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Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament – No Limit
Blinds are $600-$1,200 – Antes are $200 –
Nine players are seated
Seat 1, George (Under the Gun) – Chip Count: $115,000
Seat 3, John – Chip Count: $43,300
Seat 7, Neil (Button) – Chip Count: $54,500
PRE-FLOP
George (T
T ):
“This is a good starting hand, but high cards
on the flop could hurt me. I’m going to raise
here, representing a big hand. I’d be happy to
pick up the blinds and antes without a fight, but if
someone calls or reraises I’ll be in reasonably
good shape.”
RAISE to $6,000
Seats 2: FOLD
John (A
K):
“I have A-K, so I need a good flop or I’ll
be sucking wind. This is not a hand for me to reraise
right now, especially since George has an enormous stack.
He’s a solid player, and he’s under the
gun, so I think he raised with good cards. But George
sometimes limps in with pocket aces, especially if he’s
afraid of getting no action from a raise. So I don’t
think he has aces in this situation. Either way, there
are still people behind me who may cause trouble. My
hand is good, but I need to play it carefully. I will
call here and see what happens.”
CALL to $6,000
Seats 4, 5 and 6: FOLD
Neil (A
Q):
“This is an easy call. My hand is suited with
an ace and another high card. It could be a worth a
lot, or it could be trash. The flop will tell.”
CALL to $6,000
Seats 8 and 9 (small blind and big blind):
FOLD
Pot = $21,600
FLOP: A
7
J
George (T
T):
“Not good. I still have just a pair of tens. Two
players called my raise before the flop, and they probably
weren’t calling with trash. The flop probably
hit someone. I’ll bet big here and represent
a good hand, but if someone calls, then I’ll be
worried. And if someone raises, then I’ll be done
with this pair of tens.”
BET $15,000
John (A
K):
“Hmmm… I have a pair of aces. If George
has pocket aces, pocket jacks, pocket sevens, or A-J,
then I’m in bad shape. But he may have pocket
kings, a lower pair, A-K or something worse. His raise
pre-flop and his bet here were a little too strong,
a little too aggressive. I think he’s trying to
mask a weakness. Also, I have Neil to consider. I want
him out of this hand if possible. If I just call, Neil
may call or he may raise; but if I go all in, I may
push Neil off a drawing hand. It’s possible that
I could pick up the pot right here. Or I could be
out of the tournament. This is what big-bet poker is
all about. Let’s do it, baby!”
BET ALL IN $37,100
Neil (A
Q):
“This is a tough one. I have top pair with the
possibility of a backdoor flush. Is John raising with
a legitimate hand, or is he running a bluff? Does he
have an ace with a smaller kicker than me? Does he have
A-K? What could he have called with before the flop?
Was it pocket jacks, pocket sevens? And what about George?
Perhaps George has pocket aces. But I’ve got top
pair! Maybe I have the best hand. I just can’t
lay these cards down. I won’t.”
CALL to $37,100
George (T
T):
“That’s it for me. Somebody out there has
an ace at least, and maybe even a better hand.”
FOLD
[John and Neil reveal their hands.]
John (A
K):
“Yessssssss! I’m totally the favorite!”
Neil (A
Q):
“Oh no. I’m going to lose this hand unless
a queen comes or I get two diamonds.”
Pot = $110,800
Turn: 4
Board: A
7
J
4
John (A
K):
“I’m still leading, but another diamond
will kill me.”
Neil (A
Q):
“Diamond, yes! Please, please, another diamond!
Please! Or a queen, please!”
Pot = $110,800
River: 2
Board: A
7
J
4
2
John (A
K):“I
win! I more than double up! I win! Well played, Johnny
boy!”
Neil (A
Q):
“I’ve been pounded. I just vaporized 4/5
of my stack. Why did I do that?
SHOWDOWN: $110,800 pot goes to John.
He wins with a pair of aces and a king kicker.
George: “I lost this hand, but
I played it well. I’m satisfied with my performance.
But what’s up with Neil? John totally outplayed
him.
John: “Yay! I correctly read
George’s weakness. And Neil… he simply misplayed
his hand. I’m going to remember this vulnerability
and pound him with it at some later time.”
Neil: “I’m being too hard
on myself. This was just bad luck. Hopefully, my A-Q
will fare better next time.”
Analysis:
Neil played a hand that simply was outclassed.
A raise and a call from early positions means that you
can reasonably expect one or both hands will be legitimate.
In these situations, A-Q, A-J, and A-T (suited or unsuited)
should be played carefully, or not at all. Neil’s
pre-flop call was probably correct, though some good
players have the ability to fold in these circumstances
when they can read their opponents. Neil’s big
mistake was on the flop. He called a bet and a big raise.
If it had been
a limit game, he might have been correct to call all
the way to the river. But this is a no-limit tournament.
You cannot call every possible bluff. To survive you
must occasionally fold good-but-not-great hands. Essentially,
Neil ‘fell in love’ with his cards; he only
could see how good A-Q was, and he saw none of the flaws.
George’s bet on the flop was aggressive; some
would say reckless. But frankly, that’s the way
you take control of a hand. Aggression either wins you
the pot, or it reveals the strength of your opponents,
allowing you to fold with no regrets. Of course, you’ve
got to use this tactic selectively. If you’re
always aggressive, people will assume that you’re
bluffing, and they’ll call you
down with almost anything.
Basil Nestor is author of The Smarter
Bet Guide to Poker, The Unofficial Guide to Casino Gambling,
and other comprehensive gambling guides. Got a question?
Visit SmarterBet.com and drop him a line. (c) Copyright
2004 Basil Nestor
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