Part Brag Post, Part How Would You Play a Monster

[Tom Bayes]

First, I will admit this post is mostly "Look at how lucky I am!". If anyone wants to discuss though, do you like my line in trying to extract maximum value on a (virtually) unbeatable hand. A nice feature of draw is that you occasionally get a hand with essentially no chance of getting cracked, not like gettting pocket aces in a low-limit holdem game.

Note: This was the first hand of a €5 Pl Draw tournament at 24hPoker. One rebuy is allowed, but many players like to let me start with twice as many chips. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Game # x - 5-Card Draw Pot Limit 15/25 - Table "Rebuy (1) 642816 5"
(First hand of a tournament)

Players:
A (2500 in seat 1)
B (5000 in seat 2)
C (2500 in seat 3)
Tom_Bayes (5000 in seat 4)
E (2500 in seat 5)
F (2500 in seat 6)

Dealer: F
Small Blind: A (15)
Big Blind: B (25)

Tom_Bayes has: Js - 9s - Ks - Ts - Qs

C Raise (90)
Tom_Bayes Call (90)
E Raise (155)
F Call (155)
A Fold
B Call (130)
C Call (65)
Tom_Bayes Raise (230)
E Call (165)
F Call (165)
B Raise (330)
C Fold
Tom_Bayes Raise (600)
E Call (600)
F Fold
B Call (435)

B changed 1 card
Tom_Bayes stood pat: Js - 9s - Ks - Ts - Qs
E changed 1 card

B Check
Tom_Bayes Bet (750)
E All-In (1580)
B Fold
Tom_Bayes Call (830)

E shows: 7d - 7c - 9d - 7s - 9c (a full house, sevens full of nines)
Tom_Bayes shows: Js - 9s - Ks - Ts - Qs (a straight flush, king high)

Tom_Bayes wins: 6410 (with a straight flush, king high)

[BadPenguin]

That must have been a kick seeing those cards line up one at a time during the deal. I've never seen a pat straight flush; had four aces once and go no action whatsoever.

I'm not sure you could have played it better than you did. I like the initial call, since you have to figure a reraise here will drive out everybody else most of the time. The size of the raises after that seem right - not so big as to give people a reason to get out.

Do you always take a rebuy right at the start if it's available? I usually wait and see where I am after a little while, but lately I've been wondering if it makes more sense to always take it right away.

Incidentally, assuming the guy with the full house started with three 7's, if he'd made quads would this have qualified for the bad-beat jackpot, or does the loser need higher quads than that?

- Brian

The bad beat jackpot needs a King's quad qualifier and is not paid on tournaments - only on ring games.

[Tom Bayes]

Yeah, no bad beat jackpots in tournament play. As far as rebuys/addons, I'm a big believer in taking the immediate rebuy and as many rebuys/addons as the tournament will allow. I've noticed the players at 24hPoker seem to be more reluctant to take rebuys than players at PokerStars. I believe that always taking the rebuys and starting with a double stack gives me a decided advantage in these tournaments.

The topic of rebuys has been discussed repeatedly in the MTT forum over the last few years. Essentially, most of the better posters (including that FossilMan fellow) believe in taking rebuys whenever possible.