What Would You Do Archive
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12/05/2007 - 12/11/2007 I was in late position with a Ks/9s. The UTG had straddled for $10 and this was called in three spots before me. I called, as did the button and both blinds. It went back to the UTG and he raised it another $10. Of course everyone called. There were eight players and the pot was now $160. The flop was 2s/6s/7c. It was checked around to me and I decided to bet out $60 to see where I was at. The button called, as did the BB. All the others folded. The turn was an 8h. The BB now woke up and pushed all in for the remainder of his fairly small stack of $140. Do I have enough outs to justify the call? What would you do? Winner: Chris B., Euclid, Ohio If our opponent has the high end made str8, our chances to win fall to 21%, as we only can win with a spade. But still this ratio is 4 to 1 and the pot is offering 5 to 1; it’s close, but still the numbers are in our favor. There are only two situations where our outs fall short; both bring in the combination of both our opponents. If we are up against the nut flush draw AND either trips or the made low end of the straight or trips. (our chances to win range from 14% to 12% these do fall short in comparison to the 5 to 1 pot ratio, but not horribly), if you want to gamble it up, this isn't a horrible play. The only situation that has us hopelessly drawing to only a 4% chance to chop the pot is if we are up against the nut flush draw and the made high str8. (This has us virtually drawing dead, where no one wants to be! ) Based on the betting, I think any of these are possible holdings for your opponents. But notice up against only one of these hands you are right to call, if the player after you has one of these hands, and he calls, your pot odds JUST IMPROVED EVEN MORE! If the opponent with money left has a WORSE flush draw, and the spade hits, you may even win more $$, BONUS SCORE! Your outs that result in a winning hand are definitely pushing towards a call, besides this is your hand, only Charlie would be drawing dead up against the nut str8 and the nut flush! Love the show, keep up the great interviews and topics! Praying for the eventual safe return of our troops, and thankful for their efforts that allows us to enjoy so much back here at home, and hoping they all can share a few minutes with their families in the coming weeks, at least either by phone, mail or video! Robin’s Response: Chris, I want to thank you again for your thoughtful response. |
11/28/2007 - 12/04/2007 I bought in for $300 and sat for awhile, watched and got the "feel" of the game. Well, this was an unusual game. Most players in this game thought nothing of bringing it in for a raise of 8 to10X the BB. It wasn't like these people were really aggressive or loose, they just thought this was a standard raise. It was either limp or $40-50. You could definitely make some $$$$ in this game. Anyway, I was in late position with pocket threes, 3c/3h. It was raised by the UTG to $40 and by the time it got to me, there were four callers and I decided to gamble. In addition, the BB called, so there was now $282 in the pot. The flop was 4c/5c/Jd. The BB checked, UTG (original raiser) bet out $150 and was called by two players. The next player folds. There was now $732 in the pot and it was up to me to act… What would you do? Winner: Jim R. of San Carlos, California In this case, you missed the flop. The original raiser may be making a continuation bet and the two callers may know that, but there are way too many ways you can be beat. Even if you are willing to come over the top with all of your chips, you don't have enough to make a strong draw lay down their hand. I would fold. You took a shot at winning a large pot for $40 but you didn't hit. Even if you see a 3 fall on the turn or river, you should know you made the right play. Robin’s Response: |
11/21/2007 - 11/27/2007 This was a fairly tight/aggressive game. I was doing alright and was up a couple of hundred, but it was a struggle. I was now in mid-late position with pocket queens, Qh/Qc. The UTG folded, 2nd UTG raised it to $40, one player to my right called and I raised it to $60. Everyone folded through the blinds and the original raiser made it $80. The player to my right folded and it was down to heads up and I call. There was now $210 in the pot. The flop was Jh/Qd/4c. I had the nuts and my original raiser bet into me. Of course I raised and he re-raised. I cap it at $80 and he called. The turn was an 8d. My opponent bet out the $40 and now I was beginning to wonder if they could possibly have a 9/10. It was up to me: do I fold, call or raise? What would you do? Winner: Dale D., North Canton, Ohio Robin’s Response: This was a typical example of the problem with limit poker, it's hard to push someone off a hand if they have any kind of drawer and it always seems you have pot odds to call. In this case, it cost me $40 to call and the pot was over $400 (10X). |
11/14/2007 - 11/20/2007 I had bought in for $300 and had about $800 in front of me. This was a real action game with a good mix of passive and aggressive players. I was in mid position with a Jh/Qh. The UTG limped in, the next two players folded and I decided to raise and make it $20 straight. All folded to the button who raised to $50. The SB folded, the BB called, as did the UTG and me. There were four of us in and the pot was $202. The flop was 7h/9c/Js. The BB and UTG both checked and I bet out $75. The button called, BB folded and the UTG went all in for his remaining $110 (which did not re-open the betting). I called the additional $35 as did the button. The turn was an 8h. I bet out $200 into a $532 pot. I would have liked this to end right then. My opponent was looking uncomfortable, but did make the call. There was now a $532 main pot and a $400 side pot. The river was a 6/c. It was up to me to act It was up to me to act… What would you do? Winner: David G., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Robin’s Response: My opponent thought about it, showed me his pocket ACES to see my reaction, then said after what seemed liked an hour, I know you got me beat and folded. The all-in guy had a J/8 and picked up the main pot and I got the side pot. The guy who folded the aces was pretty cool about it. We had played together before and he couldn't believe that I had made such a move on him! |
