The Hand
This week’s hand is from an online nine-person step satellite that I recently played. This particular series of steps eventually earned a seat into a WPT Caribbean event. I had made my way into step number three out of six steps, and the play was fairly conservative. In order to move up to step four, you had to take either 1st or 2nd, while 3rd through 5th place retried step three again.

I had been holding my own. Most of the faster play didn’t occur until at least the retry level. Anyway, we were down to six players. The person in 1st place was two seats to my right and had a major chip lead with over 5000. The rest of us had between 1400-3000, while I was in 5th place with 1800.

The blinds were now 75/150 and the chip leader started becoming extremely aggressive raising and taking all the blinds.

I was UTG with 10s/10d and made it 450. The next player folded and it was now on the button “chip leader” who of course raised all-in.

The both blinds folded and it was up to me. Was he trying to buy it again or did he have a hand this time? If I was wrong, I would be out in 6th. No retry, nothing. If I was right, well you get the drift… What Would You Do?

Winner: Mike K., Grafton, Ohio
Yes, the only place that does not get a retry is 6th place. Of course this is in your mind. However, you were already in 5th chip position and only have 1800 left. You just put 450 of that in the pot and will lose 225-300 in the next two hands because you will be in the blinds. This being said, I would call in this position.

The chip leader has been raising a lot of pots and could have a wide variety of hands. If he loses this pot it still lives him with a nice stack as well. There are only four hands in the deck he can have where you are completely dominated and in bad shape. He can easily have a pair under your 10’s as well. I would take all these factors into consideration and after thinking would definitely call in this spot.

Robin’s Response:
I did call the all-in. I allowed myself to become pot committed. This guy was full of crap and I was right. He had J/7 off suit. The flop was 9/10/2. I flopped a set, but as always on-line, did not like the inside straight draw and with that said, he hit the 8 on the turn…No help for me on the river and I was OUT!!!!!

The Hand
This week’s hand is from a recent trip to the Horseshoe Casino in southern Indiana. The action this trip was incredible. The WSOP Circuit events were going on and the crowd was in gamble mode. I got into a $2/5 NL game after waiting for probably close to two hours.

I bought in for $400, thinking the max was $500, and when I got to the table the stacks were large…lots of black and green chips on the table. Well, the buy in max was actually $1000. I decided to see how I was running before committing any more to the game. The game was fast, lots of straddling and raising and Mississippi straddle is also allowed here.

I was up to about $700 and picked up pocket Aces, Ad/Ah in mid position. The button had placed a Mississippi straddle of $20, which made the small blind first to act. The SB and BB both called, the UTG folded as did the next player. It was now up to me and I raised it to $100 straight. The next two players folded and the next player called. It was folded around to the button who called, as did the BB. There were $420 and four of us remaining in the hand.

The flop was 6s/7h/2d. I LIKED this flop!! The BB checked and it was up to me to act. What would you do?

Winner: James P., Columbus, Ohio
This is a good flop for sure. I would fire a continuation bet of a little over half the pot and a little under 2/3 pot (~$260) leaving you with $380 behind. It is possible one of your opponents could be on an open ended straight draw holding 8/9s or 4/5s, in which case they probably call to see the turn. A flat call on the flop screams draw. These crazy gamblers love seeing flops with suited connectors.

The only made hand that beats you at this point is a flopped set. This is possible because of your opponent’s limp then flat call to your raise pre-flop. Limp, flatting pre flop with 6/6, 7/7, or even 2/2 is pretty standard.

If you get re-popped on the flop, you will have a decision to make with your remaining $380. Getting re-raised on the flop means one of two things: 1.) You are WAY behind to the flopped set 2.) You are WAY in front dominating a possible A/7, top pair top kicker hand or 8/8, 9/9, 10/10, and maybe even a crazy semi bluff re-reaise with the open ender.

I believe you bet this flop somewhere between 1/2 to 2/3 pot to gauge where you were in the hand as stated above. If you got re-raised on the flop, I believe you go in the think tank for a minute and then commit your remaining $380. This is a spot where you almost have to get your money in because you are going to be way ahead very, very often, making it a profitable play (+EV).

