betgo
05-22-2005, 09:53 AM
Legends of Poker, 5-handed game, 3-handed raised pot. Flop is 987 all hearts. Watkinson has 99 for top set, Brunson has QT of diamonds for an open ended, Awada has 22 for nothing.
Flop and turn go check/check/check. Turn is a 7 pairing the board and giving Watkinson a boat. River is a 2, giving Awada a boat.
Watkinson bets 150K, which appeared to be somewhat less than pot, on the river. Awada pushes for 1M.
Commentator says Awada's push was bad, as he would only be called if he was beaten. Awada says he thought Watkinson didn't have a set on the flop, because he would have bet it rather than risk another heart. It seems to me that Watkinson was partly slow playing on the flop, and partly worried someone had a straight or flush. Also if he bet, someone might checkraise with a flush draw plus a pair or plus a straight draw. If Watkinson had a flush, he might also want to bet the flop to protect against another heart.
It seems like Awada was hoping a flush would call his push. Would a smaller raise or flat calling have been better? In this case, Watkinson would have pushed against a smaller raise and Awada would have had to call. A smaller raise would probably get called by a flush and maybe by a straight or trips. The push gets called less, but makes more when it is called.
Awada seemed sure he was winning, but he had the smallest possible boat on a very dangerous board. JTh, 65h, and T6h make a straight flush. 77 makes quads. 99, 88, 97, 87, and 72 make higher boats. Watkinson would have probably played all of these except 72, T6h, 97o, and 87o in a raised pot short handed. If Watkinson had a boat, quads, or straight flush, that might be more consistent with checking to the river than if he had a flush.
Flop and turn go check/check/check. Turn is a 7 pairing the board and giving Watkinson a boat. River is a 2, giving Awada a boat.
Watkinson bets 150K, which appeared to be somewhat less than pot, on the river. Awada pushes for 1M.
Commentator says Awada's push was bad, as he would only be called if he was beaten. Awada says he thought Watkinson didn't have a set on the flop, because he would have bet it rather than risk another heart. It seems to me that Watkinson was partly slow playing on the flop, and partly worried someone had a straight or flush. Also if he bet, someone might checkraise with a flush draw plus a pair or plus a straight draw. If Watkinson had a flush, he might also want to bet the flop to protect against another heart.
It seems like Awada was hoping a flush would call his push. Would a smaller raise or flat calling have been better? In this case, Watkinson would have pushed against a smaller raise and Awada would have had to call. A smaller raise would probably get called by a flush and maybe by a straight or trips. The push gets called less, but makes more when it is called.
Awada seemed sure he was winning, but he had the smallest possible boat on a very dangerous board. JTh, 65h, and T6h make a straight flush. 77 makes quads. 99, 88, 97, 87, and 72 make higher boats. Watkinson would have probably played all of these except 72, T6h, 97o, and 87o in a raised pot short handed. If Watkinson had a boat, quads, or straight flush, that might be more consistent with checking to the river than if he had a flush.