Two Big PLO Pots Gone Wrong

Too Thin

Full Tilt Poker Pot-Limit , $6 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

BB ($386.55)
UTG ($428.05)
Hero ($986.50)
CO ($618.45)
Button ($249.30)
SB ($538.15)

Preflop: Hero is MP with 5d, 6d, As, Ah.
1 fold, Hero raises to $21, CO calls $21, 1 fold, SB calls $18, 1 fold.

Flop: ($69) Jh, 8s, 5s (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $45, CO calls $45, SB calls $45.

Turn: ($204) Ac (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $145, CO folds, SB calls $145.

River: ($494) Tc (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $494, SB calls $327.15 (All-In).

Final Pot: $1315.15

Results in white below:

SB has 9d 6h 7d Kd (straight, jack high).

Hero has 5d 6d As Ah (three of a kind, aces).

Outcome: SB wins $1148.30. Hero wins $166.85.

It’s not often that one ought to check back top set on the river when no obvious draws come in. But with this guy over-calling big bets on the flop and turn, he’s almost certainly on a draw. And even though the obvious ones missed, there’s no reason to think this guy has a hand that can call my river bet. He either missed, or he hit and checked something improbable.

Here’s another one versus the same guy (he’s the one in the middle):

Full Tilt Poker Pot-Limit , $6 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

CO ($778.95)
Hero ($1299.90)
SB ($467.85)
BB ($339.85)
UTG ($619.35)
MP ($1043.55)

Preflop: Hero is Button with Qh, 8s, Td, Qd.
1 fold, MP calls $6, 1 fold, Hero raises to $27, 1 fold, BB calls $21, MP calls $21.

Flop: ($84) Kh, Js, Qs (3 players)
BB checks, MP checks, Hero bets $72, BB raises to $300, MP calls $300, Hero calls $228.

Turn: ($984) 9h (3 players)
BB bets $12.85 (All-In), MP raises to $716.55 (All-In), Hero calls $716.55.

River: ($2429.95) 3h (3 players, 2 all-in)

Final Pot: $2429.95

Results in white below:

Hero has Qh 8s Td Qd (straight, king high).

BB has 5h Kc 9s Ks (three of a kind, kings).

MP has Ah 9d Th Kd (flush, ace high).

Outcome: MP wins $2429.95.

Given his demonstrated penchant for slowplaying, I was already feeling bad about his cold call on the flop. I told myself that my holding a T made it somewhat less likely for him to have a straight and that he would pay off if I boated up. Then I improved to the second nuts on the turn and decided there was some chance he was on a combo draw or the same hand I now had, and that T9 was a more likely combo than AT for him to be limp-calling. Bad bad bad really, I probably ought to have just folded the flop.