Harry and his three pocket

mattlessingerThere were 10 players at the table (full ring). Before the flop, everyone's call. Harry is on the button with 3 c - 3d. Obviously, he call as well as the blinds. Finally, the whole family is on the flop with their mother. The flop falls Ac - 7 d - 3 h, which is excellent for our hero. Everyone check until the player to the right of Harry who decides to bet. Harry does caller upgrading.

Translate by: kidam

No, it is not the adventures of Harry Potter. It's an another Harry, one of my friends who played with me recently in a part of hold'em extremely Stuart (and no, Harry is not his real name). After winning a pretty interesting pot, it comes see me in private, a few minutes later asking me if he had played the hand well. He had issues at all stages of the hand and I think we can learn a lot by reviewing these questions.

There were 10 players at the table (full ring). Before the flop, everyone's call. Harry is on the button with 3 c - 3d. Obviously, he call as well as the blinds. Finally, the whole family is on the flop with their mother. The flop falls Ac - 7 d - 3 h, which is excellent for our hero. Everyone check until the player to the right of Harry who decides to bet. Harry does caller upgrading.

Question No.. 1 Harry: I shoulda raiser to flop or wait at the turn?

Suppose that a set (3 cards like when you have a pair in his hands) here is the best hand, which is very plausible. Harry has only two objectives: protect her hand against the draws, and maximize his gains. I believe that raiser turning accomplishes these two objectives. Because there is no flush draw, his main concern is whether someone has a gutshot straight draw (or if someone has 5-4, this gives him a double draw). The game was so Stuart I think someone had a gutshot straight draw could caller 2 updated the flop, so the fact raiser will not hand spread it. On the other hand, with a collective pot and a part if Stuart, the pot odds justify a call with a gutshot draw.

If Harry raise the flop, everyone will probably checker up to him at the turn. At this point, players will know that they will have to caller that a bet to see the river and all who have a gutshot straight draw will pay fair price for going to see the river. So now, Harry has the worst of both worlds: it does not pay the maximum to his opponents (2 small updates and a big) and it doesn't sunset hands that could beat him.

Other hand, caller the flop and then raiser the turning point, will ensure that those who wish to see the River, will have to pay two big bets at the turn. At this point, the gutshot straight draw will clearly too much pay to go see the River, but if they decided to caller, it would be correct for Harry. Also, it leaves the chance to his opponents to hit their backdoor-flush draw (hit its color at the turn and river) and so opponents calleront correctly two big bets at the turn, but I believe that Harry can run this risk. Besides, anyone having a draw at the turn will be actually only 7 outs (cards that can help complete a hand). The other two colors will double the board, which will give an opportunity to hand full. OK, back to the hand. Four players call before Harry. The turn brings a 5s. Everyone check again until the player to the right of Harry who, yet again, update. At this point, Harry takes command of the hand and decides to raiser.

Question No.. 2 Harry: is it correct to raiser the turn?

No doubt! It is always possible that someone has a stronger set or a straight on the turn, but Harry can not play fearful with that hand. It would be cowardly Poker which, as we know, the poker of losers. If someone beats Harry, he will know very early in any way. It must be raiser to pay the maximum to all those who run cards.

In this hand, the small blind folds, the big blind call and everyone folds to the original mizer who call. The three players are the river that brings a Js for final board Ac - 7 d - 3 h - 5s - Js. The big blind check and the original mizer bet again. Harry took the time to think. Finally, he decides to raiser.

Question No.. 3 of Harry: it was my biggest dilemma. I thought I have the best hand, but at the same time, I was wondering if raiser was the correct game to do. I thought that 3 updates were perhaps much if someone had a better hand than me. Do you have raisé?

First, Harry, your instinct tells you that you have the best hand. Am your instincts! Absolutely, you're right raiser here. As a clever player, Harry place his opponents on possible hands before the river. He thinks that the big bling a 4-X, 4 giving a double straight draw. He thinks that the original mizer has A - X and that it was probably drawing dead. I was completely in agreement with these two assumptions. So even if someone hit his Js on the River, it changed absolutely nothing.

If the player to his right had beat him, he would have probably bet 3 big blind at the turn, especially because there were 3 players still in the hand. Instead, he bet when the Js fell, which virtually means: "If you beat A - J, take the money." At this point, it is has very little reason for Harry to fear the 3 updates on the river.

Where there are doubts in your mind, let me finish telling the hand. The big blind folds and the initial mizer call and muck his cards when he sees the set of three of Harry. Nobody asked to see his cards, but Harry and I believe he had A - J.

In conclusion, I said to Harry that he had played his hand from the beginning to the end. It has calle in late position with a pocket three into a collective pot. It has flopped a set and even though he knew that usually we put in this situation, he decided to just reason to wait the turn and river. To the River, he did not the nuts, but he has not played fearful as most players. It has sought an additional bet with his hand.

I finally told him: "I won't play with you. You have taken the right decisions at the right time for the right reasons. You become a little too good for my taste.