PokerEncore.com’s Karl Mahrenholz tests out your poker skills with this tough hand from a recent major tournament. Can you work out the best move?
Event: £1,080 GUKPT Edinburgh main event
Stack: 50,000
Blinds: 300/600/a75
This hand comes from the penultimate level on Day 1 of the recent GUKPT Edinburgh main event. I have been at the table since midway through the day. The table mainly contains local players with whom I’ve not played before, with a couple of strong Scottish players added in. I have quite a loose image and have recently shown down 8-3 where I squeezed and bet the flop to win a pot and get heads-up against a player who was all-in for less than an ante.
In this hand action was folded to me in mid-position and I raised to 1,250 with A♠-8♠. The only caller was the cutoff (this is the player who called preflop and folded to my bet with the 8-3). He had been calling with a wide range of hands preflop (including a couple of J-2 suited type hands) and he had been playing fairly passively. I noted he slow played the J-2 on a 6-2-2 flop, checking behind when last to act.
The flop in this hand came Q-4-3 with two clubs. I checked and he bet 1,600. I called. He started the hand with a similar stack to me. The turn paired the Queen and when I checked he bet 3,500 very quickly. I called again. The river was the Ten of diamonds and I checked a third time. He made a quick bet of 5,000. What is my best play and why?
Check back tomorrow for the solution!
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