Interesting Tunica Hands

I was so disgusted down in Tunica that I didn't really feel like discussing poker at the time. Last night while trying to sleep I kept thinking about all the hands I played down there and realized I encountered several interesting decisions despite my lack of time at the tables. Here are some of the hands and as always, feedback would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully you can read up until the point in the hand where I have to make a difficult decision, and think about what you would do.

1) 100-200 blinds. Hasan Habib raises in early position to 650 and I call on the button with pocket fours. Some might say, against a good player, I should just fold before the flop. We both have over 20k. The flop comes 765 rainbow and he quickly makes a potsize bet. What's my play?

I thought for over a minute and then decided that folding was probably my best option. Here's why:

My read was that he had a hand that wanted to take it down immediately. I've played with Hasan a fair amount now and I feel like I usually know what he's thinking. I also think he has a pretty good read on me. If he has, say TT, then I have ten outs, which is a decent but not great number. But if one of my outs hits, he may not put another chip in the pot. The implied odds on a 765 board against an overpair/good player are just not there. If he has 88, 99, or 87, I have even fewer outs and could actually get into trouble myself if certain cards hit.

I also felt like there was almost no chance I had the best hand. It just didn't feel like a continuation bet bluff/semibluff at all.

I folded and he showed pocket nines.

2) 100-200 blinds. I limp under the gun with pocket kings. This was probably a poor decision because I was playing very tight. It was unlikely someone would raise my UTG limp. Hasan calls, the small blind maniac Dale Morrow calls, and the big blind Johnny K, who appeared to be a very good player, checked. The flop came T92 rainbow and the blinds checked to me. I bet 600, Hasan folded, Morrow instantly made it 2500, and Johnny K called. What's my play?

I actually thought this was a pretty easy laydown. I was pretty damn concerned Morrow had me beat, and when Johnny K called, I was almost certain I was beat. QJ would make sense but it did not feel like either had QJ. I thought these guys might be wise enough to put me on a big pair here and didn't seem to care. If it was just Morrow I don't think I would lay it down.

I folded quickly. The turn was a queen and Morrow checked. Johnny K bet medium and Morrow quickly folded. Johnny K showed T-2.

3) 200-400 blinds. Tex Barch raises in early position to 1400, Morrow calls, and I call with AsJs in the cutoff. The flop comes 742 with two spades. Barch checks and Morrow immediately bets 5000. I have about 28000 behind. What's my play?

I made it 17000 and they both quickly folded. Morrow showed me 55 and acted like it was a big laydown.

4) $2k shorthanded NLHE at the Grand. I'm off to a fast start and have the most chips at the table. After rocking it up for about twenty minutes I've caught a few hands and it appears like I am trying to run over the table. 25-25 blinds, first level still. We started with 2000 chips and I have about 2700 now. We are playing 5-handed. Melissa Hayden limps UTG and second pos limps. I make it 125 with TT, the blinds fold, and both limpers call. The flop comes QsTh8h with two hearts. They both check to me and I bet 300. Melissa calls quickly. Turn is an offsuit 6. Melissa checks and I bet 750. Melissa again calls quickly. The river is a low heart and Melissa immediately moves in for 1300. What's my play?

This was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had playing poker. I thought for a very long time. While there are a few other possibilities, there are three hands here that Melissa is likely to have.

a) a flush
b) a straight
c) a pair and a straight draw that missed (merely a pair on the river)

a) is certainly a possibility and it would make a lot of sense for her to have this. However it would almost certainly have to be a low flush. She was consistently raising before the flop with any ace, so an ace high flush was unlikely. A king high flush is also unlikely because of the board texture. In fact, if you really think about it, the flush would probably have to be 7 high or lower. Now she would have to have specifically 76s, 65s, 54s. I'm not sure she would play suited one gappers like this, and don't know that she would play them under the gun. 75s, 64s, seem pretty unlikely. So most likely we are talking about 3 different hands, all of which she would have to play specifically like this. It seems kind of unlikely. 7-6 of hearts makes by far the most sense here, and in fact, it might be her single most likely hand.

b) is possible but unlikely. She would have to have J9 or 97, and I don't think she just calls out of position on the turn with a straight. She checkraises all-in I think. It does make sense that she would push on the river, knowing I'm not going to bet since the flush has hit.

c) would make a lot of sense. I basically assumed that is what she had the entire hand. QJ, JT, T9, 98 all fit the profile perfectly: limping under the gun, calling a raise, and then calling large bets on the flop and turn. My physical read of the situation was that she was calling "stubbornly" the entire time, which fits with these hands. However she is a veteran and could have been faking the stubbornness. I also got a physical read she was bluffing the river, but was even more concerned that was a faked tell.

