Monte Carlo 4-8: WPT watcher/newbie hand

[Dynasty]

This is a hand I was not involved in. One player is playing poker for the first time. He was introduced to the game by watching the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel. He has no problem understanding that flushes beat straights and has adapted to the rules of B&M play with some help from the dealers and me on his right. His opponent in this hand is an unknown young tourist.

The blinds are $1 and $2.

The hand:

WPT Watcher limps in EP. Another limper. The Young Tourist raises. A couple more players call and five players see the flop for $6 each.

The flop is: K/images/graemlins/spade.gifT/images/graemlins/diamond.gif9/images/graemlins/spade.gif

WPT Watcher sees the flop and proclaims "Oh, [censored]!" for everybody at the table to hear. He's first to act. He reaches for his chips and announces he's making a $10 bet. The dealer informs him he can only bet up to $4 on the flop and pushes back the other $6. The Young Tourist is the only caller.

The turn is: K/images/graemlins/spade.gifT/images/graemlins/diamond.gif9/images/graemlins/spade.gif6/images/graemlins/club.gif

WPT Watcher makes the maximum $8 bet and the Young Tourist calls.

The river is: K/images/graemlins/spade.gifT/images/graemlins/diamond.gif9/images/graemlins/spade.gif6/images/graemlins/club.gif4/images/graemlins/heart.gif

WPT Watcher bets $4. Young Tourist thinks and raises to $12. WPT Watcher calls.

[lunchmeat]

I'd guess the WPT watcher made the classic act strong when weak move and the tourist sniffed it out. He probably raised the river for value, although I'd probably just call unless my hand was really strong.

[slavic]

I haven't played spread limit before but either Hero (can I call him Hero)? Has made a great bet small to force a bluff trick (so why just call?) or his flush missed and he forgot to load the right size bullet at the end.

Can I guess QJo and hope the common man wins one here?

[Mikey]

I bet that the WPT watcher had QJ, and called because he thought he'd have to split anyway. That's just my guess I could be wrong.

[Mike Gallo]

I bet that the WPT watcher had QJ, and called because he thought he'd have to split anyway.
I doubt thats why he didnt reraise. What makes you think the WPT watcher even thought about his opponent's cards. If he had the straight he might not have raised the river because he had the "deer in the headlight" syndrome.

[Mike Gallo]

or his flush missed and he forgot to load the right size bullet at the end. Doubtful. Remember this player just started playing recently. I do not think he would have the sophistication to employ the maneuver/bluff you reference.

Do you really think he would bet a flush draw that strong? He acted like he flopped the nut hand. Perhaps the WPT watcher did have QJ....but what do you put the tourist on to raise on the river?

[Mike Gallo]

One player is playing poker for the first time. He was introduced to the game by watching the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel. You have just told us he does not play well at all. His opponent in this hand is an unknown young tourist. Do you mean he does not play that well either, or perhaps he does have a reasonable understanding of the game.

Good post to make one think. I would like to take the easy way out and put one of them on JQ however according to Mike Petriv's Hold-ems Odds book, the probability of flopping a straight when holding JQ works out to:

3*64/19600 + 192/19600 = .0098 = .98%.= 1%. That includes flopping the Q high straight.

I have a difficult time putting someone on the straight.

I think the tourist let the WPT watcher bet for him. The tourist raised the river because he thought he had the best hand. He did not consider the WPT watcher having the straight. When the WPT watcher calls, and doesnt reraise I really wonder what he had. I now seriously doubt he has the straight, however does he have AK beat?

I put the tourist on a hand like AK or KK

I put the WPT watcher on 10 9 for a flopped two pair.

[Dynasty]

WPT Watcher had QJo for the nut straight. Young Tourist had KK for top set.

[Mike Gallo]

WOW....it was that easy...I put the tourist on a set of kings...when the WPT watcher didnt pop him back..I could not give him a straight.....

Did he say why he didnt reraise??

[dirty_dan]

That's better than when I was playing in local 4-8 game and there was a player on his cell for about 20 minutes. He was in a few hands while on the phone and never stopped his conversation. Then he sees a single suit flop with 2 opponents, quickly says "I have to go, I'm in a hand" and hangs up. He raised and his opponents played back at him all the way to showdown. Of course he had the nut flush.

I had to try pretty hard not to immediately get on my phone and call one of my buddies to tell him about the guy who couldn't contain himself when he flopped the nuts and the idiots that stayed with him.

[Aragorn]

I was playing lowball in California. I checked an 8 and a player checked a 7 behind me. (No one else was in.)

Lots of folks asked him why he didn't bet. You have to bet a 7 so I couldn't have had one. His bet was a total free roll, but he checked.

His answer was he was afraid I might raise. I guess he didn't know that check raising wasn't allowed in the game.

Sometimes people just make dumb plays.

[Yardbird]

My guess is that the Tourist got sucked into thinking that the WPTwatcher was speading he classic strong-when-weak ploy too thickly---not fingering him as a newbie---and got burned as a result. Not too many sober players will react so positively or negatively to a flop unless they're either guileless or bad actors in my experience. Knowing that WPTwatcher was a newbie up front, I immediately put him on QJ or QJs when he exclaimed, otherwise I might have been sucked in too /images/graemlins/blush.gif IMHO. Anyone else?

[rkiray]

Because he doesn't know how to play yet. /images/graemlins/cool.gif