Intermediate Poker Hand Example

Continued from: Holdem Poker Practice Hands Let's consider this problem a bit more technical. I'm going to use these intermediate poker hand examples to illustrate some of the finer points of poker tournament play that new players are unlikely to uncover by themselves. This is a continuation of the tournament from the prior hand examples.

A few hands later you are in the big blind with an abysmal 9d6h. Mamma calls, Dutty calls, Rex folds, and Jake raises to 100 total from the small blind, just twice the big blind. What's your move?

• a) Call
• b) Fold
• c) Raise

Well, you're not thrilled to pick up such a bad hand in the big blind. However, you're getting great pot odds. With 200 chips in the pot, it will cost you another 50 to play. That's 4 to 1 odds, and you do have position on the raiser. (Jake raised before the flop and will likely bet again after the flop; you get to act after him, which is a good thing.)

First I'll tell you what I would do; then I'll tell you what you should do. I would probably raise to 200 total. That will probably push the other callers out of the hand, creating a lot of dead money (there will be money in the pot from players who are no longer contesting it). Jake will almost definitely call, and that will give you position on him for the remainder of the hand. It's called an isolation play. Once you become comfortable playing against super-aggressive players, you should add it to your arsenal. The plan would be to do it whenever you can with hands that could turn into monsters, like suited connectors and small pairs, and eventually you will double through the maniac. Now, what should you do? I think you should just call. You definitely can't fold, the pot odds are too enticing. You call, as do Mamma and Dutty.

Dealing the flop: Qd 9d 7h. Jake puts in a pot-sized bet, 400 chips. Now you have a decision to make - you've connected to the flop by hitting middle pair, but you really don't know where you stand yet. The 7 is unlikely to have helped anyone, but the Queen should be a concern. I think that firing out with a small raise to see where you stand is a good move, but you could also just call and see what happens. I think the two diamonds on the flop make it hard to just call with your pair and give someone a free roll to hit their flush. However, it's also difficult to raise with middle pair after a raise and with two active players behind you.

I rarely like to just call but I think this is a time when it might make sense to just call and see what happens. If someone raises behind you, you can just fold. This is a very difficult situation and will require you to have a good understanding of your opponents to sort it all out. You might have the best hand, and if you do you might be against a draw, in which case it would be a bad mistake to just call and let someone draw against you without charging them. However, if the players are aggressive they could easily re-raise with top pair, a set, or just that same draw. If you raise, you'll allow Jake a chance to re-raise, and it will be very hard to call. At least if the flush card hits, your hand won't be difficult to get away from. After all, it's just second pair. You call. Both players behind you fold.

Fourth street comes 4d, and the board reads Qd 9d 7h 4d. That's a mixed bag of news. On one hand Jake may have just hit his flush, and that's bad. On the other hand, you just picked up a draw to a flush in case he has a queen. Is that a good or bad card? It's murky, that's all. At least Jake has to act first. Jake bets 600 chips into a 1200 chip pot. You have a pair and a flush draw and you're getting 3 to 1 on your money. Your opponent may also have a pair, a draw, or a made flush. What should you do? Welcome to the "ether" - this is the kind of hand you need to learn to play to become a winner. Extremely murky water here. What does your gut tell you?

• a) Just call
• b) Raise
• c) Fold

When playing against an erratic, aggressive player it's often difficult to know for sure exactly where you stand. That being said, we need to make the play that will win the most money when we win and lose the least when we lose. If Jake just made his flush you're probably going to lose the hand, unless it's a small flush, in which case you have outs. You would fold if you knew he had the flush. If he is drawing to the flush now and has no pair, you're ahead on the hand right now and should really raise. If Jake has a pair higher than your nines, you still have the right odds to call. I think you could just call here and try to pick off the bluff. That's definitely one way to play this hand against a maniac. I've got another way though. Pay attention, I'm going deep.

The board is now Qd 9d 7h 4d; you have a pair and a draw. You could call here, sure. But what happens when you miss the draw and you're facing another larger bet at the end? You're still in murky water, right? I have a better idea. Why not raise instead? If you make a normal raise here and it gets called, you can be pretty certain your nines are beaten and you won't have to pay off a bet on the end if you don't improve your hand.

If he has a bigger pair he will likely call; the three flush on the table would make it hard for him to raise. If he has nothing at all he will probably just fold, and you couldn't have made more anyway, but you could have lost to a bluff. Now, if he calls and you make your flush, he may or may not pay off a bet on the end. The point is that you got an extra bet out of him on the turn by raising, and without really risking anything extra. You only put in the bet you would have paid off on the end anyway. So, if you lose the hand you lose the same amount, but when you win the hand you win an extra bet. You also make it difficult for him to raise you off the pot with a bluff. Action, you raise, he folds. You take down the pot.

♣ Continued at: Advanced Holdem Hand Examples

♣ Back to the index of resources for playing free holdem poker.