Now that I have thought about it more thoroughly, I would like to discuss a hand that took place Saturday during my first six-hour session of the year.
I had approximately $585 in front of me at the start of this hand, after buying in for $200. I was in the cutoff seat with A-10 of diamonds. There had been four callers in front of me and I decided to keep this a large field just in case I hit the miracle of all flops with three diamonds, full house, three of a kind or top two pair. The button called and the blinds played. It was a $16 pot with eight of us playing.
The flop came down A-J-4 with two clubs. The blinds checked and the first person to act, we will call her the female villain, bet $10. The person after her called. It folded to me and I figured to have the best hand right now unless somebody flopped a set of fours or two pair with A-4. I raised it to $30, making it $20 more to the first two in the pot. It folded back to the female villain. She called the raise and the player after her folded. The pot was now at $76.
The turn was the 10 of clubs. This was either a really great card for me or crushed me. However here was the good news, the female villain only had about $60 in front of her. She didn’t waste any time in checking. I thought for a brief moment about my options.
I could check and see what comes on the river, but that was not a good plan in my opinion. So that left betting. How much should I bet? If I bet everything she had she was only calling with a flush or the set of fours that we talked about earlier. I wanted to get all of her money if I was winning and I didn’t mind taking a risk if she was on a draw. If I bet half of what she had she would put the rest of it in on any made hand that was two pair or better or any kind of draw. With a pair of aces she would definitely call if not put the rest of it in. I decided betting half was the best plan since I was going to put the whole $60 in no matter what. If she raised me I was going to call and betting half of what she had gave me a better chance of getting all of her money.
I bet $30 again and she immediately went all in. Well, this is what I wanted and if I am beat then so be it, but I am getting 6-1 to call and I still could have the best hand seeing as she could have a pair of aces with a flush draw or even a hand such as A-Q or J-10. I called and she flipped over K-8 of clubs. Come on dealer, give me a boat.
Sure enough, an ace came on the river and she lost. I think I played the hand fine. Going in behind with a four outer wasn’t the best decision I’ve ever made, but by the time all her money was in the pot I felt I had invested enough and was priced in for the amount of money she had left and the amount I had in front of me at the time.
What do you think?
5 comments:
"and was priced in for the amount of money she had left"
this is a little bit of a fib, as you priced yourself in. it's not as if a bunch of other people called and you felt you had no choice. you were priced in because you priced yourself in on purpose. i would have bet between $20 and $30, with the expectation of folding if she came over the top of me, as a flush is the only hand that could do that. and 6-1 isn't even close to the right odds to draw to four outs with one card to come.
you can argue that 6-1 is too hard to get away from, but really it's not.
just my two cents.
basically, if you were willing to call a raise of hers, then you might as well just put her all-in.
I did explain that putting her all in is only going to be called by a flush or some other hand that has me beat where as betting half of her stack gives her a chance to call with something that isn't beating me. I know I was betting an amount that basically was putting me in a position to call her all in, even though I am probably beat, but I think it was still an okay move. However, I've been wrong before.
"betting half of her stack gives her a chance to call with something that isn't beating me."
while i agree with this, i think that if you make this bet and are raised then you have to be willing to fold.
You're probably right.
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