11/07/2007 - 11/13/2007 The UTG limped and I was 2nd UTG and decided to limp in with pocket fives, 5c/5h (I had about $425). There were two more limpers behind me. The cut-off raised it to $20, the button called. Both blinds folded. The UTG called and I had the odds to call and did. The two limpers behind me called as well. There were six of us in the pot and it was $127. The flop was Jh/10c/5s. I hit the jackpot. This was a wonderful flop. The UTG checked and I did as well. The next two players checked and the cut-off bet out $50. The button called, I just called and the others folded. The turn was a 6/c. I bet out $100 into a $277 pot. The cut-off folded and the button couldn't sit still. He was visibly excited and pushed all-in for a total of $240...just about what I had left in front of me. It was decision time… What would you do? Winner: Julie T., Fairview Park, Ohio Robin’s Response: |
10/31/2007 - 11/06/2007 This game played like a higher limit… the action was great, but the players were relatively inexperienced and called large bets while drawing to hands that couldn't win (most of the time). The buy-in was $100 to $300 and I bought in for the full amount. In a short period of time, I was up to about $550. I was in mid-position with Jh/9h. The person UTG limped, the next player raised it to $15, the person to my right called and I decided to call as well. One player after me called and the person on the button raised to $30. To make a long story short, everyone called who already had any money in this pot, except the SB, and now there were seven in before the flop. The flop was 6d/9c/9s. This was an incredible flop! It was checked to me and I bet out $100 into this $211 pot. The player to my left folded and the button woke up and raised all-in for a total of $325. The SB called for $225 and was all-in now. Can I win this monster pot?? Will this be a "trick or a treat". It was up to me. What would you do? Winner: Brian F., Statesville, North Carolina Robin’s Response: The river was a blank and I was "treated" to a really big pot for a $1/2 game. Oh yeah, my other opponent called off all his $$ with a Q/8 off-suit (for a gut-shot drawer)… but, they did have ATM's on the boat and he went and got more $$ to give away. |
10/24/2007 - 10/30/2007 It was now the "REAL" part of the tournament: no more re-buys and the blinds were 400/800 with a 25 ante. I was doing well and had about 12,000 in chips. I was in about 20th place and the top six were getting seats in a $650 buy-in for a seat in the PCA in the Bahamas in January. It was folded around to me in mid-position. I looked down at pocket Kings, Ks/Kh. I went ahead and raised to make it 2500 to go. Everyone folded around to the BB who called. The flop was 9h/10c/5s. I loved this flop until the BB went all in for 6600. This was not what I expected. If I called and lost, I was probably done. If I won, I would probably be guaranteed a seat in the big tournament. Was it time to pack my bathing suit? Am I about to find the Poker Star in me? Do I call the all-in or play it safe? What would you do? Winner: Ron Z., North Catnon, Ohio Robin’s Response: |
10/10/2007 - 10/23/2007 I believe the buy-in was $400-$1000 and I bought in for $600. This hand was later in the game and I had about $1300 in front of me. I had won most of the few pots I had actually played. I was in late position with Ac/Qc. The UTG had limped in as did two other players. This was unbelievable for this game. I was in the cut-off with the button behind me. It was up to me to act. Was it time to raise or should I limp like the others and see the flop? What would you do? Winner: Ray B., Toledo, Ohio Robin’s Response: The flop was Ah/2c/10d. Both men checked and I bet out $100 into a $175 pot. The UTG called (but now looked disgusted). The other player folded. The turn was the Qh. The UTG checked again. This time I bet out $300 into a $475 pot and after a lot of thought, he called. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable... what was he up to? His play on this hand was not at all consistent with his prior play! Anyway, the river was a 2h. He checked and so did I (I didn't want to open the door to a check/raise). He turned over pocket Kings. He was setting a trap before the flop but he fell into it and I won a $1075 pot! |
09/26/2007 - 10/09/2007 In the game I was in, there were usually five to eight players in every pot and raising encouraged more raising and lots of calling! This was a kill hand, and I picked up 10h/Jh in mid-position. There were two callers for $20 and I decided to create a little action myself. I raised it to $40 and two players behind me called cold, the blind called as did the two players in front of me. There were six of us and the pot was $240. The flop was Jc/2h/3h. The blind bet out, the next two players both raised and now it was $60 to me. I really liked my flop and I had to decide if these guys were pot-building or really had something! I had to act… What would you do? Winner: Doug K., Erie, Pennsylvania Back to the action… faced with multiple limpers, you started the hand aggressive and were called in five spots, indicating nobody probably really has much (i.e., no big pairs...small pairs, suited connectors, overcards and weak aces are definitely not out of the question). Cap it at $80! You should always be more prone to cap when it closes out the action to re-raises behind you, which you would then have to call anyway. It also gives the players behind who have yet to act on this round of betting a larger potential mistake to make by calling and may serve well to thin the field of lower pairs and weak draws that bet out and re-raised incorrectly in the first place. But they will probably just call and contribute more money to an already monster pot which you stand a great chance to be scooping MULTIPLE handfuls of chips. Folding now would be a worse mistake than re-raising 72off ("The Hammer"… which you left out of hand names last show). If your kicker is dominated, you have anywhere from 3-12 outs. Against a set, you have your flush draw. Other draws are also less likely to hit and may be devalued as much as 25% by your holding two hearts. Push your edge, then evaluate how your opponents act on the turn and make a decision on the turn card. They may check it to you and give you the option of taking a free card or betting depending on what comes. And if it is checked to you, I strongly recommend you bet. Honorable Mention: Chris C., Wooster, Ohio 1. By raising, you might get rid of the two people behind you because you are diminishing their pot odds to draw at, so unless they have a set, they probably won’t call. 2. By raising here it will give you the proper odds the rest of the way to hit your draw. If the two behind you fold, the three in front of you will most likely call, because they are heavily invested too. Hell, you might even lose the blind as well, and you will effectively steal the button if everything goes as expected. So, raise to lose the later position players and hopefully get position. As aggressive as this game sounds these are the opportunities to extract good value from your big draws. Robin’s Response: |
