k, so I got NLHE T and P by Sk/Miller yesterday and I really liked the example they gave of reverse-engineering the pot size based on the desire to get it all in on the river. I played a hand today that put me in the exact situation where I needed to do this, and here's how it looked.
[if you respond to this, please critique my thought process.
Please do not just offer alternate lines with no discussion behind it. This forum is kind of bad about that. Thx.]
Poker Stars
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.10/$0.25
5 players
Converter
Stack sizes:
UTG: $16.70
CO: $31.25
Button: $5.50
Guruman: $25.45
BB: $18.50
Pre-flop: (
5 players) Guruman is SB with T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
2 folds, Button calls, Guruman calls $0.15 <font color="aaaaaa">(pot was $0.6)</font>,
cheap call and bb is deep enough to make implied odds correct on flopping big. Button openlimped with a very short stack, so who knows wtf he has, but its unlikely to be very big since an open-shove from him will get called by a wider range than usual.
<font color="#cc0000">BB raises to $0.5</font>, Button calls, Guruman calls $0.25 <font color="aaaaaa">(pot was $1.25)</font>.
BB makes a ridiculously small raise that smells like a pot sweetener sine he can’t expect anyone to fold. I’ll tentatively put him on a pr or suited connector here. Also an outside chance he has a big hand, but I’ll call that unlikely for now. Button just called instead of using the opportunity to shove, so his hand isn’t made and he plays bad.
Flop: 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (
$1.5, 3 players)
Guruman checks,
ok, big flop for me and at this point I’m looking to get it all in there. BB has initiative and button is short stacked but strangely still calling a lot, so who knows what either is going to do. In the end I decided to try and let bb cont bet so that I could put a small raise in and make a turn bet easier to size up.
In retrospect though, I think I clearly should have led out. BB has initiative, but it’s of the weak variety and he may not cont bet this if it didn’t hit whatever range he was trying to sweeten with. Also, if I lead out it will look like I’m on the draw and when I checkraise it looks like I have a made hand. Also, BB won’t be able to push button out of the pot if button wants to play because of how short he is.
<font color="#cc0000">BB bets $1</font>, Button calls, <font color="#cc0000">Guruman raises to $2.75</font>,
given the I checked, I got a good outcome there. The second problem with checkraising manisfests itself here though, in that I had a hard time coming up with a checkraise size that would induce calls. Because I’m checkraising a threeway field I’m repping a lot of strength, so any ok handreader should be able to get away from some hands that he would be calling with if I had just led out. With that said, my whole mission on the flop was to inflate the pot, and here was my opportunity to do it. I put in a smallish sized checkraise, but one that was sized well enough to stairsteup up to the remainder of BB’s stack by the river.
BB calls, <font color="#cc0000">Button raises all-in $5</font>, Guruman calls $2.25 <font color="aaaaaa">(pot was $12)</font>,
button finally shoved, and in the perfect spot for me. Now bb can’t get away. I call and look for the next street.
BB calls.
At this point BB’s got $14 left in a $16.5 pot with a dry side pot. Given the flop texture I’d say it has to be an overpair, overpr with a gutshot, top pr, or some combodraw playing weakly. I think he’s going to have a hard time keeping any part of his stack given the action he gave on this flop.
Turn: A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (
$16.5, 2 players + 1 all-in - Main pot: $16.5)
<font color="#cc0000">Guruman bets $7</font>,
kind of a bad turn card for me because if villain’s on an overpair or top pr he could get away here since I’ll be betting out into a dry side pot. ah well, gotta do it regardless. I bet half his stack, but I should have sized it a bit under that so that the river bet could be better proportionally. I don’t think I could have bet more than that in this situation.
BB calls.
hurrah.
River: K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (
$30.5, 2 players + 1 all-in - Main pot: $16.5, Sidepot 1: $14)
<font color="#cc0000">Guruman bets $6</font>, <font color="#cc0000">BB calls all-in $6</font>.
Results:
Final pot: $42.5
I spent the whole hand reeling BB in. he has to have a hand to pay me off, but my betting structure allowed me to get paid by a much wider arrange of hands than if I had just open-pushed the flop. I’m still sure I should have bet the flop, but given the check I liked my play on the rest of the hand.
Thoughts?