| Introduction: This hand was played at Party Poker, which at the moment is by far the biggest online pokerroom. Overtaking Paradise Poker as the leader in online poker with about 3 times as many players at any time. It is not rare for them to have more than 25,000 players at the same time. I was playing at this table for just over 2 hours when this hand was dealt. Most of the players I have played with before. A few of them were respectable players, others were not that good, probably losing poker players. It was a loose aggressive table. I really liked the loosness of it, not so much the aggression. Too much aggression limits your choices of limping in in Late Position with a promising drawing hand. Which means that there are less hands correct to play. |
| ***** Hand History for Game 99435009 ***** 3/6 TexasHTGameTable - Sat Jul 12 14:01:31 EDT 2003 Table Xanadu (Real Money) -- Seat 7 is the button Total number of players : 9 Seat 1: Player 1 ( $73) Seat 2: Player 2 ( $98) Seat 3: Our Hero ( $134) Seat 5: Player 5 ( $211) Seat 6: Player 6 ( $91) Seat 7: Player 7 ( $227) Seat 8: Player 8 ( $171) Seat 9: Player 9 ( $140) Seat 10: Player 10 ( $102) |
| There are no players low on money for $3/$6 limit Texas Holdem at the table. It is very unlikely that one of the players will run out of money during this hand. This is an aspect you always have to be aware of; players who are extremely low on chips will play different than when they have more than enough chips. |
| Player 8 posts small blind (1) Player 9 posts big blind (3) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to Our Hero [ Jd, Jh ] Player 10 calls (3) Player 1 calls (3) Player 2 folds. Our Hero calls (3) |
| Now why do I just call instead of raise? Because this table has been so loose in the last hour. Pocket Jacks is a very good hand to have when only 2 or 3 players see the Flop. In Middle/Late position, there were already many callers. My experience at this table was that after a raise, still 4 or 5 players would see the Flop. Pocket Jacks loses a lot of its power when that many players see the Flop. I have tried a few different approaches in the past, but at the moment limping in, hoping to Flop a Set or have Top Pair is my favourite play for Pocket Jacks and Pocket Nines. In both those cases you have to play an aggressive game after the Flop. |
| Player 5 folds. Player 6 calls (3) Player 7 calls (3) Player 8 calls (2) Player 9 checks. |
| That makes 7 players to see the Flop. This table is played like a Micro Limit Texas Holdem game or even Play Money. I like it! Although Pocket Jacks is still *not* a multi player hand. If nothing changes I am going to stick around at this table. |
   ** Dealing Flop ** : [ Tc, 7s, Js ] Player 8 checks. Player 9 checks. Player 10 checks. Player 1 checks. Our Hero bets (3) Player 6 calls (3) Player 7 calls (3) Player 8 calls (3) Player 9 folds. Player 10 calls (3) Player 1 calls (3) |
| Great! I've Flopped my set. Other characteristics of this Flop are the two cards of the same suit: 7 of Spades and the Jack of Spades. This could give someone a Flush Draw. Two connected cards: Ten of Clubs and the Jack of Spades. There could be someone with a straight on the Flop: 8-9. This Flop also could give someone a Straight Draw with one of the following hands: 8-7, 9-7, Q-8, Q-9, K-9, K-Q and A-Q. Of those, the Q-9 and K-Q are open ended, giving them 8 outs for a Straight. Players with an open Ended Straight are actually in a better position than the players with a Flush Draw. In the Texas Holdem books you will see the tables with the number of outs you will have when holding certain hands. This is from the view of the player who is drawing for those outs, not knowing any cards the opponents might be holding. This is a correct approach, since Texas Holdem Poker is a game of incomplete information. But I have the information that no one else at this table has. I am holding Pocket Jacks, giving me the second highest hand possible with this Flop, after the straight with 8-9. This gives me the knowledge (and knowledge is power. True in real life, but even more in Texas Holdem Poker) that players who are holding 2 Spades, but not the ten of Spades, do not have 9 outs (the remaining 9 spades in the deck) but only 8 at the moment. And this number will go down by one if the Turn is not a Spades. Assuming that if there is a player with 2 Spades and she/he does not have the Ten of Spades, then the Ten of Spades is not an out for him/her because it will give me a Full House. If the next card is not a Spades either, the number of outs for a Flush draw (again, barring the Ten of Spades) will only be 7, putting the player in a worse position than he thinks he is. This is just one of the reason why Implied Odds for a set are so huge. I am not to bothered about the 2 Spades for the reasons mentioned above. Someone having a Straight or Straight Draw (see hands above) are bothered by the 2 Spades. Their outs have reduced by 1 for the gutshot Straight Draw to 3 outs, and to 6 for the Open Ended Straight Draw. They do not want the card that will give them a Straight to be a Spade. I am happily looking at my trips Jacks, feeling confident. |