Robin’s Response:
James, I did bet out $250 and the player immediately to my left went all-in for over $800 (of the $1000 he had just re-loaded with) and both the button and BB folded. I decided to call… I’ve seen this guy in action and he is wild. He immediately rolled over his hand…6/7off suit and I was about to be sick!!! He made 2 pair on the flop.

The turn was a 5 and the river was another 5. OMG, I cannot believe it. I actually won with Aces after having to hit a runner-runner and my new best friend went back for more chips.

The Hand
This week’s hand is from a $2/5 NL game I played at Caesars in Las Vegas while out there for the WSOP.

First, I have to say that during the WSOP I was never in a bad game. Everyone was all about action and having a good time!! They played the cash games like they see the tournaments played on TV…lots of drama, big bets…you get the picture.

Anyway, I picked up pocket Jacks, Jd/Jh in mid-position. There was one limper and I made it $20 to go (and I had about $800 in front of me). The player to my right was on his 5th or 6th drink (or something like that) and he started the ‘staring me down’ thing. Finally the table was getting restless and the calling the clock discussion starts. He said he was trying to figure out my hand, which he couldn’t have done if I had tabled it!!

Okay, I’m rambling. He raised to $120 and has roughly $500 left. A few folded and the button raised all-in for $210. It was folded around to me and I had a big decision to make. What would you do?

Winner: Craig H., Olmsted Falls, Ohio
Fold. JJ sucks for one, and the re-raise by the button more than likely puts you into just a race situation. Drunk dude probably goes all in behind you also so I just get away from JJ here. As you can tell I don’t have good history With JJ. The only other thing I would say is maybe call and try to see a flop with it, if you catch a J you could win big pot. But I’m highly inclined to fold JJ here.

Robin’s Response:
Now, my experience with Jacks is similar to Craig’s and probably anyone who’s ever played hold’em in their life. They are trouble, but with that said, I find them fairly easy to get away from. It took about 3 seconds and I folded. “Drunk Guy” called the button all-in, re-raised and turned over pocket Aces vs. the button A/K. And the Academy Award for best acting in a poker hand goes to … “Drunk Guy”!

The Hand
This hand is from a NL tournament I played at the Cherokee Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We started with 4000 in chips and I was at a table with some extremely inexperienced players. Two or three had never played in a tournament before.

I was building my chip stack. It was at around 9,000 and we were in level 6 with blinds at 200/400 with a 50 ante. I was in late position and looked down at Kd/Qd. There were two limpers before me and I raised it to 1500. All folded back to the BB who called. The two limpers folded and we were heads up.

The flop was Qc/2d/4h. Very nice flop. The BB checked and it was up to me. There was over 4000 in the pot already. Do I slow play? Do I bet big?

Winner: Doug B., Mount Airy, Maryland
I wouldn’t slow play this hand. It’s not as safe as it would appear. You should make a continuation bet of about $2000 to see where you are at – reason being the big blind is most likely protecting his blind with a small pair or suited connectors. He would have raised with a premium hand or a middle pair, but would want to see a flop with a small pair or a drawing hand. So there is a chance that he has hit this flop.

Make the bet, see what his reaction is and then make a judgment on the turn. If he quick calls you or re-raises you are in trouble and looking at trips. If he looks to be calculating his odds and calls, you got him on a draw. If he is inexperienced he will most likely fold. You wouldn’t slow play it because no matter what you do (bet or slow play), you will be advertising that you have queens and you wont gain any more money by slowing down. If you allow them to catch up, it’s most likely going to beat you. If they don’t make a hand, they will fold when you do finally bet.

Robin’s Response:
Okay, here’s how it went down. I did bet out $2000 and after much consideration the BB reluctantly called. The turn was a 7d. My hand was looking better and better. I now had the flush draw in addition to top pair. The BB checked again. There was just over 8000 in the pot. I had approximately 5500 left and went all in.

Even though I liked my hand, I’d still like to take the pot down right now!

