20/40 holdem - 3 handed

I was bored so I went to watch the Paradise tough pro's battling it out 3 handed at the 20/40 limit. This is one of the more interesting hand came up tonight. Comments regarding decisions on each streets welcome...


Game #141415391 - $20/$40 Hold'em - 2001/12/27-04:51:54 (CST)

Table "Jamaica" (real money) -- Seat 5 is the button

Seat 5: Piesang ($4,675 in chips)

Seat 6: countdracula ($4,275.50 in chips)

Seat 7: Hawk63 ($972.50 in chips)

countdracula: Post Small Blind ($10)

Hawk63 : Post Big Blind ($20)

Dealing...

Piesang : Raise ($40)

countdracula: Call ($30)

Hawk63 : Fold

*** FLOP *** : [ Kh 7h 8d ]

countdracula: Check

Piesang : Bet ($20)

countdracula: Raise ($40)

Piesang : Raise ($40)

countdracula: Call ($20)

*** TURN *** : [ Kh 7h 8d ] [ 7s ]

countdracula: Check

Piesang : Check

*** RIVER *** : [ Kh 7h 8d 7s ] [ As ]

countdracula: Bet ($40)

Piesang : Call ($40)

*** SUMMARY ***

Pot: $299 | Rake: $1

Board: [ Kh 7h 8d 7s As ]

Piesang bet $140, collected $299, net +$159 (showed hand) [ Js 9s ]

(a pair of sevens)

countdracula lost $140 (showed hand) [ 5h 4h ] (a pair of sevens)

Hawk63 lost $20 (folded)

Impressive call.


I see three reasons why he can make this call with J high, because let's face it, one doesn't always go all the way with J high, even heads-up. :-)


1) The pot is big, but yet the opponent hasn't shown major strength by capping the flop or leading at the turn.


2) The board is highly co-ordinated an there are several way to have a draw. The thing is, very few of these draws will be stronger than J high (Ahxh, Qhxh, JT, J9, T9, 65, 64, 54 and all flush draws J or lower).


3) Why bet the river? I assume given the action, countdracula now wants a showdown if he has an 8. Heads-up against strong players, particularly online (where tells doesn't exist), you sometimes need a showdown. You simply can't bet and fold to a raise here with an pair of 8s. Check, and hopefully induce a bluff. What else could he have? Most players would cap the flop with any or at least half-decent K here. Or lead on the turn. Then the Ace. Why bet now? A8 is a possibility, trip sevens, but other than that I think any other hand better than 'nut nothing' is weirdly played by countdracula.


Nice call, but keep in mind that he'll lose to Q high and even JT as well.


Countdracula should have capped the flop and led at the turn. This is a monster draw, and at short-handed tables you need to play these kind of flops hard. countdracula is even money against any pair Piesang may have flopped (except if he holds 22, 33 or 44 in the pocket, in which case 5h4h becomes a large favourite). Added to that, in the x% (5%? 10%? 15%?) likelihood that Piesang don't have any pair (except when he has two bigger hearts of course), countdracula is also a major favourite with two card to come.


By capping the flop, he would have taken it down on the turn.


lars

Good comment on the river call. What do you think about Piesang's 3 bet on the flop? Disregard the result, do you think that is a better evaluation play?