Funny PLH online hand

[Greg (FossilMan)]

This one is probably in the top ten for worst played hands. It really amused me to watch this hand while I was waiting for my big blind in this game where I just sat down.

It's 2,4 PLH on pokerstars. I wasn't paying enough attention to the beginning of the hand, as I was looking at other games on the menu. But, as I come back to viewing the table, the board is 3,4,5,6 and two players check the turn with a third player already all-in. There is about $150 in the pot, and the active players have about 90 and 200.

The river is a 7, puttting a straight, 3-7, on board, with no flush possible. The $200 stack player acts first, and bets $20 into this $150 pot. Rather weak. He's either got the 8 or 89 and wants to get paid off, or he thinks he's representing the same. The guy with $90 now makes a minimum raise to $40 in this heads-up sidepot. Hmmm. That's either 8x raising for value, or really stupid. The larger stack quickly reraises all-in, and the shorter stack quickly calls. A8 for the larger stack, and no show for the shorter stack.

What a terrible mini-raise! It's way too small to get anybody to fold, and reopens the betting for the larger stack, who is going to force you to a decision quite often, and sometimes when he can't beat the board. Unless you have a VERY tight reputation, I don't see this mini-raise as having any value.

Other than entertaining me and other observers.

Sidenotes: The all-in had 84o that he liked enough to go all-in on the 346 flop, so he got some profit. Also, the terrible player did a maximum rebuy, so I was happy to post my big blind the next hand and join the table.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[DaNoob]

Maybe he had just learned about value betting and wanted to value-bet his straight in case the other player didn't have it. I can only imagine that he donated, or is currently donating to "the cause".