Calling an all-in with 83o

[rgschackelford]

I know what some of you are thinking, that someone would be crazy to make the call, so commit me to the nearest mental institution. But, I have reasoning behind it. I was playing a single table satellite, with top two spots paying. I was third stack (with about 800 in front of me), and in the big blind (blinds were 100/200). It folds around to the small blind, who raises all-in for a total of 300. I looked down at my cards and it was 83o. I was about to throw it away, when I started thinking. There is 500 in the pot, and it is 100 to call. Even if he has pocket aces, I'm still only a 4-to-1 underdog. The only hand I'm really in a boatload of trouble, here, would be pocket eights, and even then I'd have to read him almost perfectly for eights to fold it. I knew I was going to call, but I just couldn't bring myself to calling an all in with my hand, as I laughed and said, "I can't believe I'm going to do this!" So, I called, and the other guy turned over KJs. I was still a 3-to-2 dog, but pot odds demanded I make the call. The flop brings blanks, and the turn brings an eight. I couldn't believe it! I hit! The river brought another rag, and sent the other guy storming away from the table, not believing that he had been beaten by an 83o. Honestly, I would have been pissed off, too. I just couldn't believe that that happened. How 'bout that?

Rusty "Milicic" Schackelford