The BB looked like she was in pain and had only 3000 left and made the call. She turned over 3/6c and had been drawing to a gut shot straight the whole time (good for me, bad for her). The river was a king and I picked up a big pot and had almost doubled my stack.

The Hand
This week’s hand is another from the Venetian Deep Stack Tournament Series that I played while in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago.

Starting chips were 6000 and I was doing very well. We were deep into level 6 and I had over 22,000, which was more than everyone at the table except one other player. We were down from 571 entrants to about 190 and the cash was at I believe 55.

Anyway, I was in mid-position and picked-up pocket nines, 9c/9h. The blinds were 300/600 with a 75 ante. It was folded to me and I made it 2000 straight. I wouldn’t have minded just picking up the blinds and antes now and going on break. Everyone folded around to the BB who called.

The flop was a 4c/5h/6d. I liked this flop. BB who had been a very aggressive player, and had only slightly less chips than me, pushed ALL-IN! This was a crazy bet. It was over 19,000 to call. What would you do?

Winner: Michael, Canal Winchester, Ohio
Since you are uncertain how many places paid out, I have to guess that you made the call. Maybe it was because it was break time and you were growing a bit tired, but if you did call, I don’t think that was a prudent decision for a couple of reasons.

The first and main one is, you don’t have all that much invested in the pot, so to put virtually all your chips at risk you have to be pretty certain you are ahead and in this case you can’t be.

What can put the BB on? Either a stone bluff with something like A-K, A-Q. Or he was holding a big pocket pair. There is also the possibility an aggressive player could call your 2000 raise with something like 7-8-suited, in which case you’d really be stepping in it. You say he was an aggressive player but his all-in move is a little more than just aggressive. My guess is you were beat at that point in the hand. But maybe you thought otherwise, having observed the player.

But with the money in the pot, I don’t see it worth it to call this bet even if, in your gut, you think you are ahead, which is what I’m betting you were thinking.

Still, even if you think you’re ahead, I think you muck it and go on break knowing you only put 2,000 in the pot and still have a 20,000 stack when you come back more refreshed.

Robin’s Response:
Michael’s answer was selected because he not only put what he thought I would do, he went one step further and looked at why I would do it and what he would do as well.

Okay, after about one minute, the player next to me called time. For whatever reason, I felt extremely pressured and knew I should fold, BUT, called instead which, as I was putting the chips in, knew was a HUGE mistake.

I committed way too many chips. Anyway, he turned over the 7/8c. He flopped the straight. The 8 came on the turn and I was dead to a 7 on the river, which did not come. It was a 9… my chip stack was crushed and so was my tournament. I was eliminated shortly after the break.

The Hand
Well, I’m back from Las Vegas and played a lot of poker and have many new hands to present to you all.

This hand is from the Venetian Deep Stack Tournament Series that I played in. We started with 6000 in chips and were in level 1 with blinds of 25/50. This was about the 5th hand and I already knew I liked this table. The players were passive, but not crazy loose or tight from what I could tell.

In this hand, I was in middle position with two limpers already in. I was next to act with a Jh/10h and decided to raise and made it 200 straight. Two players behind me called as did the SB and one of the limpers. There were five of us in and the pot was 1100.

The flop was Ah/Jc/9h. Not bad. The two players ahead of me checked. It’s up to me. What would you do?

Winner: Scott A., Newark, Ohio
Since you initially raised the pot, you need to continue to show strength and follow with a continuation bet. With four other people in the pot, I would suggest a bet of 550, or half the pot. That should clear out any mediocre hands and still allow you to call a small raise without risking the majority of your stack.

Any Ace has you beat at this point, but you still have 9 outs to make your flush, 3 outs to make two pair and 2 outs to make a set. To sum up – make a continuation bet, and feel satisfied if you take the pot down now, or very satisfied if you set the trap and hit your flush.

Robin’s Response:
I did bet out 600, Scott, roughly half of the pot. The next player behind me folded and the next raised to 1200 straight. The other two players that had checked before me both folded. I didn’t like this raise, it was just odd. He was either clueless or was setting a trap for me to fall into.

