25NL - Nuts on the board

[phydaux]

Here's one of those "once in a blue moon" hands that inevitably leads to Dave Sklansky writing a 2+2 magazine article.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (7 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

Hero ($25)
UTG ($33.45)
MP1 ($9)
MP2 ($19.45)
CO ($26.30)
Button ($21.50)
SB ($11.45)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
UTG calls $0.25, MP1 calls $0.25, MP2 calls $0.25, <font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, Hero checks.

Flop: ($1.10) K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
Hero checks, UTG checks, MP1 checks, MP2 checks.

Turn: ($1.10) K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
Hero checks, UTG checks, MP1 checks, MP2 checks.

River: ($1.10) A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
Hero checks, UTG checks, MP1 checks, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 bets $19.2 (All-In)</font>, Hero...?

Now before you all start with the "Instacall, dumbass" posts, think of this: Before the river there's $1.10 in the pot. If I call MP2's all in, then their will be ~$40.00 in the pot. Stars rakes .05 cents for every dollar in the pot, so a $40.00 pot gets $2.00 taken off the top.

Since I'm guaranteed to split the pot, the most I can win is half of $40.00 - $2.00, or $60.00 - $6.00, or $80.00 - $8.00.

So the best I can hope for is to call $19.00 in order to win $18.00.

During the hand I considered MP2 to be the ultimate shovetard, and berated him soundly while my action timer counted down.

However, on reflection it seems he made the best move, provided he could count on his opponents to "correctly" fold rather than pay rake.