Poker is a game that can throw up a myriad of situations and you have to play each one differently. These two hands came up in a single $2/$4 NLHE cash session and it shows that if you think things through, it can be correct to fold a monster hand and call with a marginal one.
Hand one
Seat 1: gustoman – $601.70
Seat 5: zlatan35 – $381.20
Seat 6: Hach8 – $204.10
felicia18 posts small blind ($2)
zlatan35 posts big blind ($4)
Dealing 4c-4h to zlatan35
Hach8 calls $4
gustoman raises to $18
zlatan35 calls $18
Hach8 folds
Dealing flop: Th-Ts-4s
Obviously, I like this flop. I’ve flopped a full house and only T-T has me beaten. Okay, T-4 has me beaten too but I seriously doubt I’m up against that because of the preflop action. I check to respect his preflop raise and I’m hoping he’s going to c-bet, but unfortunately he checks behind.
zlatan35 checks
gustoman checks
Dealing turn: Jc
I decide to check again because I don’t want to scare him off the pot. I have a full house so I can give him a free card. I’d like him to hit a straight or a flush – my full house is obviously better.
zlatan35 checks
gustoman bets $32
He bets $32 and there is no need to raise because if he is bluffing he will fold and I want him to fire a second barrel on the river. He is possibly on a straight draw with K-Q or on a flush draw, so I think a call is better.
zlatan35 calls $32
Dealing river: As
The flush is now possible. I donk-bet $77 to avoid a check-check, as I think I am winning. I think he puts me on a flush as that’s what I’ve tried to represent.
zlatan35 bets $77
gustoman has 24 seconds remaining in the time bank
gustoman raises to $551.70 (all-in)
Oops! I think I am behind now! He would not go all-in in that situation with K-Q because the board is too dangerous. If he had a flush, I think he would just call because too many hands beat his hand: A-A, T-T, J-T, A-T, 4-4. I might be wrong, but this would explain his check on the flop – he just wanted to control the pot with an overpair and avoid a check-raise from me. So I put him on A-A or J-J, and I am going to follow my feeling. I fold my flopped full house, but I have only invested $120 in that hand so to me it is an easy fold. I don’t want to pay almost $500 with my ‘I am behind’ intuition.
zlatan35 folds and shows 4c-4h
gustoman doesn’t show
gustoman wins $257
In the table chat he told me he had A-A and I hope this is true. If not, well played sir.
Hand two
Seat 2: zlatan35 – $511.55
Seat 4: romanom37 – $165.40
Seat 6: Faizxx – $376
zlatan35 posts small blind ($2)
romanom37 posts big blind ($4)
Dealing 6h-6d to zlatan35
Faizxx raises to $16
zlatan35 calls $16
romanom37 folds
This is very standard preflop action, with a raiser and a call (me).
Dealing flop: 8d-5c-2c
zlatan35 checks
Faizxx bets $23
He is doing a standard c-bet on the flop and I still think I am ahead so I raise to get a little more information about his hand.
zlatan35 raises to $57
Faizxx has requested more time
Faizxx raises to $125
zlatan35 has requested more time
Well this is strange. This is a three-bet, okay, but it is so small. I have the feeling that he is scared of building a big pot, possibly to keep some fold equity on the turn if he wants to go all-in. I don’t trust him so I call.
zlatan35 calls $125
Why don’t I trust him? Let’s say he has A-A or K-K or Q-Q – he would never three-bet to $125. He would make it at least $180, or perhaps all-in! He may have a set, but he would be giving me great odds to hit my flush so it would be a bad play from him. So I think he is on a total bluff or on a flush draw. Why don’t I go all-in if I think I am ahead? I can’t be 100% sure of my read, I am not Superman! So, there are two possible scenarios on the flop:
- I go all-in on his three-bet and if he is on a bluff he folds and I take $140 net. If my read is wrong and he calls, I lose $400.
- I just call his three-bet and he might go all-in on the turn because of the way this hand is going. And he’s got fold equity so the bluff is an option for him. So, I prefer to call and hope for an all-in from him on the turn if my read is good. I will only fold on the turn if the card is a club.
If you look at the two scenarios, I can either take $125 or $400 with the same loss if my read is wrong – a $400 loss. So the second scenario is my favourite, because if I am wrong I lose $400 anyway, but if I am correct I win more by calling.
Dealing turn: Jh
zlatan35 checks
Faizxx bets $235 (all-in)
zlatan35 has requested more time
zlatan35 is using the time bank
zlatan35 has 7 seconds remaining in the time bank
Yes, he is going all-in. There is no flush possible right now, but I still think for a moment before deciding to call and follow my read.
zlatan35 calls $235
zlatan35 shows 6d-6h
Faizxx shows Ac-Tc
Dealing river: Qh
zlatan35 wins $753 with one pair, Sixes
I wouldn’t advise making this call too often. You have to be sure, or pretty sure, of your read. I had a good feeling and his three-bet on the flop was very suspicious, which is why I didn’t believe him.