The turn was an 8d. I decided to check and my opponent checked as well! The river was the perfect 7s. I just made the 2nd nut straight. I bet out 2000 expecting him to fold and he pushed all-in.

I just did not put him on a Q/10 and I did call. He showed me pocket Aces which gave him a set on the flop. He never raised pre-flop, made a too small raise on the flop and checked the turn. This allowed me to kick his butt on the river and kick it I did. I doubled up and he was out.

The Hand
This week’s hand is from a game I played at a West Virginia Casino’s Card Room. It was awhile ago, but an interesting hand. The game was a wild 2/5 NL game, but here’s the kicker…it had a forced $10 straddle, so it made a lot of action in the game.

I had about $800 in front of me and the rest of the table had between $400 and $1400. There were two limpers for the $10. Two guys folded and the next player raised to $40. The next two players called and I was on the button. I knew this is going to be a giant pot and decided to call with a 10d/Jd. The SB folded, but everyone else called. There was 7-way action and $282 in the pot already.

The flop was Qd/Jh/2d and I liked this flop. The BB checked, as did the original two limpers. The original raiser without hesitation pushed all in for $600 and everyone folded around to me. It was decision time… What would you do?

Winner: Jason S., Federal Heights, Colorado
This is a tough decision which I think is totally dependent on your willingness to gamble and your read on the other players. On that board you have a flush draw and a pair of jacks with a backdoor straight draw. This hand is a slight favorite against an AA, KK, AQ, and a slight underdog to AQ with the ace of diamonds. I would assume that the initial raiser probably has a hand in this range if he’s willing to raise with all the callers pre-flop and push all-in for $600 to protect his hand. (Having never played this player I am giving him the benefit of the doubt that he doesn’t have a Q10 or worse.)

This looks like a standard bet to take down the pot now or take a gamble against one other hand, and many hands that you wouldn’t want to see seem unlikely i.e. KJ, AJ, QJ, 22. The only hands that I would really be worried about that seem likely given the way he played, would be Ad, Kd where as our opponent has two overs and a gutshot straight draw plus the remaining 7 diamonds to make his hand and QQ. At this point in the hand 2 players checked and our opponent who we believe is about coinflip with us has raised $600 into a $285 pot. If we call $600 we would be getting about 2 to 3 on our money meaning if we will win more than 33% of the time this will be a profitable play in the long run. If our opponent has a set of queens than we are only going to win about 30% of the time and we wouldn’t be getting the right odds.

This is where our read and our willingness to gamble comes in to play. We will make money on this play in the long run but you have to ask yourself are you willing to risk $600 on a coinflip? Did any of the early position players check with the intention of re-raising? If I am going to call I’m going to re-raise all in to $800 to discourage any more players and also because I am committed to this pot if I call $600 anyway. That means the pot will be $1600 and a call would be $800 giving any player behind me 2 to 1 on their money. This can be a very dangerous situation because we assume we are 50% to win against the one opponent who has a pair but if anyone behind you has QJ, 22 or an ace high flush draw, a call is almost eminent and we are drawing very thin and are going to be at risk to lose a lot of chips in this hand. If we were correct and the raiser had aq and someone behind calls with a better flush draw we are about a 9 to 1 dog. It’s very hard to put these players on a hand because it’s a loose table and big pots attract many hands so these hands are not out of the question by any means.

In conclusion, I don’t think there’s really a bad play in this situation but since you asked what I would do, I would probably fold. Even though I wouldn’t be too concerned with the two limpers, and I have already said this would be a winning play in the long run, I wouldn’t be willing to put $600 in on a coinflip. Not only do I think I can get my money in better, I am allowing my opponent to get all his money in on a coinflip which means he will make money off this play in the long run also. I am only invested $40 or 4 bets and if my opponent overbets the pot often I can wait for a better hand to play against him in position and possibly double my money with a huge advantage.

Robin’s Response:
Jason had a really long, well thought out answer that I will condense on the air due to time issues.

