet $40, which was about equal to the pot, would strongly indicate to me that the 9 helped him and I would most likely have put him on 88 at that point. Because you checked, he could be thinking you are chasing the clubs and so wanted to price you out of the pot, but in that case, why bet so much when a $20 or $25 dollar bet would probably have been just as effective with less risk. No, this bet indicated strength and since you had the absolute nuts, you should have gone over the top with not a min reraise, but a large reraise (perhaps all in). He would be hard-pressed to put you on T8 and would undoubtedly call off all of his chips.

But you only called and unfortunately a scare card hits on the river and you check as a result. I am actually surprised he even bet since that had to be a scare card for him too. I think he made a horrendous bet on the river. If he was looking to value bet, then a bet of maybe $30 to $40 would have been reasonable. A $75 dollar bet is only going to get called by someone who has him beat (or at worse the same straight).

	Full Tilt Poker is licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. © Copyright 2004 - 2005 FullTiltPoker.com., All Rights Reserved