[Tommy Angelo]

$80-160 at Bay101. I was in the cutoff with pocket aces, both black. Two players limped and I raised. The button called, leaving him with exactly two big bets. Both blinds folded and both limpers called. Four players.

The flop was 8-6-3 with two hearts. The limpers checked and I bet. The button called. My read on the button at this point was I think he would have raised in that spot with any hand that could beat mine with one improvement, in other words, a draw or a pair. Because he did not raise, I assumed he needed runner runner to beat my aces.

The first limper folded and the second limper checkraised. I called* and the button called. Three players.

The turn was a black king. The limper checked. I put him mostly on a draw, but possibly a set. (My non-threebet on the flop might have looked to him like I had AK, meaning he might go for a checkraise on the turn with a set even after he checkraised the flop.)

I was about to bet the turn when I looked left and I saw that the button liked the king. So I checked, and the button bet, he was all-in now, and the limper called, and I checkraised into the dry side pot, and the limper called, and now I knew I had him beat, and the river came a heart, and the limper bet fast, and I folded just as fast, and the limper turned over the nut flush, and the button showed KQ, and all and all I figure I earned $320 on this hand, the $160 extra that the limper put into the pot because I checkraised the turn instead of betting it, plus the $160 I didn't put it on the river. Running goooood!


*(Let’s stick with an orientation based on the actual players and card distribution, and take a look at what would have happened had I threebet on the flop.

The button, despite being shortstacked, was not playing or thinking desperately. I strongly believe that he would not have called two more bets cold on the flop with KQ. So the pot would have come down to headsup on the flop had I reraised.

Assuming the limper just calls my reraise on the flop …

1) If he checkcalls the turn and he bets the river, I’d call.

2) If he checkraises the turn, I would call his turn raise and I’d call a river bet.

3) If he checkcalls the turn and he checks the river, I would very likely bet, and when he checkraises, I would decide then what to do.

4) If he checkraises the turn and he checks the river, I would decide then whether to bet or check. If I decided to bet, I would have very likely already decided whether or not I was going to fold to a checkraise.)



Tommy