Sometimes John Smith versus Dave Jones (no, not the Monkeys' singer) just isn't enough to get the blonde poker 'Hand of the Week' enthusiasts salivating, so, as a special treat, this week we focused our attentions on one of the game's most renowned and feared players, referred to as Mr X and described by Chris 'NoflopsHomer' Hall as "a big name player, highest stakes, good tournament player".
Of course, just having Mr X isn't enough, so we threw in a Mateyboy too in order to a form a David versus Goliath type of confrontation.
Oh yeah, and the hand goes as follows...
You're playing the part of Mr X and have 2,600 in chips. Your opponent is a complete unknown in the small blind who starts the hand with 2,200. You pick up Qs-Qd in early position and raise to 150. Folded round to the small blind who raises it 350 more. You decide to call, the pot is 1,050. Flop: Qh-As-6c. Your opponent checks. Action on you.
As always, we received a shower of replies from the likes of...
(1) Boldie - "Action preflop is fine. Q-Q can be a dangerous hand when re-raised against so the flatcall hoping to hit a set is OK. I am taking the re-raiser for an ace so when he checks I bet my set here. 800 to go (slightly smaller than the pot)."
(2) Ironside - "I like the pre-flop play. On the Flop I'd bet 1/3 to 1/2 of the pot allowing him to think a full pot check raise would get me off the pot and insure he is pot committed. As I am the pro here and playing an unknown who always thinks the pros are at it then I am also thinking of the possibility of him having a straight draw with a hand like K-J or K-T or J-T. The only hand I am ruling out is aces as it's the only hand that can beat me and I really really want to get my chips in here. If he has aces, then so be it, that's poker."
(3) hotdog - "There is still little info after he checks. I'd probably still be unsure what he has at this point but, like I said, he could well have A-A. The check to me is signifying strength, he re-raised you pre-flop and now checks the flop. Don't bet, I want to trap him into thinking I am beat and hope he tries to steal the pot. I have sneaky suspicion he has Aces though."
And, thankfully, we were also graced with the presence once again of pro player Harry Demetriou who chipped in with a cracking post that concluded with the followed paragraph:
"I would bet around half the pot (500) or check but I am committed to going broke on this hand if necessary as I simply have to play my hand as a winner. I am not good enough to fold although by betting 500 if my opponent then goes all-in, I at least have the minuscule chance of folding my set but if thinking objectively and adding the pieces of the puzzle you have to conclude that the only hand you can beat if check-raisd is A-K as this is one of only two hands your opponent is likely to be holding (other is AA), but it's a nigh on impossible lay down."
So, you’ve heard some of the opinions of the blonde forum, but what did Mr X do? Well, much to the surprise of many, he did indeed check the flop before calling a 350 bet on the Two of Diamonds Turn. The River came the Five of Spades, a seemingly raggy card, only for Mateyboy to move all-in for around 1,450 (1,550 pot), subsequently leaving Mr X with a possibly tough decision.
Some liked Mr X’s play in this hand, others not so…
(1) MANTIS - "In our opponent's eyes we only called his pre-flop re-raise, checked the flop behind him and called his small turn bet. There is nothing to suggest he can determine the strength of our hand. We look ready to give up the pot to some extreme pressure and that's exactly what we get on the river. If our opponent has 'read' us for one of the few hands that can call this bet, then this is poker of the highest order and he deserves to be paid. But hey, he was always going to be paid if he had 3 aces."
(2) doubleup - "The way this hand has played out I actually like the Mr X's play. Mr X has decided that all the chips are probably going in if his opponent has a big hand, but given the shortish stacks and the pre-flop action he can afford to check the flop and still get the money in. The advantage of checking the flop is that he shows weakness and perhaps gets some other hands to try and bluff him."
(3) Harry Demetriou - "The problem with Mr X here is that he has never made any kind of bet to find out if his opponent could be holding Aces. His checks indicate slow playing in order to get all the chips into the middle or that he feared his opponent had A-A and if that was the case then he should have folded on the turn when facing that paltry 250 bet. However, with the stack sizes it looks nigh on impossible not to try and get all the chips into the middle and go broke if his opponent held a better hand."
So, that leaves us with three questions. One, what did Mateyboy have, two, did he call the all-in on the River and finally, who in the blue moon is Mr X? Well, all can now be revealed.
Of course, just having Mr X isn't enough, so we threw in a Mateyboy too in order to a form a David versus Goliath type of confrontation.
Oh yeah, and the hand goes as follows...