09/19/2007 - 09/25/2007 We were just beginning the third hour of play after a ten-minute break and I had about 9,500 in front of me. The blinds were 100/200. At a $1000 buy-in, I expected a lot of aggressive play, but that was not the case at this table. I was in late position and picked up pocket jacks, Jh/Jc. By the time it got to me, there were four limpers. The next person to act before me made it 400 to go. That was an unusual raise, to say the least. It was now up to me... should I just call or keep'em all in and hope for the best? Should I re-raise and try to take it down now, or do I re-raise big or small? Should I feel that I'm being trapped and fold? What would you do? Winner: Chris C., Wooster, Ohio The guy making the minimum raise is scary for two reasons. If it’s someone who knows what they are doing, it could mean extreme strength and you could be beat. If it’s a novice player they might just not know about proper raising amounts when playing and it could be a very weak hand. You should raise about four times the original raise. The limpers are not what to worry about. If you get re-raised from the minimum raiser, then you muck your jacks and you minimize the loss and move on to the next hand. If this player continues to keep with that pattern though eventually you will have to take a stand and re pop the bet to them. Robin’s Response: The original raiser to my right bet out $1000 into an approximate $4000 pot. I came over the top and re-raised another $3300 which put him all-in if he called… which he did!! We turned over our hands and he had the JD/QD. The turn and river were small and black. He had no help and I took this one down and got pretty deep in the event… but didn't cash. |
09/12/2007 - 09/18/2007 The games are always fantastic while the tournaments are going on. There are lots of players, lots of cash and lots of action. This game was fast, loose and aggressive! I bought in for $300 and had it up to over $1100 in just under two hours. I had some big hands that held up. One guy in the game seemed to think I was bluffing all the time and always wanted to catch me but ended up at the cash machine a few times. Anyway, for like the third time, I picked up pocket Aces, Ac/Ah in late-position. The player UTG raised it to $20 and my "cash machine" guy called. It was folded around to me and I made it $50 straight. The original raiser folded and the "CM" guy called. The flop was Jc/8h/4c. The "CM" guy BOLDLY bet out $50 and he only had about another $100 left. What would you do? Winner: A.J. P., Kettering, Ohio Looking at the flop he may think you missed, but a $50 bet doesn't look like a bluff from him. It makes me think he hit part of the flop. I push him all in here. I think he may have played something like QJ, KJ or AJ. The hand history between the two of you helps you here as putting him all-in could be received as a bluff which he's probably aching to call. Robin’s Response: Now, with that said, here comes the heartbreaker on the turn...another Jack!! He now had trips and won the pot. No help for me on the river. This guy was now pumped...he finally beat me. I decided this was a good time for me to leave the game… with a nice profit. It was 2 a.m. and I did feel like hitting the Blackjack pit for a little while before going up (I did have a tournament in the morning). |
09/05/2007 - 09/11/2007 Everyone seemed to be in gamble mode and the chips were flying around the table. This was a loose game with a good mix of passive and aggressive players. It seemed like almost every hand was at least $15 to $25 to see the flop. I had about $300 and the table had a wide range between $100 and $1000. Anyway, I was in mid position with pocket nines, 9s/9c. There were already two limpers for $5 each. The next player made it $20 to go and I called, seeing that two players behind me had their chips in hand ready to call. It ended up with seven players in before the flop. The SB had folded, as did one player before me and one player after me. There was $142 in the pot and the flop was 7s/4c/2h. All the players ahead of me checked. I bet out $80 (I'd really like to take this one down now). The next player folded and the next one raised it $200 more. Everyone folded and I just happened to have $200 left in front of me… What would you do? Winner: Ike., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Robin’s Response: One of the players asked to see the mucked hand and my opponent looked sick when the dealer showed his 3/5 off-suit. He was making a pretty obvious play at this pot and got caught. He had to re-buy while I was still stacking the chips! |
08/23/2007 - 09/04/2007 We started with 1500 in chips and I doubled up the very first hand with pocket Aces against someone’s pocket Kings. I definitely had a good feeling about this tournament! Anyway, I went through several levels and couldn't miss until I became card dead in level four. No bad beats, just nothing. Players were being eliminated quickly and I was suddenly one of the shorter chips at the table. I was now down to about 4000 and the blinds were 150/300. I picked up Ac/Jc under the gun, raised, and made it 1200 to go. Everyone folded around to the BB who had me covered and re-raised enough to put me all-in if I chose to call. Time to decide..... What would you do? Winner: Brad, Hurst, Texas With any two napkins you have, once you raise to 1200 you have to call. The BB is raising you 2350 to win 1650. You have to call 2350 to win a total pot of roughly 8000 (your and his stacks) for something like 3.4:1 odds. You need to win something less than 22% to fold, which only happens when he has only AA and AKs in his re-raising range, which is not realistic, since adding in KK to his range brings you to above a 22% winner. What I think the BB is probably thinking: You have to assume that you probably have a tight image if you have played few hands during the previous orbits. If the BB thinks you are tight, he should call $900 into $1650 to see a flop with his speculative hands and raise with ONLY his really big hands like AA and KK, AK, AQs, QQ, and maybe JJ. It really depends on how loose the BB is with his re-raises into committed short stacks. Some people are happy to take coin flips, so his range may be much lower and your chances better, but with no table read I'd go with the above reasoning on the BB's thought process. However, due to your pre-flop $1200 raise the BB's thought process isn't all that useful, unless you peg him for only AA and AK. However, like Charlie said, why raise to $1200 with this hand? If you are going to call an all in raise you must push pre-flop. You have a tight image, so any raise you make indicates strength. If someone is stronger than you then all the chips are going in since the $1200 commits you anyways, so better to push in first. (And with AJs in