Tag Archives: Ace

How to Close the Deal?

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Hello,

For more than a month now, I’ve been playing holdem online. Just weeks ago, I decided to improve my skills as I already considered the game fun and exciting. I started to add more hours to my playing time and then make some adjustments with how I see my cards. I also stopped focusing on how other players play. Well, all my efforts eventually paid off. In a WPT tourney, I ended having the 7th place.

Luckily, I got then the chance to see your site. Thanks to you and your site as I was able to learn not only what the good cards are but also what the bad ones are. I was also able to learn how to play, when to play, so on and so forth.

Because of the many things I learned, in a $1 tourney just recently, I was the 2nd placer out of 1300 players who joined. And in a $5 tourney early this morning, I was in the 24th place out of 900, not so bad I believe.

Despite the achievements I got, I still have some questions to ask. One of the most intriguing to me actually is the one about closing the deal. How do you actually close the deal? In the two recent events where I got the 2nd and 24th place, I had high chip count later part. I tried to play loosely then and tried two bluffs as well. I’m thinking of posting and folding then but I’m not sure.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks!

Engelbert
Englebert,

In the later part of the tournament you need to punish the short stacks and force them to either play for all their chips or lay down. Don’t get into too many big confrontations with big stacks unless you have a strong hand. Otherwise, try and see flops cheaply and punish your opponents when you hit the board strong.

When you get to the last few players, open up your hand ranges a bit to try and take the win. Two big cards, any ace, any pair, and large suited cards are strong hands 4 handed through heads up. Otherwise, continue to play small pot poker and see cheap flops.

I Was Not the Underdog!

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Hello there!

Just last week, I joined a 6 man event. I believe we started with 10K, this was in chips. Well, the initial blinds were 100/200.

At certain point, I was dealt Akd, this was from the button. Later on, two players limped in. I then decided to raise to $1000, it was five times the BB. Then, BB called my bet while the other players folded. Flop came and brought Qd, Jd, 6c. I then flopped a straight, flush, and royal draws.

Eventually, my opponent placed a $4000 bet and for that he then had half his chips in the pot. I realized I’ve made a mistake on reading what he held then.

Later part and I started counting my outs, 9 for the flush, 3 other 10s for the straight, and 3 more for the Ace I guess. I was bothered then as I should have only given myself 12 total outs and not 15.

If you were on my shoes then, facing a $4000 bet, what will you do next? Well, I decided to call. However, in the end, I realized it was a big mistake. My last thought was to fold but I was not so sure about it.

Would you have folded to the flop bet or gone all in, if you were me?

By the way, of course my opponent showed his hand and was actually pocket jacks, had trip jacks. Thinking of it, I was not the underdog. I feel really bad now. Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

Bode
Bode,

You needed to call 4,000 into a 6300 pot. You had 60% to hit your hand assuming you had 15 outs and you had no reason to assume otherwise. While it was true that you had 12, you had no reason of knowing this. You call would have been 63% of the pot. Technically you did not have pot odds. However, you did have implied odds, which means that if you hit, chances are you will get all his chips.

I think your call on the flop was a decent call. I would not have necessarily pushed here, but calling is not bad. As you said, you had a straight flush draw. And aces may have won. Of course we know now they would not have.

I would have called.

Just Too Passive at the Tourney

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Me and some colleagues played $20 SnG. Blinds were 100/200 and we’re down to 5 players. Player 1 who was me had 4672, player 2 had 4249, player 3 had 3172, player 4 who was the SB had 4545 and player 5 had 3362.

Back then, my opponent was actually player 4, the SB. I believe he played aggressively. In the event other players limp in or make min raises, he would raise preflop, and if weakness is just around the corner, he would raise.

It was mid-part when I was dealt Ad Ks UTG. Then I raised to 600, SB called, while BB folded. The pot at such point was $1200. Flop then came and brought 3d 6d 9d. Later, SB checked and I placed 700 bet. SB once again called. And so I thought he might have KdQd or an overpair with a diamond. He might also be considering the idea of stealing the pot which was $2600 then.

Turn came and brought 9c. SB then checked and so I placed 1500 bet. He then called. Pot then was already $5600. River came and was 4c. SB then checked and I followed. Revelation time came and he flipped over 5c 5s. I was surprised to be honest.

Now as I recall the said event, I was wondering if my mistake was with my turn bet. If I could have pushed more at some point, maybe I was able to take home the pot. Maybe if I could have also checked and taken a free card, perhaps I went home happy. What do you think?

In general, was it a misplay? At first, I thought he was the idiot but later I realize it could have been also me, who was the idiot or what.

Thanks in advance!

Brewer
Brewer,

That was a pretty strong call by your opponent. He may have felt that you were raising with an ace and just continuing on the flop. You tried to stay aggressive and he kept calling it down.

Your opponent may be somewhat of a calling station. I don’t think your play is bad in that spot, but I wouldn’t have tried it again on him.

About the Money

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Hello,

I played poker the other night with two friends James and Matthew. James had an Ace with two aces on the board back then while Matthew had pocket jacks with a jack on the board. Matthew eventually discovered that James had the ace and so put up his cards.

James had 3 aces while Matthew had a full house jacks full of aces. However, Matthew haven’t discovered this until later on when James took the chips and placed them in pile.

By the way, the situation looked like:

James- A 3 Matthew – J J Board- A J 8 6 A

Do you think Matthew should give James the money? Or else he should just keep it safe as James had an error?

Thanks,
Haarstick
Haarstick,

If this was in a casino, the dealer should have divided up the pot and sent the money to the other player. If your friend discovered the error during the hand, then James should pay back the money. If the error was discovered or thought about later, there really isn’t much that can be done since the next hand has been played.

Turn Card Out of Turn

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Together with some close colleagues, I play home game of no limit holdem without a house dealer; quite surprising I guess.

Well, just the other day, a problem appeared. At some point, the table was down to four players, by which included me. There were three players then in the present hand. Flop came as expected and was A-4-K. Afterwards, small and big blind checked. A raise on the button came up then. Later on, there was another Ace right before the small and big blind could actually act the dealer.

Before the game ended, we have actually confessed that we would have folded as we had the crap you typically obtain in the blinds therefore we flipped our cards over and pretty sure the bettor had K.

Any comment about what happened?

Thanks!

Best regards,
Breckeridge
Breckeridge,

What happens in this case pull back the turn and burn and turn a new turn. Then you take the old turn card, put it back in the deck, shuffle it, and then burn and turn the river.