Poker News

Richard Burke

The two visitors to my local card room over the Memorial Day weekend always sat together and always played $4-8 Hold’Em. Young and vocal, they disparaged the others’ play, especially when someone ran them down. Quite certain of their superior abilities at low-limit Hold’Em, and proud of it, they used words like ‘idiot,’ ’simpleton,’ and ‘dolt,’ todescribe their fellow competitors.

Boiling mad, Fred came over to where I was waiting. Sit down, calm down, and tell me what happened, I said. In the Small Blind, he had called for $2 with Aa-5a. Five-handed, they saw this Flop, [8h]- [Kh]-[2c]. Fred checked; the Big Blind checked; one of the visitors, the fat one, bet; everyone else except Fred folded. The Turn was the [9d]. Fred checked; Chubby bet; Fred called. The River was the [Ad]. Fred checked; Chubby bet; Fred called; Chubby threw down Ks-Qs. While Fred was stacking the $56 pot, Chubby opined that playing heads-up with a Flush draw was a mistake, turned to his pal and loudly asked, “What’s a five-letter word for ’stupid’?” Fred played his button and then came over to ask me if he really had made a mistake. Pre-Flop, Fred had chances for a Flush draw, an inside Straight draw, two Pairs or Trips, or better, about 1 chance in 7 for a nice Flop. For $2, the pot was offering him $16, after the house rake and dealer toke-to-be. Because the pot odds were larger than his cards odds, his call was okay.

Pre-Turn, Fred had 8 outs that, without pairing the board, would make the Flush on the Turn, plus any of the 3 Aces for top Pair, about 1 chance in 4. For $4, the pot offered $24, plenty big enough to make that call.

Pre-River, Fred had 7 outs out of 46 unknown cards that, without pairing the board, would make a Flush and 3 outs that would pair his Ace, better than 1 chance in 5. For $8, the pot would be $40, slightly larger than the cards odds, another okay call. I told Fred that I didn’t see a mistake on his part. I asked Fred if he would raise in middle position with K-Q suited in an unraised pot. I would, and Fred said that he would too. If Chubby had raised pre-Flop, then what would Fred’s pot odds have been? Fred thought about it and said that depended on how many others would have called. Fred’s pot odds would have been $6 for $16 at the least, and $6 for $36 at the most. Only if he could count on three others seeing the raise would he have a play and even then it’d be marginal, because he would’ve had to put Chubby on a pocket Pair or a big Ace to make that raise. The prospect of facing a better Ace or a pocket Pair, in the worst position possible, would’ve convinced Fred to fold.

There was a dumb play made during the hand, but not by Fred. Chubby should have raised pre- Flop with [Ks]-[Qs] for the express purpose of pressuring the Blind(s) to fold. Maybe that’s why, contrary to his high opinion of his own phenomenal talent at Hold’Em, young Chubby plays $4-8 instead of, say, $30-60.

“Another five-letter word for stupid is C-L-U-C-K,” I said. Fred smiled, stood, and headed back to the fray with a spring in his step.

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