calling sucks: a glaring example

[DiamondDave]

I'm enjoying a loose/passive NorCal 3/6 game when a new player comes to the table. He doesn't know about blinds or structured betting, but he wins the first three hands he's dealt in. Then he gets a premium pocket pair before he's done stacking his winnings. He's up about four racks in half an hour. The other players are getting loose and aggressive, raising with ace-rag offsuit in an attempt to isolate him. He responds by pulling a runner-runner full house to crush the guy who flopped aces up and the lady who turned a straight. I fold and wait for nice cards.

I sneak in for one bet with 99, flop a set, and go seven bets on the turn against the new guy and his unimproved pocket tens (on a queen-high board).

I keep folding.

After a time I get AKo in early position. I raise, and the new guy and I cap it between us. 6 to the flop for 4 SBs each.

The flop is A-4-9 rainbow. The new guy and I cap it between us, losing two players in the process. The pot now contains around 40 small bets.

The turn is a deuce. I bet, player on my left calls, new guy raises, player on his left folds, I three-bet, the caller folds. New guy hesitates for the first time since he called the seventh turn bet ages ago. The pot contains around 50 small bets. He calls.

The river is a five, no flush possible. I bet. He raises. I think for a second. This guy has never seen me call postflop, only raise. He has never seen me go to the river has an underdog. He has never seen me show down anything weaker than AQo for top pair, second kicker. I can't convince myself that this guy is putting me on anything less than a pair of aces. All the cards are out, so I don't have to charge anyone who is trying to draw. I can't put this guy on a hand. He might have me beaten. So I call.

New guy's shoulders slump. I can hear the dejection in his voice as he says, "I have $hit. King high." He flips them over and says, "Good hand."

The dealer says, "Sir, you have a straight."

[rkiray]

Wow,

I generally don't like bad beat stories, but that is a good one. Well told.

[TJSWAN]

David,

I think you forgot to ask for a table change before this hand came up. /forums/images/icons/tongue.gif /forums/images/icons/wink.gif The dumber than a bag of hammers type players out right now can be impossible to deal with. They just figured out they can gambool with out having to go somewhere with a slot machine. Then they spin you like a bunch of cherries and 7's. /forums/images/icons/mad.gif

Hope to see ya soon, PM me.


Tim

[ddcpr]

With more than 50 small bets in the pot, do you really think the new guy would fold on the river if you raised? It sucks that you got drawn out on by K3 or whatever it was, but I don't see any way for you to win the hand on the river with such a large pot.

[DiamondDave]

...but I am completely convinced that he showed down thinking that his best five-card hand was A-K-9-5-4, no pairs.

If I would have raised, he might have mucked his "no-pair" hand instantly because his "bluff" didn't work.

He might also have stared at his cards for a couple of minutes, realized he had second nuts, and re-raised with feeling.

Then again, he might not have seen the straight even after staring at his cards for as long as the dealer would let him.

I believe that raising would have increased my chances of winning from zero to something. I can't say I believe I was getting 26:1 odds - he seemed like the sort who would call on the end just out of curiosity.

By the way, T.J., the game was great while he was at the table. People were making it three bets with hands I wouldn't play for one bet in late position. His presence was a catalyst for my color change. Just like a chameleon!

In the hand I posted, when the action ended on the turn, I had put 7 big bets into the pot, everyone else had put 18 big bets into the pot, and my only active opponent was drawing to 4 outs. I think I played the hand pretty well. And it's a funny story.

It would have been even funnier is if he thought he had a made hand but didn't. (He looked nothing like Lex Luthor, BTW.)

[onegymrat]

Fantastic story. Well told, though I'm sorry there wasn't a happy ending for you on that hand. How did the villain end up for the night? Did he end up busted and defeated, or did he walk away up five racks thinking he's the best holdem player there ever was? With my experience, these weekend, super loose, inexperienced players end up losing all the racks plus two more if you just give it time and be patient. I've been known to even chased them if they changed tables just to get their action, and 99% of the time they lose it all, sometimes to me!