 ** Dealing Turn ** : [ Ac ] |
| First thing you should notice here is that this will give a Straight to anyone holden K-Q. I had the Second Nuts on the Flop, but not anymore now. There are more straights possible now. 8-9 was not that likely, but is someone holding K-Q? Not sure. Most players with a Straight Draw will Check/Call, and in most situations that is the right decision. But when there are 7 players still in the hand on the Flop a Bet might be in order because you have the right Money Odds. This means that the players who I think that are good players (Check your notes here when playing. And if you don't have notes start making them) would have raised on the previous round, I probably would have. I am thinking that the Ace is actually helping me. Nobody made their draw and players with an Ace now have Top Pair or even Two Pair. The Flush Draw is now down to 7 outs, because the Ace of Spades will give me my Full House again beating the Flush. My Three of a Kind Jacks is still a *big* favourite. |
| Player 8 checks. Player 10 checks. Player 1 checks. Our Hero bets (6) Player 6 calls (6) Player 7 raises (12) to 12 Player 8 folds. Player 10 folds. Player 1 calls (12) Our Hero calls (6) Player 6 calls (6) |
| Not too sure if I played this street right. My initial bet is fine, but my second action should have been a reraise. The fact that Player 1 cold called 2 bets on the Turn threw me. Although he is not one of the players I respect the most, he is still decent according to my notes. Not a player who would take a draw to the river when there is a raise in front of him. Player 7 is a very strong player. Player 6 is a weak player. Player 7 could be trying to isolate me. He knows that I am the player that made the bet on the Flop, and looking at the Flop he now thinks he has me beat. I think he is wrong. Player 1 calls 2 bets and is cutting his drawing odds in half. I don't think he is on a Flush draw. |
 ** Dealing River ** : [ Ts ] |
| This card has been mentioned before in this analysis. It is the key card. Earlier I wrote that this very card is not an out for the player with a Flush Draw although he will think it is. This fact will increase my implied odds if there is a player drawing to a Flush. We will soon find out. |
| Player 1 bets (6) Our Hero raises (12) to 12 Player 6 calls (12) Player 7 folds. Player 1 calls (6) |
| Player 1 appears to have made a Flush. I have a Full House and will keep raising it. Player 6 appears to have made a Flush, but not a top one. Player 7 obviously does not have a Flush and recognizes my raise and Player 6's call as at least 1 Flush between us. After Player 1's call I am thinking that I am up against 2 Flushes, no Ace or King Flush and probably no Queen Flush either. |
| ** Summary ** Main Pot: $120 | Rake: $3 Board: [ Tc 7s Js Ac Ts ] Player 1 balance $43, lost $30 [ 8s Ks ] [ a flush, king high -- Ks,Js,Ts,8s,7s ]   Player 2 balance $98, didn't bet (folded) Our Hero balance $224, bet $30, collected $120, net +$90 [ Jd Jh ] [ a full house, Jacks full of tens -- Jd,Jh,Js,Tc,Ts ] Player 5 balance $211, didn't bet (folded) Player 6 balance $61, lost $30 [ 2h Ad ] [ two pairs, aces and tens -- Ad,Ac,Js,Tc,Ts ]   Player 7 balance $209, lost $18 (folded) Player 8 balance $165, lost $6 (folded) Player 9 balance $137, lost $3 (folded) Player 10 balance $96, lost $6 (folded) |
| Conclusion: The play of some people never stop amazing me. What was Player 6 thinking? Why did he make that call on the Flop? Why did he call 2 bets on the Turn? Why did he cold call 2 bets on the river? Very bad play. Player 1: should not have made the call on the turn. Calling 2 bets at once will cut your drawing odds in half. The pot was not small, but not big enough to cold call 2 bets. Apart from that, he did not do anything wrong. he was just unlucky for the Ten of Spades to come. But it could have been much worse for him if the Ace of Spades was the river card instead. This would also have been a disaster for Player 1 and it would have made a monster pot. Player 7 played well. He lost some money, but I am sure he had the correct odds to stay, until it was obvious to everyone except for Player 1 that there was at least 1 Flush. |