early position, the odds are there is a better or similar hand out, and they might not fold it due to your low chip stack). If your table is tight then I’d rather raise to $600 - $700 and fold to a re-raise from the BB. It is so easy to call the $1200 in the BB with a wide range of hands to try to bust you with little risk, why would the BB re-raise with something less than AQs/QQ when an early position tight player has made a move at the pot, and appears committed? Either the BB is crazy and expects you to make a horrendous fold with almost any two cards, or he has you beat and you are just happy you don't have more chips to lose if you don't suck out. You have to call, but I would have folded and kept like $3300 and go through one more orbit, with about a 50% chance of getting a top 10% hand in a better spot to double up, or try to steal some chips to chip up. But, this type of reasoning is probably why I don't win many satellites. Robin’s Response: The flop was an Ah/3s/Kc, the turn was a 9d, the river was a 10 and I was out of the tournament. Thinking back, I would have played the hand differently. I should have either folded OR pushed all in before the flop. My opponent would have probably laid down and I would have at least picked up the blinds and still been in to possibly play a better hand in better position. There is always something you can learn by the mistakes made in the game and everyone makes them once in awhile! |
08/22/2007 - 08/28/2007 It was later in the game, the part of the night when it starts to get loose and aggressive. I picked up pocket fives, 5c/5s in mid position. There was a raise and two callers to my right and I decided to call. To make a long story short, by the time the betting pre-flop was done, there were seven of us in the hand and the pot was already $350. (I kind of got caught up in the moment and loved the action!) The flop was 5d/Jc/7d! This was a great flop, but could also be trouble with this many players and this large of a pot. There were four players ahead of me. The first three checked and the player to my immediate right bet out...I raised and lose the two players behind me. The others called including the bettor who now just called. The turn was an 8h. Now the BB bet out. The next two folded and the guy next to me raised. I was beginning to have doubts about my trips! I had to act now... What would you do? Winner: Jerry P., Prior Lake, Minnesota Robin’s Response: |
08/15/2007 - 08/21/2007 I had been pretty card-dead during the tournament. I had only seen the flop 7% of the time, not counting the six BB's which were not raised. We started with 1500 in chips; I had won a couple of small pots early on and was now down to 1350. The blinds were now $75/150 and I was in the BB with a 7d/8d. There were three limpers and the SB also completed. There were five of us in the pot and the flop was 3d/7c/10d. This was a decent flop for me, but my position was not great. The SB checked and it was up to me... What would you do? Winner: Jake S., Graham, Washington Robin’s Response: The cards showed (electronically of course!) and one player had the A/3 and ended up with QUADS. The other player had pocket sixes and I haven't a clue why after the flop, he was willing to commit the $$ and call. Poker online does seem to be more of a challenge than live. I was out and will more than likely make several more attempts to pick up a seat in a couple of different events. |
08/08/2007 - 08/14/2007 A seat opened and a very aggressive player sat down with the max buy-in of $500. He lost the first hand for almost all of his chips and re-bought back up to the $500. The very next hand, I was in late position with a As/7s. The aggressive player was UTG and came in with a $50 raise (10X BB!!). The two players between him and myself actually called, and I did as well. We all knew that this player could have anything, but I also knew this was going to be a huge pot. The player on the button folded as did the SB. The BB called. There were five of us in this pot of already $252. The flop was 2s/3s/7c. This was a great flop for me. The BB checked. The original aggressive raiser bet out $150. The next two players folded and it was up to me. Given all the above information... What would you do? Winner: Matt D., Austin, Texas I don't think you should raise because you aren't going to get the aggressive player to fold and you aren't going to increase the chances that the BB will fold. The BB is probably going to fold already. You don't want to build the pot any more with only a pair of sevens. The aggressive player may have a set or an overpair. If he does that will just increase the amount he'll be willing to put in if your hand does improve so you have the implied odds to call for sure. Robin’s Response: He flipped over his hand and had deuce/trey off suit (he had raised with this!) and all he had was two pair. Anyway, the river came another 3 (UGH) and HE took down the huge pot! I was left with about $120. I moved to the other table where a seat had just opened and within 30 minutes, had won pot after pot and was up to almost $1100. I had a big dent in my forehead where the cards were hitting me and was loving it! Also, in response to Tom from Marlton, N.J, I knew he was an aggressive player because I've played with him many times before. |
08/01/2007 - 08/07/2007 The buy-in range was $400 to $1000 and this game had a good mix of players. I bought in for $600 and kind of sat tight for a couple of rounds while I was getting the feel of the game (and also wasn't getting any cards yet)! I was in mid-position with Jc/Qc and UTG raised to $40. One player to my left called and I decided to take a shot at it and also call. One player behind me called and the button raised it to $100. The blinds both folded and the UTG and player to my right called. It was up to me. There was $395 in the pot already and it would cost me $60 to call. I definitely have the odds to call...but do I have enough hand? One other thing, the button who re-raised had been pushing around the table since I sat down… What would you do? Winner: Anthony W., Portland, Oregon For me the flop and the bets will tell the story. At least Charlie can't rag on you for flopping a set on this one. I know I can't win the magazine again but it's hard not you comment on some of these. Keep taken 'em down Robin. Robin’s Response: The river was a 2/s... blank. The UTG proudly turned over K/K and I turned over my straight. The button then threw pocket ACES face up on the table. I guess this was a bad beat for them, BUT, is it a REALLY bad beat when people slow-play their hands and price you in? |
