The hands you don't see....

[CrisBrown]

Hi All,

Regarding the comments on Annie's check-raises on a couple of those hands, I think this is a classic case of "the hands you don't see" creating a false impression of the hands you do see. As Annie said, they didn't show the four times she check-raised Phil on total bluffs, and got herself back into the heads-up match. In light of those bluff check-raises, the check-raises on her full house and two pair hands make perfect sense. She'd check-raised him again and again, and now she really had the goods ... and there was a good chance he might take a stand.

Part of the nature of this -- and probably any -- poker forum is that we tend to look at pots in isolation. Most poker texts are written that way, and of course with televised tournaments we have little choice because we do see only the highlights and not the context between them. All of the best players talk about "playing the player," but it's impossible to judge how well or poorly someone is doing that based solely on a single hand history, or a few highlight hands.

My first reaction, when I saw Annie check-raise the K9 hand, was that it was a mistake. You have to like two pair in a head-up situation, and of course you'd rather get your opponent pot-committed before you scare him away. But, in light of the fact that Annie had check-raised Phil four or five times before this, I think this was a situation where she thought he'd finally make a stand and she'd take him down.

Cris