Bellagio 15-30: My first contested $1,000 pot

I assume that all poker players who move up in stakes remember those hands which broke barriers for their biggest pots- whether they win the pot or not. Tonight, I had one of those landmark hands when I was heads-up on the river with a $1,000 pot getting pushed to the winner.


The third street boards are:


(x,x)3c

(x,x)4d

(x,x)3h

(Qh,Ac)Qs ME!

(x,x)7c

(x,x)6s

(x,x)Th

(x,x)9d


The lowcard 3c brings it in for the full $15. This player is definitely loose-aggressive and could do this with a wide variety of hands from a big pocket pair to split 3s with a decent kicker to a three flush.


The 4d calls. He's done a lot of that on third street. The 3h calls. I make it $30 with my split Queens- Ace kicker. The 7c folds. The 6s cold calls. The next two players fold.


Then, it starts getting very aggressive. The 3h 3-bets to $45. The 4d calls. The 3h makes it $60 to go. I'm not so sure that I've got the best hand but I'm going to make every move I can to win the pot which is already rather large. I 5-bet to $75 hoping it will at least knock out one player. It works. The 6s folds. All the rest call.


Four players see fourth street in a capped pot. $330 already! This is EXTREMELY unusual for Vegas stud games.


It's almost a given that I'm going to the river. But, how do I play the hand to maximize my chances of winning the pot?


The fourth street boards are:


(x,x)3c,9s

(x,x)4d,7h

(x,x)3h,8c

(Qh,Ac)Qs,3d ME!


The player on my immediate right says "You caught my card."


Nobody who's made it through the capped pot on 3rd street is folding so I simply bet out and hope the LAG will raise. No luck. It gets called all the way around.


Four players see fifth street with $390 in the pot.


The fifth street boards are:


(x,x)3c,9s,Td

(x,x)4d,7h,6c

(x,x)3h,8c,8d

(Qh,Ac)Qs,3d,Js ME!


The player on my right makes an open pair of 8s. This is perfect. He bets and I raise in the hopes that I can get somebody to bail. The 3c LAG folds. The 4d calls. The 3h calls the raise and makes another interesting comment. He says "I don't think you could have rolled-up Queens".


Three players see sixth street with $570 in the pot.


The sixth street boards are:


(x,x)4d,7h,6c,2d

(x,x)3h,8c,8d,2s

(Qh,Ac)Qs,3d,Js,Ah ME!


That Ace looked so good! The 8s checked to me. I bet and got called by both players.


Three players survive to the river with $660 in the pot.


I make a little joke by pointing to the pot and saying "Anybody want that?"


The seventh street boards are:


(x,x)4d,7h,6c,2d(x)

(x,x)3h,8c,8d,2s(x)

(Qh,Ac)Qs,3d,Js,Ah(Ad) ME!


That Ace looks even better than the last one!


The 3h check to me. I bet. The 4d mucks in disgust (must have been either a flush or straight draw). Then, a war breaks out. My last remaining opponent checkraises me saying "Can I scare you off this pot?" I make it 3-bets and say "I re-scare". He 4-bets.


A couple players at the other end of the table stood up. They seemed to be really pumped up about the raising war on the river in a pot that was already huge.


I make it 5 bets despite my opponents gleeful 4-bet. He's definitely behaving as if he's unbeatable. He makes it 6 bets.


I think to myself "What would it take for me to 6-bet in this spot?" and look at his board of (x,x)3h,8c,8d,2s(x). F***! There were no 8s showing on any board at any time. I call with Aces-full having a very bad feeling about what I'm about to see.


He asks me "You got Quads?" I say "Nope. Quads is good". He's really slow-rolling. The dealer has to instruct him to show his cards. He turns over his first card. It's an 8. Then he turns over his other two cards- they're both Queens. He's got a full house- 8s full of Queens.


I turn over my Aces full of Queens and pull in a $1,020 pot. It's the biggest pot of my poker life.


For the record, my opponent started with pocket Queens and caught an 8 on the river.

Nicely played...

Congrats..


Terribly played by your opponent..


Later,

CJ

Even though you won the hand, I think you went to many bets on the river. You are just too likely to be against quads. Given your board, you can easily have a bigger full house than eights-full and he should know that.

Mason,


Just calling after only two raises there? ( the first check-raise then 1 re-raise ) I kinda like exactly how Dynasty played the river. ( including where he stopped pushing his Aces-full )


Later,


CJ


P.S. - Not that I'm arguing with ya, hell you taught me most of what I know..

On 4th Street: "I don't think you could have rolled-up Queens". He was ahead of you with obvious 2 pair.


On 7th St: "Then he turns over his other two cards- they're both Queens." I will have to remember the previous comment as a subtle tell, add it to the arsenal of card reading.


Nice hand.

Hello,Dynasty,

I'm assuming that U were the youngest player at the table . Players who play with very young players tend to underestimate their young opponents.

Congratulations on a fine win!

Happy pokering!

Larry"Sitting Bull"Duplessis

Ps You're a dangerous player!

I guess the guy thought you had a flush and a stright draw on 5th, with your Qs and Js up, and made it on the river. Interesting, your Aces up was ahead on 6th, even with the big pot!