07/25/2007 - 07/31/2007 The buy-in in this game ranged from $200min to $400 max. I played in this game while waiting for my seat in the $5-10 no-limit. I bought in for $300 and most players had between $200 and $500. Anyway, I was in late position. It was raised to $25 by the player UTG and by the time it got to me, five players had limped in for the $25. It would cost me $25 and the pot size was now up to $157. I decided I had the odds to call and did, as did the BB. There were eight of us in this hand. This was CRAZY! Oh, by the way, I had a 6c/3c. The flop was a Kc/6h/2d. It was checked all the way to me. Should I have made a play at this pot and possibly get raised or wait and take a free card? What would you do? Winner: Quy L., Brisbane, California Robin’s Response: The BB folded, the UTG called and everyone else folded. The river was an 8/c. Now the UTG suddenly waked up and made a bet of $100 into a $357 pot. I just didn’t buy it. I DID NOT believe he had a flush and I pushed the rest of my chips in… which was about $250 and he called (after a lot of moaning). I showed my flush and he threw his A/K-cards and almost hit the dealer. He then got up and left the game mad, hopefully at himself for slow-playing the flop and turn and letting me in. |
07/18/2007 - 07/24/2007 I had taken a really bad beat early on due in part to a dealer error and I guess part my fault. I had recovered nicely and by the time I played this hand, I had about 5000 in chips. We were down to five players. The player to my right was becoming short chipped and obnoxious. Each time he was the button or small blind, he would push all-in and show GARBAGE… like 4/7 offsuit etc. He had made his way back to 2500 doing this and now I was BB, (with the blinds being 200/400 plus 50 ante) and I looked down at an Ah/Jh. There was one limper and it went around to the SB. Guess what? He pushed ALL-IN again for the 4th round in a row in similar position. He could actually have a hand or could be full of… himself! Should I have folded, called or re-raiseed… there was $5,000 real money at stake. What would you do? Winner: Ronald S., Wooster, Ohio Robin’s Response: But, it wasn't over for me yet. I came back and went on to chop the $5000 in this one table satellite and the Wild Man was eliminated with NO CASH! P.S. This week it was a tough decision on picking the winner. Greg M. of Snohomish, WA also had a good answer...and FUNNY too...loved the comment on the "ALL-IN, Linda Blair moment." |
07/11/2007 - 07/17/2007 I was at a fairly tight table with several players that had actually played hold'em before. There were roughly 400 players with 38 seats up for grabs and one cash place. We were down to about 50 players and the blinds were at 500/1000 with I believe a 100 ante. This was crunch time and I was becoming short chipped with only 9,000 left. To my delight I picked up a playable hand in mid-late position with everyone folding to me. The hand was Ah/Kh, not too bad. I went ahead and made it 3,500. Everyone folded to the BB who called (and was also fairly short chipped.) There was 8,500 in the pot now. The flop was Kd/Qh/2c. The BB liked this flop, pushed all-in and had me covered. Now I really had a big decision. Did he have a Queen and I have him dominated? Or did he maybe have a small set. I couldn’t see him calling the additional 2,500 before the flop without at least a small pair or possibly A/Q. My tournament life was on the line… What would you do? Winner: Mike B., Burkburnett, Texas
Robin’s Response: Anyway, we both turned over, he did have the pocket deuces and I was dead to runner-runner, which did not happen. It was over for me and I decided at that moment I was not laying out the $10,000 to buy-in to the Main Event. If I couldn't win the seat, so ends my WSOP experience for 2007. |
07/04/2007 - 07/10/2007 Now we had a pot that was going to be worth winning, with $127 in before the flop and no re-raises. The flop was 7d/9d/Kh. I LOVED this flop!! As I suspected would happen, everyone checked to me. It was now up to me and I had to decide how much to bet or not… What would you do? Winner: Steven M., Northwood, Iowa The danger area's are flush drawn and a possible gut show draw. The pot is very large and no matter what you bet the flush drawers might have the odds to call. With that I would be 3/4 pot and hope someone pushes all in to chase there flush. Robin’s Response: The pot had over $1,000. The turn was a Jd and the guy behind me was near jumping out of his chair because he obviously made the flush. The river was the 9h and I just filled up… I wanted to jump out of my chair!! Anyway, the re-raiser had an A/K, what was he thinking? The guy behind me did have a flush. Life is good. I won a nice, big pot and thanks again to Steven M. and everyone else who responded to my WWYD this week. |
06/27/2007 - 07/03/2007 Two players in front of me limped and I thought a raise to $25 straight would trim down the field and also get me the information I was looking for. Everyone folded until it got to the button, who had about $1000 in front of him and was really "enjoying " the game. He had been playing A LOT of hands and had given out a couple of nasty beats around the table. Anyway, he raised it to $50 and everyone folded to me. I just called...I wanted to see the flop and I really thought I would lose him on a re-raise. The flop was Ah/Qc/2d. Couldn't be more perfect. Now I had to decide how much to bet to keep this player in the game with me. I could tell he really didn't like the flop, but still looked like he was getting chips ready! Okay… What would you do? Winner: Bill K., Concord, Ohio Robin’s Response: The turn was another Ace and now the decision was how much I should bet to keep him in. I knew if I would try to check-raise, it wouldn't work. I could tell he was not betting out. I decided to bet $100 and he called again. The river was a blank...7c. I put in a $100 bet thinking this would give him the odds to call even if it was just a crying call and he did call. He had pocket KINGS and I won a little over a $600 pot! Now, if he had just put in a substantial re-raise before the flop, instead of just doubling to $50, I more than likely would have folded and he would have won a small pot instead of losing a big one. Thanks for all the responses. |
