15-30 Stud Hand - Concealed Pair

In trying to keep with Larry's thread below, I recently played this hand. The situation is slightly different so the play is different. I will post my analysis later.


15 - 30, $2 ante, $5 bring in. A 3s (BI)brings it in, a 10c calls, I raise with 8c8h-Kh. My King is the highest door card on the table. A Loose aggressive player calls with the 4c, the BI reraises (this raise indicates pocket Aces and less likely pocket K's. He would wait until 5th street to raise with rolled up 3's). 10c folds, I call, and LA calls. Other dead cards (4,6,J,Q)


4th Street

LA xx- 4cAh

BI xx- 3s6s

Me 8c8h - Kh7h


LA checks, BI bets, call, call.


5th Street

LA xx- 4cAh3d

BI xx- 3s6s9c

Me 8c8h Kh7h8s


LA checks, BI bets, I raise. (I have been raising quite a bit on 4th and 5th street as semi bluffs. My raise here does not give away the strength of my hand) LA reraises, BI calls, I call.


6th street

LA xx- 4cAh3d6c

BI xx- 3s6s9c3h

Me 8c8h Kh7h8s2c


BI checks, I bet, LA raises, BI calls, I reraise, LA calls, BI calls.


7th Street


I catch a blank. BI checks, I check, LA bets, BI calls, I overcall.


I will post my thoughts on each street separately.

LA's not re-raising on 6th street would make me take him off of trip Aces. That being the case, why check the river?


Tom D

I checked the river because I thought he would bet almost as many hands as he would call with and I didn't want to risk a raise as I would have to pay it off. Also by him betting, I can get the extra call out of the other player because he only has to face one bet as opposed to 2. I don't think the BI player would have overcalled if I bet and LA raised but he probably would call as 2nd man because the pot is huge.

"5th Street

LA xx- 4cAh3d

BI xx- 3s6s9c

Me 8c8h Kh7h8s


LA checks, BI bets, I raise. (I have been raising quite a bit on 4th and 5th street as semi bluffs. My raise here does not give away the strength of my hand) LA reraises, BI calls, I call."


Raise again.


"6th street

LA xx- 4cAh3d6c

BI xx- 3s6s9c3h

Me 8c8h Kh7h8s2c


BI checks, I bet, LA raises, BI calls, I reraise, LA calls, BI calls".


I would just call when LA raises again here. Since he did not reraise again he probably does not have a straight but who knows. I would bet the river unless I thought he would bet the river with just aces up. Then I would just check call if I did not fill up and check raise if I did fill up.

I think my 3rd street raise is automatic. I'll take the antes. when it is reraised back to me, I know the BI has A's or less likely K's. He was not the type to raise with anything less and would not have played rolled up trips this way. He would have waited til 5th street, wrongly in my opinion. The other player caused me some concern, put I knew he also put the BI on buried A's and would proceed from there. Would anyone throw away there hand for a raise here?


On 4th street, The LA checks after catching an A. The BI bets, I call, the LA calls. I debated about raising here. I can represnt hearts or two pair and try to get the LA out and play heads up against A's but do I want to do that? I thought my hand was completely live while both opponents had marginally dead hands and I thought I should wait to raise when the beting doubled. If I catch a scare card (heart or K) I shoud be able to take the pot on 5th.


On 5th street, I make trips. The BI bets out, I raise. Do I want to raise here? I'm quite sure I have the best hand and drawing to a better hand while my two opponents still have work to do and are playing dead cards. I raised because I thought both would call and still not respect the strength of my hand. When the LA reraises with 4cAh3d, it surprises me. I think it highly unlikely if not impossible for him to have a straight. That would mean he played 2,4-5 for $30 on 3rd street. Because I'm confident in my read of the BI that he has A's, I think the LA either has trip 4's or A's up with a three flush. The BI calls. I call. I know I'm in the lead but if I reraise here do I lose the BI who I want in and give away my hand? Does it matter at this point because the pot is so big? Play fast and try to win now?


On 6th street, I bet after it is checked and am raised again by the LA. It is called by the BI and I reraise. I think at this point I have the still have the best hand with draws to a better hand while my opponents have very few outs against me. Should I be thinking differently? I know that I've made the pot huge so that someone who is chasing is correct to call if the pot odds dictate but I think they are drawing very slim.


On 7th, check, I check, bet, call, call. I think my logic might be flawed on the river. I checked because I felt the LA would bet almost as many hands as he would call with and I wouldn't risk being reraised if he improved his hand. I also think the BI would call the LA's single bet and I could overcall gaining 2 bets or lose one bet. The flip side is that the pot is huge, bet and I will be called by many inferior hands due to the pot size. If they were drawing so slim, the fear of a raise should be minimal. I don't know which way is best. what do you think?


Results .... The LA started with rolled up 4's and caught an Ace on the river to beat my trip 8's and the BI's A's up.

Dear John,

I would have played the hand fast on 5th. with live K's and

7's even if the loose player completed his str.

Since BI called 6th St., he did not have a boat.

The loose player did not have a str. on 6th.===he just called,

hoping to hit.

Once he bet on 7th. St., he completed his str.


Sitting Bull

Dear John,

Excellent analysis!


Sitting Bull

Dear John,

I'm giving myself a grade of 75%. That's a "C".

I passed!


Sitting Bull