Poker News

Ashley Adams

I’ve recently started to get paid in a dangerous manner for some on-line poker writing I’ve been doing. My Internet publisher sends my money to an account on Party Poker. Though I had pretty much given up on online play, because of the seductive nature of having a poker room in my living room, I have found it increasing hard to just cash out of the site rather than play. So I’ve been playing.

You’ve read of my earlier adventures with a short bankroll (winning and then losing). More recently I’ve had experiences with a larger bankroll - where I’ve been able to play in the type of games with which I’m most familiar — $5/10 Stud and the like. This is a good thing because it’s given me an opportunity to see if my play follows the general advice of my articles and my book. I find that it’s often tough to play by the strict standards that I set for others. Even so, on more than one occasion I’ve found myself heralding back to words I’ve written to others. Here’s an example of that.

I was in a $5/10 stud game on Party Poker. I had a 3-Flush to begin with the Ace concealed. Precisely, I had (Ad 3d)7d. There was one diamond out and no Aces out. A King raised. Two players called and I called. Four of us in for Fourth Street.

On Fourth Street I saw around the table, starting on my left:

9h 6c - Jh Qs - Kc 2h — (Ad 3d) 7d 6d

The Kc checked; the Qs bet $5; the 9h called.; I called and the Kc folded.

Three of us to Fifth Street.

On Fifth Street I saw:

9h 6c 2s - Jh Qs 4c — (Ad 3d)7d 6d 3c

The Qs bet, the 9h paused for a long time and then called. I thought about just calling but then I figured that I wanted a better shot of winning if I hit two pair. So I tried to limit the field by raising. I raised to $20. The Qs re-reraised me (he was a loose and aggressive player I should mention). The 9h folded and I called.

Six Street was dealt as follows: Jh Qs 4c Ah — (Ad 3d)7d 6d 3c Js He bet. I called. I was drawing to be sure, figuring that he was definitely ahead but hoping to catch a flush, trips, or two pair.

On the river, I received a blank. I had a lousy pair of 3s. He bet. I was ready to fold with only my 3s when I recalled a lesson I taught about calling on the river. I cautioned that calling a bet on the river with a losing hand was a small mistake. But folding a winning hand on the river was usually a huge mistake.

So I looked at the pot. There was about $150 in it. I had a $10 call. 15:1 or so for a call. How could I fold. So, ready to lose, I called with my pathetic pair of 3s. Just about any pair or better in his hand and I was a dead man. But the guy was bluffing with an Ace high! Go figure. Itook down a large hand. I’m not saying I played the hand especially intelligently, but following certain basic rules like not folding on the River if there’s any chance at all that your opponent is bluffing is a good one that I’m sure glad I remembered to follow.

Our opponent shows (x x) 5 and calls your raise with (9K)K. And then on Fifth Street you have (9K)K66 and bet into his (xx)5JA - thinking he’ll almost certainly fold, but he doesn’t. He raises you. Put him on Aces up. Similarly, suits not being involved in the hand. If you don’t hit that open pair and he hits the same hand, is high, and therefore bets - give him credit for the Aces up as well and consider folding. Consider it seriously on Fifth because you’re likely two cards away from catching up to him -which is practically like drawing dead.

There are many other factors that you can consider in all of the above examples of course. Poker is never quite simple enough for precise analysis in situations like these. But keep your eyes open to the above situations, respect bets and raises accordingly, and you should be able to protect yourself from getting hurt much of the time. The great thing about Stud is that you have this information of exposed cards available to you. Use it!

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