+QA-Linda wants to know if she played this hand properly
SSCallery is the button.
Precards:
Rounder63 posts the small blind $25, onesilygrl posts the big blind $50.
Preflop: onesilygrl is dealt Kd Jc (9 active)
6 folds, SSCallery raises to $150, Rounder63 calls $125, onesilygrl calls $100.
Flop: Qc 3c Td ($450, 3 active)
Rounder63 checks, onesilygrl bets $250, SSCallery folds, Rounder63 calls $250.
Turn: Qc 3c Td 9d ($950, 2 active)
Rounder63 checks, onesilygrl bets $550, Rounder63 calls $550.
River: Qc 3c Td 9d Ks ($2,050, 2 active)
Rounder63 bets $870 (all-in), onesilygrl calls $595 (all-in).
Final Pot: $3,240
onesilygrl, net: -$1,545, Lost at showdown, has Kd Jc (a King High Straight)
Rounder63, net: $1,695, Won at showdown, has Jh Ah (an Ace High Straight)
SSCallery, net: -$150, Folded Flop
Dear Linda,
So, I like the play till the turn. Let’s look at the bad cards for you: There are two flush draws (18 bad cards) and the K might counterfeit or beat you and ditto for the jack (2 more cards). 20 cards that give you trouble and there are 46 unknown cards! 1.3 to 1!
By betting only $550 into the $950 pot you are making a small bet. Plus, you only have $595 behind that so you are committing almost half your stack so you are pot committed anyway. This hand clearly wants protection and there are no more decisions to be made because you are pot committed anyway so push in on the turn.
The problem is that by betting only 550 you create a 1500 pot for Rounder63 to call 550. Now, mind you, he was not getting the right price with AJ and he made a ridiculous call. But you don’t know what his hand is. You also know that there is a 1.3 to 1 chance there will be a troublesome card on the river. But you are offering Rounder63 nearly 3 to 1 on the call. Not only that, but Rounder63 might call because he thinks he can bluff you if one of the suits hits.
By just moving it in you offer a much worse price for yourself and remove the possibility of being bluffed off the hand when a bad card hits.
The take away is that when the texture really sucks we want to bet big no matter whether we have the nuts at the moment or not. That is particularly true when you are pot committed anyway.
Xo
Annie