Okay Jason, everyone folded around to me and after short consideration I did decide to fold also. Dollarwise, I did not feel that I was pot committed… I only had $40 invested in this hand and did not want to commit another $600 if I was even marginally behind. By my opponents actions (body language, tells etc) I knew that he had a very strong hand, which he actually showed me after I put mine in the muck… pocket queens!

There were so many excellent answers this week…not just call or fold…but a lot of thinking. Thank you all for your responses!

The Hand
This week’s hand was from a local $2/5, NL game that I play in. This game was no different from any of the prior loose games I presented in this segment, loose being the key word. It also had a good mix of passive and aggressive players. I had about $700 in front of me and the other players had between $100 and about $1200.

The player UTG had straddled for $10 and three players had limped in. I was in fairly late position with an Ad/Qh and decided to find out who was serious. I raised to $40 straight, roughly a pot size bet.

Three players behind me folded and the button smooth called. Both blinds folded and one of the limpers called. There were now three of us in the hand and the pot was $155.

The flop was Qd/8d/7d. I just hit the flop jackpot! The player before me checked. It was up to me. What would you do?

Winner: Darius “D-Man” S. Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Considering it is obviously a very lose game with a blind straddle in the mix, I would have to assume you will get plenty of action regardless of your move, so I would bet the pot (~$150) to see where you are and hope a K high flush draw, maybe a Kd Qos comes along for the ride. They might even decide to play back at you which I would welcome with open pockets. The only real concern you might have here is a set of 8’s or 7’s. But you would still have a decent pluck at your nut flush. Bet the pot and see where you are.

Robin’s Response:
Here’s how it went Darius. I did bet out $100…about 2/3rds the pot. The button just called and seemed to be getting very agitated. The BB folded. The turn was a 2d. I pushed all-in and had more than enough to cover my opponent (he had about $200 left). After a long pause he called. The river was a blank… 4c and I was glad because I felt that he had a set. I turned over the nut flush and he showed me a set of QUEENS!! He was slow playing pre-flop and post flop was probably afraid of the flush then he got in trouble.

Thanks again to Darius “D Man” S. for his response and to all the others who e-mailed the show this week.

The Hand
Hi Everyone! Hope the holidays were great, it’s good to be back. And now, for the first hand of 2008… This one was from a $345 buy-in tournament I played at Mountaineer Casino in West Virginia recently.

I was at a fairly tight table. There were only 2-3 players that I would consider loose and passive. We started with 10,000 in chips and this hand came late in level 2 with the blinds at 100/200. I hadn’t played at all, other than the blinds, and looked down at Ah/Qh in late position.

There was one limper before me and I made it 600 straight. The next two folded and the BB called, as did the limper. The flop was 2h/Kh/Kc. Not terrible, but not great either. The BB bet out 400, very small considering the flop. The limper calls and I did also, as my odds were decent.

The turn was the K/d. This time the BB checks and so did the limper. Now I had a decision to make. What would you do?

Winner: Chris C., Wooster, Ohio
I think you have two options here:

1. You bet out about a third of the pot, there’s 3100 in there so I think 1200 or 1300 would be about right. This kind of bet is deceptive because it looks like a value bet that wants a call.

2. You check and take one off to see if you hit your flush, but even if you do, you could possibly have run into quad kings because of the tightness of the table.

I like betting out in this situation you can more than likely steal this pot with option one, and if you are raised you can get away without too much damage. So bet out and see where you are.

Robin’s Response:
Well Chris, I had gone with option one and bet out 1000, roughly 1/3 the pot. I did want to see where I was I was at, but didn’t get the clear response I was hoping for. The button did fold, but the BB called. I was hoping they’d both fold or one would raise.

The river was the Ad. NOW the BB bet out 1000 into an over 5000 pot. I did feel that even though I filled up, I was looking at quad kings, BUT did give a crying call. And yes, my opponent had a K/8 off-suit and had called my pre-flop raise and got lucky.

I was up against one of the only players that really didn’t know the game very well. He was not being clever with his bets…he just didn’t know what to bet and eventually gave all my chips away…but not to me! I ended up making it to about 25th place… no cash out.