Well on the contrary i think he could have gone further. The key thing for me is the quote "I don't think you could have rolled up Queens". Everytime i have ever heard this when no other Queens are out it meant that the other player started with pocket Queens (or whatever value card he says).


Reading the post i put the player on pocket Queens, and an 8 on the river. I might stop raising after another reraise though, but would likely raise at least twice more myself.


Without the comment about the Queens i would have stopped either one bet before he did, or when he did.

Hello,Mr. Peterson,

When facing an opponent in a live game in the "heat of battle", it's sometimes difficult to remember what your opponent has said.

Plus,since this was a 15-30 game,Dynasty assumed his opponent was a very good player--not just a good 15-30 player.

In addition,since he did not see any eight's on the board in other players' hands,his stopping at this point was just a small error.

On the other hand ,the additional extra raises would have bought many "steaks".

Happy pokering,

Sitting Bull

Dynasty,


I think you played it well. 5 raises is a good number to stop at when your not sure of Quads. With A's full no pairs showing and his comment about rolled up Q's I think 5 is reasonable. Great hand and the A kicker is so powerful!!!! In the future Quads should come into your mind sooner, but with this person he seemed to be playing you, so I would of raised him as you did.


Paul

Hi Larry,


As i said I would be almost certain of his hole cards. I have never heard a comment like that, and had a player show me anything other than exactly what i thought they had.


I do like to put players on hands, and go with my read in live games. Tonight i won a $350 pot with J high because of a great read, so i like to think i do it well.

Damn good job...and I thought you only played expert Hold Em


Best Wishes


MK

In the future Quads should come into your mind sooner


When he didn't 3-bet me on 5th street and just check-called on 6th street, it was hard to believe he could have trip 8s. So, on the river, Quads seemed an impossibility. But, 6 bets on the river makes me start believing in the impossible.

Hello,Mr. Peterson,

very rare for players to have this psychological trait in the heat of battle.

Your ARE a rare poker breed,Mr. Peterson.

I agree with you that when a player makes such a comment,he is not acting.

But remembering what your opponent said on an early street when you are in the heat of battle on 7th Str. is difficult because your emotions start to cloud your thinking. Your thinking then is in anohter direction-- putting your opponent on the "best"possible hand. If it can beat your hand,then you no longer feel confident about continuing with your raises.

Of course,in a pot-limit game or no-limit game,Dynasty's play would have been correct without any doubt.

Would you risk everything you had on the table if you were not 100% sure you had the winning hand?


Happy pokering,

Sitting Bull

In a nolimit or pot game, if he reraises once i just call. But this is limit, and I really like to punish players if i can.


The key thing for me is not that i have not seen any other 8s out here, it's that i have not seen the other Queens. I would stop raising probably after a couple of raises extra, and although i am relatively inexperienced, I have NEVER been wrong in this sort of situation, where a players comments more or less turn his hole cards face up to me.


Interestingly, I would have folded earlier in the hand "knowing" that my queens were dead. At very least i would have stopped raising and tried to keep it as cheap as possible to draw out on Qs and 8s.

I would have folded earlier in the hand "knowing" that my queens were dead. At very least i would have stopped raising and tried to keep it as cheap as possible to draw out on Qs and 8s.


Even if you were 100% certain your opponent had Queens and Eights on fifth street, it would be a serious mistake not to raise on fifth street in an attempt to drive out the other two players.


With an Ace and Jack kicker, both of which will make a superior hand if hit, folding isn't even an option in a pot this large.

A friend of mine went nine bets with just a flush in holdem once. of course his opponent had quads, so i am not sure if this means a lot of bets does or does not mean quads. i guess sometimes it does and sometimes it doesnt.


Pat

I didn't read back to check but did he not say this on 4th? If i felt i could limit the field i would raise like crazy, but it didn't appear that was going to happen, and with all the action theres reason to believe that Aces up might not be good if you make it. It would depend on my read on the other players, but i would have to be there for that.


I know i said to beat Qs and 8s, but that was just the easiest definable point. I would fold on 4th, if i felt i needed to fill to win. With my Queens dead, and the chance of being up against a rolled hand, or pocket Aces (which obviously kills your hand) I would evaluate my chances here on 4th. Thinning the field is the number one aim, but if I can't achieve it i probably dump. Once again though, i would really have to be there to make the judgement.

9 bets with just a flush, and a pair on board??????? Was he out of his mind? 3 bets is the most it should get to.

I double-checked my post to be sure I gave the correct information (which I did).


He made the "rolled Queens" statement when he called my raise on 5th street. So, the first time I could use this information would be on 6th street when I made Aces-up. Obviously, I'm going to the showdown at that point.


Assuming he made the comment when he bet on 5th street (rather than after my raise), I still think you make the raise and try to play heads-up with the second best hand. If you're 100% certain he's got pocket Queeens, you've got 6 live outs to a better hand.

are played by a very good player, then the player himself is a dangerous player.

You qualify!

Happy pokering,

Sitting Bull

he was out of his mind. He gave me some explanation trying to justify it, which was needless to say insufficient. The best part is that when it stopped when he showed his hand his opponent said "I have two pair, red twos and black twos." There was some animosity between them after that.


pat