The Best Hand I've Ever Seen

[oaktoon]

Anyone who plays this game at all regularly-- and I have played it semi-regularly for about two years now-- comes to understand that it is often as much about personality and character as much as cards, odds and mathematics.

The following hand in a 7 seat .50/$1 cash game last night is a perfect illustration and I hope in describing the hand and the players I can help illuminate that point. We were still talking about an hour or so later and I don't think anyone at the table will soon forget it.

UTG-- 22 years old. Plays fullt-ime online. Recently won $250000 by winning two massive Party Poker tournaments on the same weekend. Can play very loose. Made perhaps critical decision that most influenced this hand by buying in for $200, when all others were in for $100 or had busted and rebought for same. He had biggest stack when hand began.

Limped with 5c4c

2nd position: Good young player, but very conscious of fact that at least two or three of players at this table-- friends of his-- are better. tends to have defeatist attitude about game, particularly when he holds a big pair.

Raises to $7 (our standard raise with a very good hand) with KK.

Player 3 mucks.

Hero in 4th position-- I play somewhat tight, but moreso in tourneys and have learned to loosen up in this cash game.

Look down at Jc9c and call.

Player 5 is dealer and is a solid player who plays less than anyone else at table.

Has 8h7h and calls.

Player 6 is SB and is one of loosest players at table-- unafraid to throw his chips in, but also very capable of a big laydown.

Has 66 and calls, hoping obviously to hit set on flop and take out the big pair.

BB is loosest and generallly best player at this table. Experiences huge performance swings but is willing to ride out a big hand or a big stake.

Calls with 9s8s.

That's right-- KK is called by 3 different suited connectors, a medium pair, and a near suited connector with my Jc9c.

The flushes all disappear when two diamonds hit the flop, but the flop is otherwise about as juicy as it conceivably be:

876

SB has set of sixes and virtually matches the pot with a bet of $40-- as he said later, "with that flop I had to see where I stood"

BB has top pair and open-ended straight and calls the $40.

UTG-- remember he has the biggest stack-- thinks for 10-15 seconds, and then announces all in with the low end straight. He said later it was that or fold, becasue obviously he knew there had to be other draws at a bigger straight or a flush (2 diamonds) out there.

Original Raiser disgustingly folds his KK, saying "I knew it. I can never win with the best hand"

Now to hero. I say to table, but then hold my tongue "If I was a true big stakes player.... (I'd call this)-- it is all my money (I have about $170 and the raise is to about $215) and I might... might have 8 outs. But maybe 6 because someone's on the diamond flush draw. And maybe I could still lose to a boat, since with 3 people already in the hand, someone must have a set or two pair. And maybe someone has the 109 already and I have one less out on the top end and no outs on the bottom end.

I muck.

dealer calls with 87, and in retrospect... even though he had only 4 outs.. he was the only player at table whose outs were pure. He'd have won with a 7 or 8 on turn or river unless a 6 gave the set quads.

Original postflop raiser with set of sixes mucks.

98 caller with top pair and open-end straight draw reaches same conclusion as me.

He mucks. But if I had called, he is absolutely forced in by pot odds, and we have driven the pot to nearly $800.

You know the rest.

Two pair never improves, low end straight wins large pot...

and of course the tenwhich would have given Hero the whole kit and caboodle hits on the river.

I lost out on $800-- i still think I made right play.

But if UTG had had only $100 in his stack-- I think we all call.

Great, great hand.

[oaktoon]

sorry. Obviously UTG also called the initial $7 raise.

[oaktoon]

one more thing. 87 had only 3 outs, as an 8 was in play, which was a fair inference from the betting.

[AKQJ10]

Interesting hand. I'm too lazy to run all the numbers in my head, but (without knowing their hands beforehand) you're probably drawing to three outs for the whole pot, three outs to half the pot, and if you hit on the turn a good chance of losing to a redraw flush or full house. Probably a good fold.