06/20/2007 - 06/26/2007 One thing that was drummed into our heads at the WSOP Academy I went to is that most hands should be raised or folded. So with that said. I picked up Qd/Jd, 3rd UTG. There was one limper before me and I raised and mad it $20 to go. The player to the left of me had been struggling all night and only had $144 in front of him. He then made an ALL-IN bet. I was already thinking, ‘oh well...wasted $20...’ UNTIL two players behind me called. It was up to me and I would be getting almost 5 to 1 on my money and decided to call and see a flop. The flop was Qc/9s/8s. Not bad, but still scary. I was the first to act... What would you do? Winner: David H., Uniontown, Ohio Robin’s Response: The turn was a 2/c. There were only two live bettors now and I decided to check. I only had about $200 left. I was not really sure what I was thinking at this point. The other guy checked also, which made me feel a little better about my hand. The river was a 10/c. I now had the straight, but the river could also make a club flush for someone. Anyway, to make a long story short, I won! The original raiser had a small pair. The second all-in had an A/Q (ugh!-he was way ahead on the flop). The last live bettor had an A/10 spades and had flopped a four-flush that didn't complete. Looking back at this hand...I had very limited outs...BUT a little luck once in awhile is a very good thing and I had a very good night! |
06/13/2007 - 06/19/2007 I was doing rather well; I had about 6000 in chips and the blinds were 50/100. I was on the button with an Ac/9c. This was a fairly passive table with only a few maniacs. There were two people in for the 100 and a player in mid-position raised it to 300. I decided to raise to 800. The BB called, the two limpers folded and the original raiser only called. The flop was Ah/9h/2c. The BB checked and so did the original raiser. It was now up to me. What would you do? Winner: Mike V., Swanzey, New Hampshire Robin’s Response: Thanks to our winner Mike and all the others who responded this week! |
06/06/2007 - 06/12/2007 I was in mid-position and picked up pocket Aces, As/Ah. UTG folded, the second UTG raised to $30 and the next player directly to my right made it $90 to go. Without hesitation, I raised and made it $190 straight. Everyone folded and it came back to the original raiser who folded. The second player who raised just called me. There was $417 in the pot!! The flop was 6d/Qd/Jh. The player to my right checked (he had a BIG chip stack, about $1300 left). I was thinking that this was a dangerous situation. The flop could have hit in the range of hands that I put him on, pocket Q's, J's or K's. At this point, should I bet or check? What would you do? Winner: Bryan B. of Helotes, Texas Robin’s Response: I'm pleased to say when he turned over, he had pocket Kings and I took down a pretty nice pot with the Aces...they got to hold up once in awhile! Thanks to Bryan and all the other respondents. Note: Even if you've won before, I believe in the coming weeks we will be adding some new prizes AND we'll also be giving away the BIG prize of the year in July. KEEP SENDING IN THOSE E-MAIL RESPONSES!
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05/30/2007 - 06/05/2007 This hand is from a $2/5 no-limit game I actually played in a few weeks ago that I thought was pretty interesting. I had about $600 in front of me and that was close to the average at the table. This was a fairly loose/aggressive game. The 2nd player, under-the-gun, a pretty aggressive guy, raised to $15. The next two players called. It was up to me. I had Js/4s and decided to call, thinking this hand was not great, but the pot had potential. One player called behind me, SB folded and BB called. There were six of us in the hand and $92 in the pot. The flop was a 2s/9s/4c. Not bad, middle pair and I now have four spades. BB checked, our original raiser bet out $100. The next two players folded and it was now up to me. What would you do? Winner: Loi N., Frisco, Texas Robin’s Response: He asked me if I had anything and proceeded to turn over an 8s/3s and to my delight, he was drawing dead on the turn...ZERO outs!! I won a HUGE pot, but at this time, I wanted to add. The hands the last few weeks are not what’s considered generally "playable". But there is a time and a place-- they are interesting to write about and probably only happen maybe once in a session of play. It would get pretty boring if I only talked about the large pocket pairs and how sometimes I go through round after round without playing a hand. Again, thanks to everyone who responded! |
05/23/2007 - 05/29/2007 I was in mid-position and after two others limped in for the $5, I looked down at Kc/5c and I limped in also. One other behind me limped and a player new to the game raised in up to $25 from the cut-off. The small blind folded, the big blind called as did the two limpers. I decided to call as did the player behind me. Now there are six in and the pot is $152. The flop is Kh/5d/6d. As they say on one of those poker shows: "the bells are going off in my head!" I just flopped two pair. It is checked to me. Now I've got a decision to make. How much do I bet to keep just the right number of players in this hand? What Would You Do? Winner: Robin M., Grafton, Ohio Robin’s Response: Anyway Robin, I did bet out 2/3rds the pot for a bet of $100. The limper behind me folded and the original raiser pushed all in for an additional $100. Everyone folded back to me and I had about $90 left and did make the call. The turn was a Q/s and the river was a 9/c...both looked like safe cards and they were. But, here is where the problem lies. The original raiser, who loved to slow roll, rolled over his pocket Kings...one at a time and I lost this one! Big time! Thanks again to Robin and all the other e-mails we received. |
05/16/2007 - 05/22/2007 This hand is from that tournament. We were down to the final two tables and I had just taken a monstrous bad bet and was down to about $3800 in chips from about $14,500. I was down, but not out. This was a great table, everyone was nice and having a good time. I think the blinds were 300/600 with a 75 ante (but it may have been 100). I was in late position and picked up pocket Jacks, Jh/Jc. Two players ahead of me called the 600, a couple folded and the next player raised to 2000 straight. It was now up to me. What Would You Do? Winner: Jim V., Moyock, North Carolina Being down to two tables with about 8 times the BB in chips, you are going to have to pick a point to make a stand and double up. At this point there is 4775 in the pot (2 limpers at 600, SB, BB, antes of 75 (assuming 9 players) plus the raiser of 2K. While the raiser is showing some strength and will probably call you with whatever he has, given the pot odds, I would shove it all in and try to get heads up against the raiser. Unless he has one of the three hands that beat you pre-flop, you will probably be no worse than a coin flip to more than double up given the dead money in the pot. If he has a monster pocket pair, you are a big dog but still have the chance to complete a set. You might also get one of the limpers to call with the perception that you are on tilt from the bad beat and have a chance to triple up. Shove it in and pray to the poker Gods. Robin’s Response: The original raiser had pocket Tens and the limper had A/J. I was in really decent shape. The flop was 6/7/8 rainbow. Still okay. The turn was a Queen and the river was a 4. I picked up a nice pot and actually doubled up in the next hand with pocket Aces and went on to take 2nd in the tournament (technically). We did end up chopping the last five places. |
