I
was recently reading a new poker book penned by a well-known pro (hint: he's the best tournament player in online poker history) and jotted down a note in the left-hand column. I wrote: "I may be giving too much credit to players who don't raise preflop."
My epiphany came after reading about an interesting hand. As the author described it, our hero raised to 500 from late position holding 10h 9h and received a call from the villain in the big blind.
The Ac 4d 10c flop saw the big blind check-call the hero's bet of 600, and then both players checked the 2c on the turn. That brought about the 8c on the river, and once again both players checked.
The author argued that, despite the third club, the hero should have bet the turn card holding second pair. This piqued my curiosity, as I would have checked had I been in the hero's situation.
The author reasoned that the villain was likely to have either a flush or nothing at all. After all, wouldn't he have raised preflop with a strong hand consisting of an ace or Broadway cards? Most players would, so by betting the turn, the hero would likely either win the pot or unearth enough information to put his opponent on a flush.
This line of thinking — of not giving your opponent more credit than they deserve — stuck with me as I played a small-buy-in tournament at my local casino a week later.
In one notable hand, the blinds were 300-600 with an ante of 100 when action folded to the villain in the small blind. He opted to limp, and I attempted to disguise the strength of my hand by checking my option with the Ac 5h.
The Ad Kd Jd flop gave me top pair, but it also put three diamonds on the board. Much to my surprise, the villain, who had about 15,000 in chips, led out for a hefty 3,000. I was thoroughly confused. Since he didn't raise preflop, I put him on either a pair of kings or jacks with maybe a diamond backup. Having checked with an ace, I assumed he'd have trouble putting me on top pair, and I thought there was a good chance he'd call a shove with an inferior pair.
I decided to put him to the test by moving all in. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, shrugged, and then called with the Ks Jh for two pair! I certainly didn't give him credit for such a big hand, but I got lucky when a five spiked on the river to give me a better two pair.
Chad Holloway is a World Series of Poker bracelet winner and senior news editor for PokerNews.com and learn.pokernews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @ChadAHolloway.