Sunday, May 07, 2006

Could you have gotten away from this hand?

A very rough weekend. A number of suckouts, one for a $2,400 pot in which I had the best hand AND the redraw on the turn and lost to a straight. This is poker, but the victory lap and shouts of "SEND IT" did not help my disposition. Oh, and then there’s the brush letting a drunk college kid walk out the door with his chips after calling an $784 all-in. He just didn’t pay.

Brush: “Well, what could I do?”
Me: “HOW ABOUT CALLING SECURITY AND MAKING HIM PAY?!?”

But I digress.

Here’s the substance of today’s lesson. I broke two tried and true rules today.

1) Don’t go broke with top pair
2) Don’t call all-ins unless you’re hoping they go all in before they do

Those are the rules. They're called rules for a reason.

Here’s the hand.

$2-5NL. Hero has AK in early position and raises to $25. 4 callers. Pot: $125.

Flop: AT5, two hearts.

Hero checks, MP1 bets $40, fold, fold, button calls $40, Hero makes it $140. My $140 is the “find out early” bet. If MP1 raises me, I’m done with the hand.

MP1 just calls $140. Button goes all-in for another $170. I have him on a draw all the way; he's the "any draw" guy. (You know this guy; he never BETS them; just calls with them.) I CALL. Now MP1 goes all-in for another $105. I’m sure I’m beat now, but what can I do, fold? I call.

MP1: Set of 5s.
Button: KJ of hearts.

Turn and river are bricks, MP1 takes it down.

Could you have gotten away from this hand?