[bigpooch]

This isn't really fair, as it's almost certain that I've
played over a million hands of draw (mostly limit, but also
PL, and some NL). It's mostly online high only and live, I
have played mostly high-low limit and frequently PL high.


Best pat hand, 5CD: Royal flush.

Unfortunately, this was 8-handed high-low split, so I only
split the pot with a low-hand; fortunately, three players
took the draw after I limped reraised predraw. In regular
draw, the best hand dealt I've had is a queen-high straight
flush on 'dise (Paradise) utg in 2-4 and limp reraised in a
3-way pot and got paid off (can't even remember in how many
spots as I was multitabling).

Best drawn hand: Royal flush (what else is new?)

Must have made this more than twice, but the first time I
ever had a royal flush post-draw was when I was playing a
live PL draw game with a bug. My opponent made an agonziing
call on the end with 999(bug)x (if he didn't have a bug,
then I think he would have easily folded).

Best hand beaten, 5CD: Once in the BB on 'dise $1-2 I held
quad fives and was beaten PREDRAW by the button (I think it
was luckyelmo) who held a straight flush (queen-high, if I
remember correctly).

Biggest laydown after the draw: pitched a baby boat 55533
after I got checkraised for my stack in a live game (it was
actually a bit easier to fold since I tossed a deuce).

Highest hand, split-pot, 5CD 7-A: split with a wheel
straight flush (both pat!) on Celeb a.k.a. IPN/Boss. After
that hand, paranoia haunts me on that site! Still, the 7-A
games are good there.

Most memorable bluff, 5CD: I was playing in a tough "jacks-
back" NL game and opened with aces up as the button. A very
tight player limp-raised me for just above the minimum and
he naturally stood pat (it's obviously likely he has either
a straight six or a wheel; I held two aces so he was a heavy
favorite to have 65432). Before I drew, I was thinking how
much to raise if I missed to steal the pot since this guy
was so tight, he would likely put me on a boat and fold. I
figured that I should raise about 3x the size of the pot to
put enough pressure to get him to fold. I drew and missed
and my bluff succeeded although my opponent thought a good
20 to 30 seconds before mucking (and I made a big mistake
showing this hand to a third party - hubris, but I was quite
young!). After that hand, I knew I could outplay almost
anyone.

Best read, 5CD high-low: I held a 532Ax/utg in 8-handed
spread limit and limped. The next player, "B", raised a
small amount; then "Bob" cold-called this and a bad player
in late position also made a cold call. I made #8 (caught a
7 for 8th nut-low) and "B" was pat and the others drew one
each. Because of "B's" history of play and I was thinking
that "Bob" was going low (as he often does), there wasn't
much room for "B" to have a big hand and with his slightly
worried look, I surmised that he held a pat seven. If so,
he could only have #7 to beat me, so I checked to see what
the action would be since I was certain that "B" would bet
his pat seven. Bob now called, so I put him on a smooth
draw that now made a smooth eight and the bad player now
called, so I thought I had the easiest check-raise in the
world! Sure enough, everyone called, and luckily, the bad
player was going low as well, so I scooped. Sure enough,
"B" faced a 76 and I asked Bob if he made an eight and he
said he did, but I really didn't know what the bad player
held (I didn't think there would be enough low cards for him
to be low as well!).



Memorable hand, 5CD high low: I played a lot of high draw
online, but before online poker, I played (and analyzed)
high-low draw quite a lot (only need a pair or better to
qualify for high and no qualifier for low). I played a lot
(in January one year, I think I must have played almost 400
hours and at least 50% of it was high-low draw) so I got to
know how everyone played (or so I thought!). Several hands
come to mind, and many were remarkably noteworthy, but
here's just one:

I was in a full (8-handed) $20-40 limit high-low game where
everyone antes 2 and the button posts 7 (it's 5 to complete
and $22 to open raise). I was utg+1 and held a pat straight
QJT98 which I would have normally raised with, but the "Eye"
(who is a good PL player) seemed especially interested in
his hand. Since he was seated to my immediate left, I made
a tell-related play and limped. He now looked confused and
wondered why I didn't raise, so he limped in (unlucky!) and
everyone folded to the button, "T.C" who made it $20 more
(now I didn't feel so bad!), so I reraised and the "Eye"
cold-called and T.C. called. I stood pat, the "Eye" drew
one (I put him on a smooth 8/9 that was now drawing to a
wheel) and "T.C." drew two. Although some players would
draw two to trips, T.C. was known to break a lot of his made
lows (especially, 98s or 97s) and draw two, and he would
seldom draw two to trips (he'd usually just take one), even
if somebody showed some strength and stood pat, so I put him
on a two-card draw to a wheel or 3 babies suited. (Of
course, he could have held trips, but I was thinking it was
much more likely he had a low draw or 3 babies suited).

Post-draw was the most amazing: I led out, the "Eye" popped
it (I put him on either a wheel or smooth six), "T.C." 3-bet
this and I had the nerve to cap it. The "Eye" now said
"give me a quarter!" and sure enough, both the "Eye" and
"T.C." made wheels. A non-thinking or unobservant player
might have mucked against the button's "high" hand.