Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Big Pots

As promised in the last blog post, below is the new first place in The Biggest Pot I've Ever Won. I've also included some other memorable big pots with less commentary than the newest one.


Cake 3/6 Hold'em (10 handed)

Preflop: Hero is SB with J♦, J♠. CO posts a blind of $3.

UTG raises, 1 fold, UTG+2 calls, 2 folds, MP3 calls, CO (poster) calls, 1 fold,

This pot is already is an aberration by the time it gets to me - most raised pots at this table so far are played with a raiser, maybe one cold-caller, and a blind. In no other hand so far have I seen this much cold-calling - this is not your typical cold-calling-with-crap table. I just call with JJ in the SB - with that many decent players and an A, K, or Q coming on flop 50% of the time I decide to play it like a small pair for set value. I'm sure I miss some value by failing to 3-bet, but having the worst absolute and relative position to the raiser really hurts this hand. I would probably get murdered by 2+2 on this decision, but I'm confortable with this.


Hero calls, 1 fold.

Flop: (10 SB) J♣, 5♦, 2♠ (5 players)

Well, that would be the way to flop, right? So what is my plan? Check raise the field, LDO.


Hero checks, UTG bets, UTG+2 calls, MP3 calls, CO raises,

Whoa - now hold on just a sec. On that dry a board, what can the CO possibly have that he cold-called 2 preflop with and can raise that flop? Pretty much a set, or a highly discounted AJs (discounted primarily because I have most of the J's). So, change in plan - I don't want to blow the field away with a 3-bet here. New plan - call this raise, and donk the turn to trap the field (as c/r-ing the turn blows away the field too).


Hero calls, UTG calls, UTG+2 calls, MP3 calls.

Turn: (10 BB) 4♠ (5 players)

Hero bets, UTG folds, UTG+2 calls, MP3 folds, CO raises, Hero 3-bets, UTG+2 calls, CO caps all-in, Hero calls, UTG+2 calls.

That went according to plan, although as pointed out to me in the meantime, this weird flop/turn transition depends on my opponents to be smart enough to fold for 2 more bets on the flop yet dumb enough to not see through the cold-call/donk line. Evidently only one of the three opponents I was trying to trap had this particular mental affliction.


River: (20.50 BB) 3♥ (3 players)

I'd love to say that I checked-to-induce a bluff or that since there was no money in the side pot it wasn't worth betting (as there is no way I can b/f this river), but the truth is, the fact that now any bare ace beats me scared the crap out of me.


Hero checks, UTG+2 checks.
Final Pot: 20.50 BB ($123)

I panic-checked and it got checked behind me. MHIG vs. button's 55. I didn't see what the other guy had, and the HH doesn't show. I now think this river was a bet/call, and I missed out on value by not betting it, because the answer to “what will UTG+2 call me with that I beat?” is quite obviously “whatever the hell he has been calling all these bets with so far.”

Now, a few of the pots further down the list.


Cake 3/6 Hold'em (10 handed)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+2 with A♥, 9♥

2 folds, Hero raises, 4 folds, Button calls, SB calls, BB calls.

Flop: (8 SB) A♣, A♠, 7♣ (4 players)

SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets, Button folds, SB folds, BB calls.

Turn: (5 BB) 9♣ (2 players)

BB bets, Hero raises, BB 3-bets, Hero caps, BB calls.

When he donked, I figured him for at least a slowplayed A. When he 3-bet, I figured him for at least a flush. But I’ve got the nuts. Wheeeeee.


River: (13 BB) T♠ (2 players)

BB bets, Hero raises, BB calls.

Final Pot: 16.5 BB ($99)

When he bets the river after my turn cap, I am sure he’s on another boat. Unless he has exactly AT, I’m gold. He turned over A7 for the flopped boat, and I 3-outered him on the turn. This was my biggest pot until the $123 one.


Cake 3/6 Hold'em (10 handed)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K♥, Q♥.

5 folds, MP3 calls, 1 fold, Hero raises, BB calls, MP3 calls.

Flop: (6 SB) Q♠, Q♦, 6♠ (4 players)

Hero bets, BB calls, MP3 calls.

Turn: (4.50 BB) T♥ (4 players)

Hero bets, BB folds, MP3 raises, Hero 3-bets, MP3 caps, Hero calls.

River: (12.50 BB) 7♦ (3 players)

Hero checks, MP3 bets, Hero raises, MP3 calls.

Final Pot: 16.50 BB ($96)

I include this one only for my rockin’ river c/r. Guy was a maniac, and at no point did I think I was behind. He actually turned over Q-crap, which was a better hand than I expected him to have, frankly.


Cake 2/4 Hold'em (10 handed)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 9♣, 9♥.

5 folds, MP3 raises, Hero 3-bets, 2 folds, BB calls, MP3 caps, Hero calls, BB calls.

Flop: (12.50 SB) Q♦, 9♦, 5♠ (3 players)

BB checks, MP3 bets, Hero raises, BB calls, MP3 3-bets, Hero caps, BB calls, MP3 calls.

Turn: (12.25 BB) 5♥ (3 players)

BB checks, MP3 bets, Hero raises, BB calls, MP3 3-bets, Hero calls, BB calls.

River: (21.25 BB) 7♦ (3 players)

BB checks, MP3 bets, Hero calls, BB folds.

Final Pot: 22.5 BB ($90)

I include this one to show I can screw-the-pooch on these too. Between his preflop cap, his turn donk after my flop cap, and him 3-betting the turn I evidently put him on exactly QQ. Wrong - he flipped KK and MHIG. If I wasn't such a pansy (this should have been capped on the turn and at least 2 bets on river), this pot would have been my first $100 pot, and at $2/$4 to boot!

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