Poker clinic

CRACKING UP

I rarely play cash games, preferring the relative safety of tournament buy-ins, but while having a drink at the Vic last night I decided to throw caution to the wind and buy in for £50 to a £0.50/£1 no-limit hold’em game. Sitting in early position on my second hand, I looked down at Aces. The player under the gun raised to £4, and I made it £10 to go.

Everyone else folded, and after saying, ‘Got a big hand, eh?’ the UTG player quickly called. I had no other info on him but he had at least £70 in front of him and was a bit cocky, suggesting to me that he might try something saucy whatever came on the flop. The flop was 4-5-7 rainbow and he went all-in. He might have hit a set, but I knew that was a hand he might try to represent anyway. I couldn’t lay those Aces down, and called for my remaining £40.

He flipped over 8-6 suited for a flopped straight. I decided not to rebuy and left the casino, remembering why I never play cash. What did I do wrong? You were at the next table in the GUKPT, I should have asked you then…
Trevor, via email

Trevor, first let me say that I know the above experience can’t have helped your self-imposed cash game prohibition – no one likes getting their Aces cracked – but I’d recommend persevering nevertheless. There’s an argument that you could have made your pre-flop re-raise a little more – £12 or so – but considering your description of the UTG player, he probably would have called anyway (especially as he had you covered).

Plus, your aim was not to win the pot there and then, but to get to the flop heads-up, which is exactly what your bet achieved. On the flop, I’m actually quite impressed with the UTG’s play – fast-playing the nuts is a ballsy move.

Calling for all your chips is always a risky play, but you have to remember that this is a cash game not a tournament. You have the ability to reload, and let’s be honest, if you had stayed around and this player had continued to play this loose against you, you’d have had all his chips by the end of the night!

It’s true that there are quite a few hands that beat you (sets, two pair, low straights), but in the end I don’t know many players who could have laid down Aces on a low rainbow, relatively safe flop. So don’t beat yourself up.

UNFAIR DEMANDS?

I was playing in a ten-man no-limit hold’em cash game when it went heads-up on the flop. Player A bet on the flop and on the turn and Player B called each time. When Player A bet after the river, B said, ‘You’ve got me beat’ and went to muck his hand. Immediately, Player A demanded to see the losing hand, at which point Player B refused and several players at the table also protested.

The card room manager was called and said that the losing hand had to be shown. Player B did so but went on tilt and left the game for a time to try to cool down. The whole table developed an unsettled atmosphere and, after a few more hands, player A decided that the feeling was against him and left the table. I would be grateful for your opinion on the question of a winning player demanding to see a losing hand.
Roger Clark, via email

There are two reasons why Player A should have just raked in his chips and got on with the game. Firstly, it’s not ethical for a winning player to insist on seeing a losing hand – why do you want to rub someone’s nose in the fact that they’ve just lost a hand? Isn’t it enough that you’ve taken some of their chips off them? Secondly, there is every chance that Player B could have misread his hand. Imagine how foolish Player A would have felt if Player B had turned over a winning hand?!

As readers will probably know, I play a lot of poker down at the Vic in London and I’m glad to see that they’ve recently passed a ruling on this matter. It states that unless there’s evidence of collusion between the relevant players, the loser can always muck his hand unseen.

However, you can’t just fold to your heart’s content. ‘Serial muckers’ can be asked by the card room manager to turn over their cards. Of course there is the argument that if players don’t show their hands, you’ll never know for sure whether or not they’re bluffing; but poker is predominantly a game of imperfect information, so it shouldn’t matter anyway.