If i called and lost, I would be crippled down to about 400 chips. If I folded I would be in fine shape with around 1700. In the end this made my decision, and I folded. The tournament strategy aspect of the hand is crucial. Having 400 chips would be a disaster. Having 1700 would be okay, and having 3900 would be good. I think having 400 compared to 1700 would be "worse" than having 3900 compared to 1700 would be "better."

The more I think about it though, I think it was a bad fold. There are just two few flushmaking hands she could have, and too many pair + gutshot hands.

5) 25-50 blinds now. I make it 150 on the button with TT and Alex Prendes makes it 525 in the BB. We both have about 1900. What's my play?

This was another brutal decision, and I thought for over two minutes. Folding, calling, and raising all-in are all viable options. This is only the second time he has reraised before the flop, and in fact it's only the third time anyone at the table has reraised preflop. I also had visions of this hand I saw him play on tv where he reraised a guy who stupidly put it in with AQ and Prendes had AA. I didn't have much of a physical read.

I made a big mistake on this hand. I did a poor job of masking my emotions. I was anguished, and I didn't do a very good job of hiding it I don't think. I think it was clear I had a good but not great hand, unless I was acting.

I finally said "I'm all in." He thought for about 20 seconds and called with AQ. I won the race and our table broke about two minutes later.

6) The very first hand at my new table I made it 150 in the cutoff with JhTh and Mark Seif immediately made it 400 on the button. He plays very fast, literally and in the poker gambling-maniac sense. I didn't see how I could fold for just 250 more and called. His raise, combined with his position, made me think he either had a monster or something like 77 or AJ and just wanted to take control. I felt like a hand like JJ or AK would raise bigger.

The flop came T86 rainbow and I checked. He quickly checked behind me and I was almost certain he had no piece of this flop. Mark Seif is a maniac and maniacs do not slowplay overpairs. The turn was a jack and I made a 2/3 pot bet. Seif beat me into the pot. At this point I was pretty sure he had AK, AQ, AJ, or KQ. The river was an ace. What's my play?

There is some merit to betting. A bet is good if Seif will check the river with AK or AQ, because he will likely call a bet with either of these hands. A bet is also good if I am willing to fold if he raises. That way I can decide how much I want to lose on the hand. I feel committed to calling any bet on the river, so why not just make a bet? He probably can't raise me unless he has KQ. It would take quite a sicko to make a value reraise with AJ or even TT on this board.

However, Mark Seif is a sicko. He may also be capable of having stone cold nothing on this board, and may want to bluff if I check. So there is a lot of merit to checking. I did, he bet huge, I immediately called, and he had AJ.

7) Jean-Robert Bellande raises the minimum in second position. The small blind calls and I call in the BB with 86o. The flop comes 844. The SB checks, I check, Bellande makes a potsize bet, the SB folds, and I call. This was a pretty scary situation but I was pretty sure he would not bet an overpair on the turn because of the fours. I was definitely playing it as if I might have a four, and he has never played with me before. However I really didn't think he had an overpair, because of the min raise preflop. That move really made me feel his hand was weakish, and most likely a small pair.

The turn was a K and we both checked quickly. The river was an ace. I checked and Bellande quickly made a large bet. What's my play?

I actually called pretty quickly. The small raise preflop combined with the large bet really made me feel like he had a small pair. I knew at this point he had to be pretty sure I had an eight. And how could I call with just an eight with an ace and a king out there? It seemed unlikely to me that he would make a potsize bet with just an ace against two blinds on that flop, so the ace probably didn't help him I thought.

He had A8o and I lost most of my chips.

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