You're playing the part of Mr X and have 2,600 in chips. Your opponent is a complete unknown in the small blind who starts the hand with 2,200. You pick up Qs-Qd in early position and raise to 150. Folded round to the small blind who raises it 350 more. You decide to call, the pot is 1,050. Flop: Qh-As-6c. Your opponent checks. Action on you.
As always, we received a shower of replies from the likes of...
(1) Boldie - "Action preflop is fine. Q-Q can be a dangerous hand when re-raised against so the flatcall hoping to hit a set is OK. I am taking the re-raiser for an ace so when he checks I bet my set here. 800 to go (slightly smaller than the pot)."(2) Ironside - "I like the pre-flop play. On the Flop I'd bet 1/3 to 1/2 of the pot allowing him to think a full pot check raise would get me off the pot and insure he is pot committed. As I am the pro here and playing an unknown who always thinks the pros are at it then I am also thinking of the possibility of him having a straight draw with a hand like K-J or K-T or J-T. The only hand I am ruling out is aces as it's the only hand that can beat me and I really really want to get my chips in here. If he has aces, then so be it, that's poker."
(3) hotdog - "There is still little info after he checks. I'd probably still be unsure what he has at this point but, like I said, he could well have A-A. The check to me is signifying strength, he re-raised you pre-flop and now checks the flop. Don't bet, I want to trap him into thinking I am beat and hope he tries to steal the pot. I have sneaky suspicion he has Aces though."And, thankfully, we were also graced with the presence once again of pro player Harry Demetriou who chipped in with a cracking post that concluded with the followed paragraph:
"I would bet around half the pot (500) or check but I am committed to going broke on this hand if necessary as I simply have to play my hand as a winner. I am not good enough to fold although by betting 500 if my opponent then goes all-in, I at least have the minuscule chance of folding my set but if thinking objectively and adding the pieces of the puzzle you have to conclude that the only hand you can beat if check-raisd is A-K as this is one of only two hands your opponent is likely to be holding (other is AA), but it's a nigh on impossible lay down."So, you’ve heard some of the opinions of the blonde forum, but what did Mr X do? Well, much to the surprise of many, he did indeed check the flop before calling a 350 bet on the Two of Diamonds Turn. The River came the Five of Spades, a seemingly raggy card, only for Mateyboy to move all-in for around 1,450 (1,550 pot), subsequently leaving Mr X with a possibly tough decision.
Some liked Mr X’s play in this hand, others not so…
(1) MANTIS - "In our opponent's eyes we only called his pre-flop re-raise, checked the flop behind him and called his small turn bet. There is nothing to suggest he can determine the strength of our hand. We look ready to give up the pot to some extreme pressure and that's exactly what we get on the river. If our opponent has 'read' us for one of the few hands that can call this bet, then this is poker of the highest order and he deserves to be paid. But hey, he was always going to be paid if he had 3 aces."
(2) doubleup - "The way this hand has played out I actually like the Mr X's play. Mr X has decided that all the chips are probably going in if his opponent has a big hand, but given the shortish stacks and the pre-flop action he can afford to check the flop and still get the money in. The advantage of checking the flop is that he shows weakness and perhaps gets some other hands to try and bluff him."(3) Harry Demetriou - "The problem with Mr X here is that he has never made any kind of bet to find out if his opponent could be holding Aces. His checks indicate slow playing in order to get all the chips into the middle or that he feared his opponent had A-A and if that was the case then he should have folded on the turn when facing that paltry 250 bet. However, with the stack sizes it looks nigh on impossible not to try and get all the chips into the middle and go broke if his opponent held a better hand."
So, that leaves us with three questions. One, what did Mateyboy have, two, did he call the all-in on the River and finally, who in the blue moon is Mr X? Well, all can now be revealed.
Yes, folks, Mr X is indeed the Robin Hood of Poker himself, Mr Barry Greenstein, and the hand is taken straight from his venture into the world of poker literature, Ace on the River. Barry was up against Pocket Aces, as many of you predicted, but would you have been sure enough to fold like Barry did? Is that the difference between us and the high stake pro’s? Well, I guess that’s another question to be discussed on the forum.Once again, a big thank you to all who contributed, especially the likes of Harry Demetriou whose ‘professional’ views are always welcomed with open arms.
If you would like to comment on this hand, or even play along with next week’s ‘Hand of the Week’ (to be uploaded very soon), then be sure to keep an eye out on the Poker Hand Analysis board (click here)... and don’t hesitate in posting your thoughts.
Toodle pip.