One Hand At A Time
This is the fi rst article in a series of three that will pull hands from the recently released book Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time Volume 1 by Eric “Rizen” Lynch, Jon “PearlJammer” Turner, and Jon “Apestyles” Van Fleet. Collectively, their track record is staggering: more than 1,000 fi nal tables made, over 200 major wins, and more than $6,000,000 in cashes. In Winning Poker Tournaments these three co-authors reveal their step-by-step decision-making processes using hands drawn from actual play.
Each article in this series will look at two hands from one of the co-authors. The two hands in this article are from Eric “Rizen” Lynch.
HAND52 Seat 5 UTG+2: 2,970 Seat 6 MP1: 2,985 Seat 7 MP2: 3,005 Seat 8 CO: 3,110 Seat 9 BTN: 3,000 Seat 1 SB: 2,950 Seat 2 BB: 2,950 Seat 3 Hero (UTG): 3,030 Seat 4 UTG+1: 3,000
Setup: It is very early in a $300 weekly freezeout. The blinds are 10/20. This tournament has many satellite players but a lot of regulars too. I haven’t been at the table long enough to have gained any real reads on the other players. Some players at the table may recognize my name and reputation though, and that may factor into their decisions.
Pre-fl op 9c 9d (pot: 30): Pocket nines is a solid hand and with the blinds this low in relation to the stacks, both limping and raising are good options. Many players prefer to limp but I prefer to raise because it gives my hand a lot of deceptive value when I hit. It also allows me to make continuation bets into many types of fl ops, as my raise implies strength. I raise to 60, Seat 5 calls, and so does Seat 8 in the cutoff. The rest fold, and the fl op is three-handed.Flop 8c 5s 2c (210): For pocket nines, this is one of the better fl ops that doesnft have a nine in it. It defi nitely makes sense to go ahead and value bet here. I bet 140, Seat 5 raises to 360, and the cutoff folds.
There are several dynamics to account for here: First, I raised from under the gun, which shows a lot of strength. Players typically pay a lot more respect to someone who raises from early position than someone who raises from a later position. This makes it much less likely that my opponents think I’m bluffi ng. Second, my opponent reraised with another player to act between him and me. This is another sign of strength from him, as he still has to worry about the cutoff having a hand. Finally, it is unlikely he called from early position with a hand like aces, kings, or queens; he isn’t going to want to have to play those big pairs in a four- or fi ve-player pot. Calling at these limits simply encourages action behind him, so it is unlikely he is sitting on a premium pair.
This narrows his likely range to a lot of pairs and suited connectors that play fairly well in multi-way pots. This fl op hits a lot of those hands very hard. If he has something like 7c 6c or 4c 3c, Ifm not very far ahead of him at all. If he has something like Ac 4c or Jc Tc, then Ifm actually behind in terms of equity in the pot even if I am ahead at the moment with a made hand. Ifm also WAY behind 8-8, 5-5, and 2-2. While itfs possible he has something like A-8 suited, these types of hands do not make up a very big part of his range.It’s possible that I’m ahead; however, when I’m ahead, I am not very far ahead, and when I’m behind in this situation, I’m absolutely crushed. Additionally, I face the possibility of two progressively larger bets on the turn and river when I’m out of position. With the exception of a nine, there aren’t many turn and river cards I’ll be happy seeing. Having a seat this early in the tournament is worth a lot more than fi ghting over this small pot. I’d rather make a small mistake here by folding when I’m ahead than make a big mistake on those occasions when I am absolutely dominated and losing a very big pot. I decide to make the prudent fold.
HAND57 Seat 6 MP1: 1,910 Seat 7 MP2: 2,575 Seat 8 Hero (CO): 3,245 Seat 9 BTN: 2,965 Seat 1 SB: 3,420 Seat 2 BB: 3,500 Seat 3 UTG: 3,255 Seat 4 UTG+1: 3,320 Seat 5 UTG+2: 2,260
Setup: It is somewhat early in a $1K event with blinds of 15/30.
Pre-fl op Ad 2c (45): I donft really like playing aces with bad kickers too often, but early in deep structured events I will open with them in late position if I have an ace and a wheel card because I hit more disguised two pairs and straights that way. Itfs folded to me, I raise to 90, and both the button and the small blind call.
Flop Qc 6h 6d (300): This isnft a great fl op for me, but it probably didnft help my opponents either. The small blind checks, and I make a continuation bet of 210. The button calls and the small blind folds. At this point, I would expect the button to raise most of the time with a Q, slowplay a 6, and call with most pairs better than sixes but worse than queens. There are potentially other hands in his range, but those are the ones that make the most sense from the action so far.
Turn 3d (720): The turn card likely misses both of us. Given the range I have my opponent on, a lot of players have a hard time calling a second bet here with a pair less than queens. I can make a bet of 60 to 65 percent of the pot and safely fold if raised. If he only calls, I should have a very good handle on what my opponent is holding. I bet 475, and my opponent calls.
River Kd (1,670): Normally, Ifm reluctant to fi re again on the river on a paired board. Fortunately, the river card is probably the best gbluff cardh in the deck. An ace would be better, but I have an ace and believe there is a very good chance my opponent is holding a middle pair, so an ace would give me a made hand and not a bluff. This card is just too perfect to not bluff at given my read on my opponent, so I fi re the third barrel and bet 1,000. My opponent types gsighh in the chat box and folds.
