These hands were both against an absolutely atrocious player. The first one is pretty straightforward and solidified for me just how wide is range is going to be when he makes these stupid little 4-bets pre-flop:
Full Tilt Poker, $4/$8 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 5 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter
Hero (UTG): $1,600
CO: $1,612.50
BTN: $2,074.60
SB: $1,078.20
BB: $1,899
Pre-Flop: 7
7
dealt to Hero (UTG)
Hero raises to $28, CO folds, BTN raises to $48, 2 folds, Hero calls $20
Flop: ($108) 2 8 A
(2 Players)
Hero checks, BTN checks
Turn: ($108) 7 (2 Players)
Hero bets $108, BTN calls $108
River: ($324) 3 (2 Players)
Hero bets $324, BTN calls $324
Results: $972 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero showed 7 7 (three of a kind, Sevens) and WON $969 (+$489 NET)
BTN mucked 5
8 (a pair of Eights) and LOST (-$480 NET)
Note that once I hit, I just potted the turn and river. Often, people will feel foolish calling two big bets when they are so far behind. Although I didn’t plan this next hand from the get-go, that’s what I was counting on:
Full Tilt Poker, $4/$8 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 5 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter
Hero (UTG): $2,265
CO: $1,884.50
BTN: $2,381.60
SB: $906.20
BB: $1,588
Pre-Flop: A 6 dealt to Hero (UTG)
Hero raises to $28, CO folds, BTN raises to $48, 2 folds, Hero calls $20
Flop: ($108) 5 T 8 (2 Players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $56, Hero raises to $217, BTN calls $161
Turn: ($542) K (2 Players)
Hero bets $542, BTN calls $542
River: ($1,626) 3 (2 Players)
Hero bets $1,458 and is All-In, BTN folds
Results: $1,626 Pot ($3 Rake)
On the flop, I just didn’t think he had anything given his weak bet on a pretty drawy board and his general tendency to show up with garbage (though this is a good flop for 85o). I would have given up on most turns, but when I pick up the flush draw and a scare card hits- not that I’m actually like to have a K, but it will make him feel that much weaker if he has like 87 or something.
He called sooooo quickly on the turn that there was no way he had anything stronger than one pair. If he actually had a big hand, he would have at least thought about raising, since there are a lot of draws out there and I look committed to the pot. I just had to pull the trigger on the river.
As I argued in my recent 2+2 article How to Bluff a Calling Station, you’ve got fire multiple big barrels to punish these guys for playing pots that are too big for their marginal hands.
By the way, I showed him the bluff. Since I don’t expect I’ll have cause to bluff him much in the future, I might as well encourage him to pay me off next time I have a monster.