Poker News

Peter ‘the Poet’ Costa

A couple of years ago during the break of a no limit event at the WSOP - I was having a discussion with one of the other European players. The topic of conversation focused on laying down the best hand in certain situations - and I don’t refer to satellites here! I don’t recall how the conversation started - but it soon became apparent that our views differed somewhat. Having mentioned that I have sometimes chosen not to play what I thought to be the best hand - my fellow European stated that he would NEVER lay down the best hand. I found it a strange statement to make. So I asked him to explain his thoughts. Simply put - if he believed he had the best hand - then the hand got played.

We finished the break and headed back to the same table in the $3K NL. At this stage - I was cruising in the event with almost three times the average chips. Then wouldn’t you know it - one of “those” situations we talked about begins to unfold. The player to my left was the SB as well as the only player at the table who was even close to my stack. I won’t bother going into details here (far too much information) of how I knew the players hand preflop, and how it was confirmed after the flop. Suffice to say that I had good reads on what he was holding most of the time. Anyway….on the button - I raised it to 700 (blinds 100-200) after my fellow European limped UTG. The SB calls with what I feel certain is A-Q. The limper also calls and we see a flop of three rag hearts.

The SB makes a pot size bet (roughly about 15% of his and my chip stack) with what I now believe is Ah-Qx - no flush here for sure (again, I refer to my statement about too much info). I now have an option as to how to play the hand. Normally, I would either call, wait to see a blank on the turn - and act accordingly. Or, I could fold to the draw and to the very slim chance that I was wrong in my calculations. However, due to the discussion earlier - I decided to play it KNOWING that I had the best hand. By this, I mean that I would move all-in as a 59% favorite - as well as the chance that he would decide to muck.

Now this situation does not really come under the terms of our topic earlier as that was basically to do with calling crucial all-ins pre-flop. However, the odds of 60-40 favorite - were the same and this was very crucial. Anyhow…the SB decides to gamble by calling all-in. As it happens, he hits his flush and I was almost busted.

I think the whole point here is that poker does not have to be a case of coin flips and 60-40 situations - it can be played far more selective than that! To highlight this - I will cover the Bellagio WPT in which I took 13th - without one single coin flip or one 60- 40 in four days of poker. I don’t suggest for one minute that this is the ideal way to play poker. But at least in these events, in which we have such good starting chips - it is possible.

I therefore believe that tournament directors in the other WPT events, or any major events - should re-consider the starting chips. When you think about it - it seems that the WSOP probably offers the least play of all the events on tour. Perhaps it’s time to change that!

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