05/02/2007 - 05/15/2007 This hand was from a recent $2/5 no limit game, with really good action. I had about $400 in front of me. Most players were pretty loose, with a good mix of both passive and aggressive. The chips varied widely: from about $100 to $1200. I am Under-The-Gun (UTG) with pocket deuces, 2c/2d. I limped in for $5 as do four others, plus the small blind. The big blind checked. There were seven of us in this one and the flop was Ac/As/Js. What a huge flop for someone. I checked and it was checked all around. This was wild- I got a free card. And guess what? The turn comes and it was a 2/s. I just filled up. The small and big blind both checked to me and I bet out $25 just to see what happened. Three players called and it got back to the big blind. He raised and made it $100 to go (he had about $200 left). I was so hoping that he had the nut flush and I was certain one of the limpers had one of the Aces. It was up to me… What would you do? Winner 1: Steven M., Northwood, Iowa
Hand Range on limpers for A's is probably AJ and below. Hands Elimination: Eliminate the top two problem hands AA (95%) and JJ (80%). AJ might have raised pre-flop but AQ and AK would have definitely raised it up. With that many limpers your’re probably 75% or better that someone hit the flush. Again: I would call let BB be the aggressor and get an extra bet in. And push on All in on the river. Winner 2: Alex F., Toronto, Canada With the big blind raising your turn bet, I would flat-call his raise and then push the river. If I re-raised the big blind on the turn, I'd likely drive out all three players left to act, and I want a call from one of the limpers holding Ace-rag, since he'll be drawing very thin to 4 outs on the river. (The player holding or drawing to the nut flush is drawing dead at this point, so obviously we want to keep him in the pot, too.) A flat call on the turn will probably get called by the limper holding one of the Aces (we'd probably lose any stragglers who called our $25 probe bet with a medium pocket pair, though). Robin’s Response: Okay guys, I did just call the Big Blind’s (BB) raise as did one other player. The river was a 6/s. The BB gave a disgusted check when the fourth spade hit on the river. I went ahead and pushed ALL IN, which was a little over $200. The guy behind me called and the BB said "I got odds," then also called. The BB had 7/8s and the guy behind me has pocket 10's, with the 10/s. No one had the Ace. This hand was SPECIAL to me and made me a pretty nice night. |
04/25/2007 - 05/01/2007 I had about 4,500, in mid-position and I looked down at pocket Kings, Kc/Kd. Two players had already called after the big blind and it was up to me. I needed to make this bet big enough to get most of these players to fold, but still would like to keep at least one in the hand. I decided to make it $500 to go. Everyone folded behind me as did the small blind. The big blind called the additional 400 as well as the other player. The flop was Qx/6d/9d. This was a good flop and I was in a good position, the last to act. Both players checked and it was up to me. What would you do? Winner: Robert F., Niles, Ohio So, what is the correct bet? 1,000? A pot-sized bet? To me, the right bet is ALL-IN, yes, ALL-IN. Why? Because, like I said, there are a lot of draws out there, and if you were to make a pot sized bet, you'd be basically committed to the pot. By going all-in for your last 4,000, it'd give draws less than 2:1 odds to play, and it puts a lot of pressure on them to continue in the hand, and if they fold, you take down a nice 2,050 chip pot uncontested and increase the stack up to over 6,000 Robin’s Response: We turned over and I was in great shape (which I figured I was). Big blind had a 9/h and A/d...PRETTY WEAK! The turn was a 4/d and the river is the 9/s...YUK. My opponent just rivered trips and the tournament was over for me. That was a quick $1,000 bucks!!! You can torture yourself and wonder what you could have done better, but there are times when you just can't determine why another person does what he or she does at a particular time. |
04/18/2007 - 04/24/2007 I have started playing in $2/5 no-limit games more often than the limit games I had been playing, and they do make for some really interesting hands. This hand is still fresh on my mind from a recent game. I had my eye on this table and it looked like a good game. When I was called, I was playing in a $10/20 limit game and was up a ton, but decided to get into the no-limit. I came in UTG and picked up Ac/Kc. (I started with $350 and most players had $250-500, while two guys had about $1300 each). Back to the hand. I made it $25 to go. A guy to my left called and then everyone folded to the huge chip guy who made it $75 to go. (And from what the comments were, he had been pushing the table around, big-time). Everyone folded to me and I called. The guy next to me called. The flop was Ah/2c/9d. I was first to act… What would you do? Winner: Matt H., Omaha, Nebraska Most likely the bully is going to try to pick up the pot right here and now as both players in front of him checked. If the bully does raise, I'd re-raise all-in and put him to the test, most likely you are way ahead at this point, as their aren’t really any draws on the board that you need to be concerned with and I doubt he would re-raise a raise from someone who raised from UTG pre-flop with a hand like Ace deuce, Ace nine or nine deuce. Aces are the only hand that you need to be concerned with here and I highly doubt he has them. You should be able to pick up a nice size pot with a giant check raise, assuming the bully does make a continuation bet. My guess is that once you check raise him, the bully would go into the tank for a bit, to save face, and then mucks his cards. Robin’s Response: You just never expect to see this when you have one and one flops. Did I make a judgement error? Maybe. I could have taken things a little slower and thought more carefully. In a tournament for all my chips, I think I could have more easily mucked this hand. But this is a cash game and all I had to do was open my wallet and buy more chips! |
