Andy Fox, Expert Hand Reader

[andyfox]

Since posting this on the Mid-, High-Stakes Forum might open me up to the self-appointed forum monitors' wrath, I humbly post this here, a sort of follow-up to mike l.'s wonderful "mike l. expert card reader" post there.

40-80. We are short-handed. I am in seat one. Seat two is empty. Snakehead sits down, not to play, but to discuss economics and real estate with me. There is nothing I can teach him about hold 'em. And there is nothing I can teach him about economics and real estate, but I bluffed.

Anyway, I'm fold-fold-folding as we talk and soon it's my big blind. A new player posts in the cut-off. All fold to him and he checks. He's a fairly aggressive, but not loose player, so he really must have pee-pee-ca-ca here. [My thanks to Tommy Angelo for teaching me this advanced hold'em terminology.] The button and the small blind fold so now it's easy: all I have to do is raise and I win the $100 in blinds. So I do. To my surprise and dismay, the poster calls. What could he have to call with head-up that he didn't raise with?

I have 7-6o. But I hope for a high card flop, since he most likely doesn't have any.

Ask and ye shall receive: the flop is K-J-5 with two clubs. I bet and, according to plan, the poster folds. I take my two cards, flash them triumphantly and sanctimoniously and egotistically to Snakehead, put a dollar tip on top of them and slide them to the dealer.
"No!" exclaims Snakehead, "he called."

He did? Crap, I thought he folded. I take my cards back.

The turn is some card. I glance over to my opponent. He doesn't have any cards and he's ordering lunch. He didn't call. The dealer tells me it's up to you.

WTF?

It is then I realized that the small blind has a hand. Being in seat one, and he in seat nine, I didn't see him. I thought he folded. In point of fact, I didn't raise pre-flop, he had raised and I had called. Yecch and Feh.

I check behind and Snakehead generously suggests that I also show him my cards.

The river pairs the jack and puts a third club on board. Small blind checks, I bet, and he folds. I beg Snakehead not to post about it. Fortunately, the forums are unexpectedly down for the day.

But the more I think about it, the more I thought it should be posted.

Because sometimes you have a perfect plan and it works out just so.

[risen]

Ha excellent. 2 questions though. If you hadn't of protected your hand with a the Tip, do you think your cards might have been mucked? And, did you verbally say raise preflop when you ended up mistakenly calling the SB's?

[andyfox]

I don't think I had actually released the cards from my hands, because I was showboating to Snakehead. I knew the dealer, though, and had he seen the apparently mucked cards with a tip on them, he probably would have said something, rather than just mucked them.

I don't remember whether I said raise or not. I'm pretty sure I didn't and the dealer in question is an efficient one and would have insisted I carry through with a verbal declaration if I had made one. I normally don't say raise when raising from the blind, since I'm just adding chips to those already present.

[JimRivett]

Hello Andy,

In reference to both your post and mike l.'s, I find them both amusing and refreshing. I think it is a testament to the way both of you approach the game. It seems to me you both play poker, as opposed to work poker, that means you like to have fun and enjoy yourself. It's pleasant to see that you can both make a mistake, and see the humour in it, after all you were playing, right.

Regards,
Jim

[Philuva]

[ QUOTE ]
It seems to me you both play poker, as opposed to work poker, that means you like to have fun and enjoy yourself. It's pleasant to see that you can both make a mistake, and see the humour in it, after all you were playing, right.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, but when Andy makes a mistake he still wins the pot, and that is a lot more fun.

[andyfox]

mike played the hand much better than I did, he just got sucked out on.

But your'e right, winning is more fun.

[Steve Giufre]

That's pretty funny stuff. Would you have proudly turned over your seven high had he called you on the river?

[asdf1234]

I had something like this happen to me last month.

I'm on the button with KTs, 3 opponents, flop comes all rags. It gets checked around. Turn is another rag, I think it is checked to me and I bet. I see 2 players' cards go to the muck, start to slide my cards to the dealer, and it turns out the other player called. River is another complete blank, apparently checked to me again, I bet, she calls, I flip over my K high and it's good. Apparently, she had bet the turn and the river with a higher denomination chip and I wasn't paying enough attention to notice that I had actually been calling. Of course, I chalk it up to an excellent read.

[superleeds]

[ QUOTE ]
I have 7-6o. But I hope for a high card flop, since he most likely doesn't have any.

[/ QUOTE ]

Great line. Shows me I have so much to learn. I'm still at the stage where I'm hoping for some miracle 776 flop. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[Tommy Angelo]

Great story, every bit of it, and such a happy ending.

I peaked here: "In point of fact, I didn't raise pre-flop, he had raised and I had called. Yecch and Feh."

I feel your Feh!

Among other things, you showed that it's possible to "hit the wrong button" at table poker, like online, and similarly, the blunder sets the stage for some huh-what? river-betting and results.


Tommy