Beginners' Questions With Dr Flopaset 8

By Dr Flopaset

22 Feb 2008

Even against a super aggressive opponent you only really want to slow play only your truly big hands

Poker Verdict guru Dr.Flopaset answers your poker strategy questions here...

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Hi Dr Flopaset

Sometimes I have trouble playing big hands: here’s one I played recently online. The game was no limit holdem with $0.25/$0.50 blinds. I was in the big blind with Kh-5h and there were a couple of limpers so I just checked. I was playing with about $26. I was pretty happy to see the flop come down 4c-5d-Ks. I decided to slow play and checked my monster. The first player also checked but my second opponent (who had me covered with around $79) bet $1.50. I called and the first player folded. The turn card was the Jc and I checked again. The other player now bet $3 and I called. The river card was the 3h and I checked again. He now bet $6 and I decided to raise to $14.50. He now re-raised me to $23 which set me all-in. I called and my two pair were no good against his 7s-6c which had made a straight on the end. What did I do wrong?

Slowplayer

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Hi Slowplayer

Well, you certainly slow-played that one! What you didn’t tell me was your opponent’s tendencies. In other words, if your foe was a very aggressive player who constantly bets when he’s checked to, no matter what hand he has, then you probably made the optimal play. However, even against a super aggressive opponent you only really want to slow play only your truly big hands and in this case I would not call your two pairs a “monster”. I’m talking about the rare occasions when you flop quads or a straight flush, not a hand like Kings and 5s. In your case it’s quite possible that your opponent was betting a King with a decent kicker – any card between a 10 and an Ace on the turn, and he has now outdrawn you, although of course you don’t know that for sure.

I feel the time to turn the heat up in this hand would have been the turn. If your opponent is still drawing (as he was in this case) you should now be charging him to make his hand. Any time we get our money in with the best of it in poker we are going to make a profit in the long run. The point of getting the raise in on the turn is that if your opponent misses on the end he’s not going to call you anymore and thus you have missed out on potential profit on your hand. Plus you are giving him a free card to make his hand (which he did in this case) which you may now end up paying off. Having said that your check-raise on the end is not too bad as there are a few hands the villain could be betting on the end that he could call a raise with and still lose to you – A-K, K-3, K-4, 4-5, 3-4, maybe even K-Q (although I do think hands like K-Q and K-T will check on the end). You probably could have saved your last few dollars by folding to his re-raise – at the limits you have described this is usually the nuts.

Dr Flopaset