Poker Boot Camp 101 part three

Carrying on from part two and I am under the gun in limit Texas Holdem and see the 3h-3s and I simply fold this hand. I think that this hand is instructive because I see many players raise from all positions with pocket pairs. The problem is that with these types of hands, they are difficult to play from the flop onwards and especially out of position. Overcards will make it very difficult for you and many opponents will raise and semi-bluff raise with flush and straight draws thus making the hands even less playable after the flop.

In fact I would fold this hand even if I were in the seat to my left as well. I may open raise with a small pocket pair from the button depending on who was in the blinds but these are hands that I do not like to play unless I am on the button and know that no one else can enter the pot behind me and take away my position. But if you folded more pocket pairs from up front in six max limit hold’em games then you will have certainly plugged a major leak in your game that’s for sure.

Next hand and I am in the big blind again and see the 8s-7s. It is folded around to the button who open raises to $20. I certainly have enough to call with the pot odds available to me and my hand is playable. I sometimes three bet in situations like these but I tend to reserve these types of plays to heads up games where you need to be tricky a lot more often than you do in six max ring games or poker tournaments .

So I call the extra $10 and the pot is $45 with just the two of us left. The flop comes Jh-7c-5d giving me middle pair. I have to decide quickly on how I want to proceed here, do I want to bet right out, check call or check raise. Folding is clearly not an option and if you are waiting to flop better hands than these in heads up situations in short handed ring games then you are going to get run over.

I don’t want to possibly give him a free card by checking and looking to check raise and him check this hand back but then again he is the pre-flop raiser so the probability of him betting is very high and especially on a board like this.

So I check the flop and my opponent does indeed bet. If I merely check call then he may find it difficult not to put me on some kind of hand whereas a check raise could make him think that I am trying to muscle him out of the pot with a non pair hand and he could pay me off with a weaker hand. So I check raise to $20 and he three bets me to $30. I am still not convinced by this but I do have to show the bet some respect as he may have a legitimate hand.

I call the extra $10 and the turn card is the 6s which now gives me a straight draw to go with my middle pair medium kicker hand. I would ideally like to try and move him off this hand on the turn so I elect to go for the check raise and duly check the turn card. But he foils my plan by checking it back on the turn also. What am I to make of this, is he taking a free card with some draw or does he believe that if he bets that I will surely call. I think that he wants to play the hand cheaply now and if something that is not too scary hits on the river then I will try to extract a value bet.

The river card is the 2s and this makes the final board Jh-7c-5d-6s-2s. I am convinced that I have the best hand now and also that if I check that my opponent will not bet. There is a chance that my hand is second but I bet anyway as I hate to leave money on the poker table. I bet $20 on the river and my opponent calls. I do not get to see his hand and take the pot! Look out for part four coming soon.

Carl “The Dean” Sampson
Author – “Winning Cash Game Poker”

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