Event: DTD £560 – £500k GTD
Karl’s hand: A♥-8♣
Board: 9♦-2♠-9♥-Q♣-3♥
Stack: 85,000
Blinds: 800/1,600/200
This hand took place three quarters of the way through Day 1 of this three-day tournament. Everyone started with 50k in chips and the blind levels on Day 1 were 40 minutes.
This table was made up mainly of local players who I was not familiar with. I only knew two other players, one of which was Willie Tann, who was on my direct left. I had been opening lots of pots with some success making hands at the right times and winning without showdown where necessary. A couple of rounds earlier I had doubled Willie up after he three-bet the cut off versus my hijack open with A-A v my A-Q.
He currently had around 60,000. In this hand action was folded to me in the small blind. I had opened most small blinds, apart from one that I limped and won without showdown on J♥-9♥-7♥-3♥-8♥ board with a river bet to which Willie folded the K♥ face up. Willie had been defending all of my small blind opens, almost always by just calling. I raised to 3,500 here and he called. The flop was 9-2-9 rainbow I checked and he checked.
The turn was Q (still rainbow). As I went to bet Willie said, ‘Just because I check doesn’t mean I can’t win.’ I bet 3,600 and he called.
The river was a 3. I checked and Willie bet 6,700. I tanked for 2/3 minutes, and Willie was talking to me a lot saying, ‘Don’t make a hero call’ and ‘have you got Ace-high?’ What should I do, call, raise or fold?
Last month
Karl faces a tricky call following a check-raise all-in move from his opponent
Event: Genting Poker Series, Leg 4, £430 Main Event
Karl’s hand: Q♣-9♠
Board: T♣-8♠-6♥-6♦-J♦
Stack: 60,000
Blinds: 400/800/100
Situation
This hand took place during the eighth level of this three-day main event at the Genting Casino in Stoke. I had a loose-aggressive image and in this hand, action was folded to the player in mid-position who limped. Everyone else folded and I checked the big blind with Q-9o. The flop came T-8-6 rainbow giving me a double gutshot draw. I checked to him. He had played seemingly honest so far postflop and he checked behind.
The turn paired the 6. I bet 1,500 and he raised to 7,200. I called and the river was J♦ giving me a straight. I checked and he bet 7,000 into a pot of 17,300. I raised to 17,000 and he immediately moved in. I had 34,900 remaining and had him covered by about 4,000. What is my best play, call or fold, and why?
Solution
I would have expected him to raise T-T/8-8 preflop. I thought he would bet all of his one pair and even two pairs/sets on this flop as he would be scared of a 7 or 9 falling on the turn. When he checked behind I assumed he had missed so was surprised when he raised when the 6 hit. There was a chance he had made trip Sixes but his raise seemed pre-determined. I didn’t think he would raise this quickly if he had made a house or quads.
When the river filled my straight and he bet quite small I was sure my hand was good. I eventually called as I couldn’t think of a hand that made sense for him. He showed 9-7 for the flopped straight which lost to my rivered higher straight.