03/14/2007 - 03/20/2007 This is a good game. I bought in for the $200 and I'm up to about $450 very quickly. These players call a $50 bet like it is nothing. I pick up pocket queens – Qs/Qd in mid-position. It had been raised to $25 straight and called before it got to me. I make it $75 to call. All fold except the original raiser and original caller, who now just called my raise. The flop is Jc/8c/2d. (Nice Flop) The original raiser bets out $50 and next guy calls. They both have plenty of chips – $300 to 400 each. Okay, it's up to me. What would you do? Winner: John H., Winchester, Virginia Robin’s Response: Okay, here goes. All I had to do was dodge three Aces, two Jacks and you guessed it…JACK on the turn. Now I was dead to two Queens and with that said, the QUEEN OF HEARTS on the river (how appropriate). I couldn't have made up a better hand for this last show before our few week break! This was a great pot and even paid for some shopping in Beverly Hills! |
03/07/2007 - 03/13/2007 I was in a loose game that had about equal parts of passive and aggressive. The chip runners were kept very busy during these games. I picked up pocket Jacks, Js/Jh, in mid-position and it was already $60 to me to call. I went ahead and made it $80. I had one cold-call behind me. The small bind folded, the big blind called as did the original raiser and the next raiser. There were five of us in the hand and the pot was already $410! The flop was 8/9/10 rainbow, which wasn’t too bad. The big blind bet out and both original raisers called. It was up to me. Should I fold, which I didn’t want to do, or just call? Should I raise and see what happens? What would you do? Winner: Marty G., Orlando, Florida You know if you raise you will get at least one caller, and most likely 2 or 3 will stay. There is also the chance that pressure from you will force the KK hand to fold (especially if an Ace hits the turn or river). I hope the cards fell well! Robin’s Response: |
02/28/2007 - 03/06/2007 It was early in the tournament and we started with 2500 in chips. The blinds were 50/100 and I was in mid-position with pocket tens: 10h/10c. There was a raise in front of me to 150 and I re-raised to make it 450 to go. Everyone behind me folded. The small blind called, the big blind folded and the original raiser just called. There was 1450 in the pot and the flop was 10d/7c/2c which was a dream flop. The small blind checked and the original raiser bet out 500, which was roughly 1/3 of the pot. At this point, should I just call or raise? What would you do? Winner: Diane J., Lake Placid, Florida Robin’s Response: The cards showed and my opponent had A/K, almost drawing dead. Before I could finish that thought, the turn and river came up Q, J and OMG, this person in cyberspace made the nut straight. I was out, swearing to never again play on-line. Yeah, we've all said that before! Thanks again Diane for your winning response this week. |
02/14/2007 - 02/27/2007 OK, this is a kill pot and the betting is 15/30. Under the gun (UTG) comes in with a raise and makes it $30 to go. Two players fold and it's up to me. I look down and see pocket aces (Ac/Ah). No hesitation here, I make it $45 and the next two players fold. It's now up to the guy who killed the pot. He already has his $15 in and he loves the game and calls the additional $30. The next player is on the button. He looks like he has his $45 ready and counted out in front of him but hesitates and starts to think about it then decides to fold. The blinds both fold and the original raiser, re-raises and in this house there are four raises allowed. I cap it and the original kill calls. WOW! $75 each. Even with ACES I'm probably going to have to dodge some bullets. There is $240 in the pot. Now the flop, Jd/Qd/8c. A little something for everyone. UTG bets out and I've got to raise. The next guy calls and the UTG re-raises me and now I'm thinking I may be looking at a set of jacks or queens and the other guy may already have a straight or a flush draw. Do I keep up the raising? Do I now take the more passive position and just call or OMG do I fold? What would you do? Winner: Jon B., Landing, New Jersey Robin’s Response: Now the best part of this story is my co-host, none other than Charlie Knox "Mr. Know-It-All" was the player that couldn't decide whether to call or fold. Well, he folded pocket QUEENS before the flop...a great decision. I love it when he plays well!!!! Oh, and the pocket Kings were played by our producer, Mark Siebert. I might add that Mark said he did not re-raise me after the flop and I remembered that part of the hand wrong. Well, he is the boss, so I guess he remembers it the right way! |
02/07/2007 - 02/13/2007 I picked up a 7c/8c in late position with four callers before me and I limped in also. By the time it got back to the big blind, seven of us and the big blind, raised another $10. Everyone called because it wasn’t a great bet. There was $120 in the pot and the flop was 6c/9h/10h. What a monster flop for me and I was in late position as well. The small blind checked and the big blind bet out $90. One player before me actually called. How should I proceed? Call or get it all in? (All in would be $210 straight). What would you do? Winner: Sherman S., Memphis, Tennessee Robin’s Response: |
1/31/2007 – 2/6/2007 I was in mid-position with As/3s and the 2nd under the gun raised to $20. The next player called. I called and the player beside me made it $30. It got back to the small blind who said, "Well, I might as well cap it before someone else does." Everyone called and it was six-way action with $240 in the pot already. The flop was 2s/7s/3d. This was a really great flop. SB and BB both checked as did UTG. Second under the gun bet out, I raised and everyone folded except for the small blind who called and UTG who raised. I backed off a little and called as did the small blind. The turn was a 3h- fantastic! The SB checked and it was up to me. Do you think it was time for a check-raise or should I bet and hope for the best? What would you do? Winner: David R., Lewis Center, Ohio SB checked, UTG and UTG+1 checked I assume since it is now up to you. Who are you going to check raise? You are after both of them. Robin’s Response: Anyway, I re-raised, the SB folded and the UTG called. The river was a blank, no flush-no straight. UTG checked and I bet. After a long pause he reluctantly called. Now for my next mistake...I turned over my called hand and couldn’t believe my eyes. My As/3s had somehow turned into an As/2s.I had nothing- an Ace high! My opponent showed me pocket tens and won the hand. There is a lesson here. I broke my own personal rule. Always look back at your hand before the flop so that there are no surprises on the river. |
1/24/2007 – 1/30/2007 Anyway, I picked up Ac/10c in early position and put in a standard raise of $15. I had two callers and the big blind called. The flop was 5c/8s/10h, which was good. The big blind checked and I bet out $40, roughly two-thirds of the pot. One player folded, one called and the big blinded folded. Now it was down to two of us. There was $142 in the pot so far. The turn was a 10s. How should I have played this to maximize the pot? Should I check and hope for a bet, or do I bet and how much? What would you do? |