Houston Sammy FarhaHAHAHAHA

[Tyler Durden]

Has there been a thread about the first half of the final table? It aired on Tuesday night and again last night but I can't find a thread here that discusses it.

Anyway.

About Houston Sammy. An interesting thing I noticed--the hand where Jason Lester flopped Kings up on a K-T-T flop. I believe Lester had KQ and Houston Sammy had A5o. On the turn, before betting out again, Sammy checks his hole cards. After the fact it's easy to say this, but I believe it's a tell--Sammy wouldn't need to check his hole cards if he had trips--am I wrong? He would know he flopped trips. So I think Jason can eliminate that holding, kinda. The turn was a 9 so he has to fear QJ for the off-broadway straight (maybe, I don't remember the preflop action). Also AK and AA beat him. And 99.

Interesting tell though.

[Wake up CALL]

My question to you would be if he had trips and then checked his hole cards what would that tell you? The trouble with looking for tells when you see but smidgens of the action is that you can find monsters under the bed. Without seeing 10 straight hours of action you don't know what he did when he did flop a monster.

[TimTimSalabim]

When you've been playing poker as long as Sammy has, you never *need* to check your hole cards. You do it for show. I think he was trying to convey the impression that he was strong pretending to be weak, when of course he was actually weak. Sort of a double fake-out.

[Dynasty]

When Lester folded, I immediately thought "Why the hell are you calling raises with KQo if you are going to check-call the flop and check-fold the turn with top pair?"

[Tyler Durden]

I was wondering that also. He was fearing the hands that were ahead, and there weren't many of them on the flop. I guess he was looking for a flop that gave him the nuts? Also, he probably didn't want to tangle with a large stack.

[TimTimSalabim]

I think that Lester didn't have a good read on Sammy on the flop, so he waited to see if he would "fire that second bullet" as Mike Sexton would say. Not many people could bluff into that board a second time, but apparently Sammy is one of those who can without flinching and a tough player to be up against, and a large stack, as you say. If I have KQ I'm somewhat afraid of a KTT flop too. If the flop is K93 or even K44 I'm full speed ahead, but people like playing AT/KT/QT/JT too much.

[TimTimSalabim]

It's also worth pointing out that there were two spades on the flop, and the turn card brought a second club in addition to the danger of the straight or ten. Lester had a heart and a diamond. Sammy bet out big with his bluff. I don't think it was a bad fold.

[Ray Zee]

i have played countless times high stakes omaha with sammy. and believe you me he is a top player. you rarely get a real read on him and he keeps fooling you alot. to beat him you have to make him misread you and then and only then will he go for a bunch. big players look back at their hands lots of times as they sometimes need to, to check for a suit and to make sure they have what they think they have. playing long hours at big stakes sometimes you think you are playing one hand and find another down there, as the hands take alot of time.
sammy makes the game in omaha loose but is usaully also the most feared player.