| 8-7 |
| Introduction: This is not a hand you should normally play. This is true for No Limit even more than for Fixed Limit Hold'em because No Limit is a more aggressive game and limping to see the flop cheap is not as easy as it can be in Fixed Limit (especially Low Limit). The condition have to be right. Late position with a lot of callers before you on a loose/passive table is what you want to play this hand. Or in the Big Blind or Small Blind. But again, for limping in from the Small Blind you need a few callers first. This hand is played for the draw, not to make a pair or even two pair. A straight should be the hand you will be drawing too. Because your cards are connected, it has a good chance to be the only one drawing for the nut straight, unless you are drawing to the low end of the straight. This is a big mistake a lot of beginning players make. Thinking that using both hole cards justify for drawing to a low end straight. This is not correct. You want to draw to the high end or have your cards in the middle of the straight only. If there is also a Flushdraw on the board you should adjust your odds. The odds are much worse than they would be without a flushdraw. |
| Hand # | Hand | Theme | Game | Date entered |
| 11 | 8-7 | Flop: Implied Odds, Pot Odds, Betting Odds.. | No Limit | 08-06-2002 |
| 8-7 |
| Hand played online at Paradise Poker. There are 2 limits for playing No Limit at this Poker site. The $0.25/$0.50 and the $0.50/$1.00. Recently I moved up to the higher limit table, but sometimes when the number of online players is low and the higher limit table is not available (no one seated) I go back to the lower limit No Limit table. Here you will find quite a few beginning No Limit players. The maximum buy-in on the $0.25/$0.50 No Limit table is $50, whereas the maximum buy-in for the $0.50/$1.00 is $100. You should always buy-in for the maximum amount. If this is too much for you because you have a small bankroll you should not play No Limit, but a fixed limit instead and come back later when your bankroll size has increased a little. In No Limit Hold'em you have to be able to go All-In when the cards and situation dictate this. |
| Game ########## - (blinds $0.25/$0.50) No Limit Texas Hold'em Table "Banaba" (real money) -- Seat 4 is the button Seat 1: Player 1 ($36.25 in chips) Seat 2: Player 2 ($52.25 in chips) Seat 3: Player 3 ($46 in chips) Seat 4: Player 4 ($39.25 in chips) Seat 5: Player 5 ($64.75 in chips) Seat 6: Our Hero ($85.25 in chips) Seat 7: Player 7 ($70 in chips) Seat 8: Player 8 ($28 in chips) Seat 9: Player 9 ($34 in chips) Seat 10: Player 10 ($15 in chips) Player 5 : Post Small Blind ($0.25) Our Hero : Post Big Blind ($0.50) Dealing... Dealt to Our Hero [ 7h ] Dealt to Our Hero [ 8s ] Player 7: Fold Player 8 : Call ($0.50) Player 9 : Call ($0.50) Player 10 : Call ($0.50) Player 1: Fold Player 2: Fold Player 3 : Call ($0.50) Player 4: Call ($0.50) Player 5 : Fold Our Hero : Check |
   *** FLOP *** : [ 4d 3h 5c ] |
| This flop is not too bad, it is not very likely that it hit someone and it gives Our Hero a gutshot straightdraw. Often, when it is obvious that the flop was of real no help to anyone, you will see small raises to bluf people out. Since this is No Limit where the implied odds are high, it is correct to call such small raises if you have a draw which has a very good chance of being the best hand after you hit your draw. In this case any 6 will give me the straight, but that is not all. Any 6 will give a straight to anyone holding a 7. Holding 7-8 has extra implied odds potential because it beats the straigth with only the 7, but most people holding a single 7 will still call all the way (after a six comes) thinking that I am trying to steal the pot. In Hold'em, just like in chess, you have to think ahead (you need a plan). Before the flop you have to know what kind of flop you are looking for and on the flop you have to know what kind of hand you can end up with. A hand normally does not change character if the flop brings you something else than you hoped for. At least not if you judged your hand correctly in the first place. Preflop I was looking to get a straight, or an open-ended straigth draw. I did not get any of these. But I do have a 4 outs to a straight with a possiblity for high implied odds. This is not a change of character for this hand. It is a characteristic for connectors that if the flop is lower that there is always the chance of drawing to the nut straight, while other players are drawing for a lower straight. But how much are you willing to pay to see the turn is the question now. You have to look at the potsize, but more important in this case, have a look at your opponent's stacksize. The bigger the better, because if you have your way it will all be yours. |
| Our Hero : Check Player 8 : Check Player 9 : Check Player 10 : Bet ($0.50) Player 3 : Call ($0.50) Player 4: Fold |
| Our Hero : Call ($0.50) Player 8 : Call ($0.50) Player 9 : Fold  *** TURN *** : [ 4d 3h 5c ] [ 6d ] Our Hero : Bet ($0.50) Player 8 : Raise ($4.50) Player 10 : Fold Player 3 : Fold |
| Our Hero : Raise ($83.75) Player 8 : Call All-in ($22.50)  *** RIVER *** : [ 4d 3h 5c 6d ] [ Ah ] *** SUMMARY *** Pot: $56.50 | Rake: $2.75 Board: [ 4d 3h 5c 6d Ah ] Player 1 didn't bet (folded) Player 2 didn't bet (folded) Player 3 lost $1 (folded) Player 4 lost $0.50 (folded) Player 5 lost $0.25 (folded) Our Hero bet $85.25, collected $113.75, net +$28.50 (showed hand) [ 7h 8s ] (a straight, four to eight) Player 7 didn't bet (folded)   Player 8 lost $28 (showed hand) [ 5s 7s ] (a straight, three to seven) Player 9 lost $0.50 (folded) Player 10 lost $1 (folded) |
| Conclusion: Not a difficult hand to play. Checking in the Big Blind to see the Flop and then only having to call a minimum raise. It was up to my opponents to make my decisions more difficult for me. They failed to do that. Player 8 played to passive on the flop. He had Top Pair and a draw to the high end of a straight. With the flop being so low, it should be clear that he has a very good chance of having the best hand at that time and that all other players in this hand needed a draw to beat him. Yet he called only the minimum amount, allowing the drawing hands to stay in the game. If he would have raised the potsize he would have taken the pot which was $4.75 at that time. And that is not a bad amount at all to win with 5-7 suited! |
