| Q-9 suited |
| Introduction: This hand should purely be played for the Flush Draw potential, and the added Straight Draw value. When you pair your 9, most of the time there will be overcards on the board. If there are no overcards on the board, it will still be hard to eliminate the players with 2 overcards. And since you should play this hand only in late position with a lot of callers, chances are that there will be quite a few players with 2 overcards. If you pair your Queen, your kicker won't be good enough. If you do flop a Flush Draw, you will make your Flush about 1/3 of the time. This kind of hand is all about the right odds to play it. In most cases your best play will be to fold it. |
| Hand # | Hand | Theme | Game | Date entered |
| 1 | Q9s | Flop: Implied Odds, Pot Odds, Betting Odds.. | No Limit | 27-04-2002 |
| Q-9 suited |
| Introduction: This was early in the session, and I had not much info about the players. Player 5 seemed a bit on the loose side, but hadn't shown much aggression. If I have no indication to believe otherwise, I consider the table a normal table. |
| Game ######### - (blinds $0.25/$0.50) No Limit Texas Hold'em -
2002/04/26-00:08:17 (CST) Table "Akiaki" (real money) -- Seat 2 is the button Seat 1: Player 1 ($23 in chips) Seat 2: Player 2 ($48.75 in chips) Seat 3: Player 3 ($107.50 in chips) Seat 4: Our Hero ($48.50 in chips) Seat 5: Player 5 ($113.75 in chips) Seat 6: Player 6 ($45 in chips) Seat 7: Player 7 ($102.25 in chips) Seat 8: Player 8 ($54.50 in chips) Seat 9: Player 9 ($15.25 in chips) Seat 10: Player 10 ($34.75 in chips) Our Hero : Post Small Blind ($0.25) Player 5: Post Big Blind ($0.50) Dealt to Our Hero [ 9s ]Dealt to Our Hero [ Qs ] Player 6: Call ($0.50) Player 7: Fold Player 8 : Fold Player 9 : Call ($0.50) Player 10 : Fold Player 1: Call ($0.50) Player 2 : Call ($0.50) Our Hero : Call ($0.25) |
| In the Small Blind, with 5 players already in, this is an easy call. If the Big Blind checks I can limp in a $2.75 pot with Q-9 suited for only $0.25. These are very good odds for this kind of hand. Pot odds are 11 to 1 ($2.75 to $0.25). Possible good flops for my hand are flops with a Queen and no high cards, 2 or more Spades, or Nine as highest card. |
| Player 5: Raise ($0.50) Player 6: Call ($0.50) Player 9 : Call ($0.50) Player 1: Call ($0.50) Player 2 : Call ($0.50) |
| Although I wished that I had not made the first call, because I wanted to see the flop for $0.50, again an easy call. And again for the same reason. Money in the pot before my call is $5.50. Pot odds on this call 11 to 1. But it is more likely now that there are a couple of high cards out there. A bigger raise and I would have folded the hand. A Queen on the flop does not look as good as before the raise. My hand will have to use it's drawing power. |
Our Hero : Call ($0.50)   *** FLOP *** : [ 8h 7s 5s ] |
| Now this is a seriously good flop for Q-9 of Spades. So many ways to win. A strong flush draw, a inside straight draw, 2 overcards. Although I won't have the best hand now, it is looking very good to become the best hand. It is not likely that the flop helped anyone. I put the best hand on a pair of 8's or 7's with a decent kicker. A hand that is regularly played in No Limit Hold'em. |
| Our Hero : Check |
| Maybe I should have made a small bet instead. I do have the correct pot odds, but with 5 opponents seeing the flop the betting odds are good aswell. |
| Player 5: Bet ($0.50) Player 6: Call ($0.50) Player 9 : Raise ($14.25) Player 1: Fold Player 2 : Fold |
| On the smaller No Limit tables (this hand was played online at
Paradise Poker) a raise this size either wins the pot right there, or it will be heads up.
The raiser had put himself All-In with this raise. That last fact is not unimportant,
because without any future betting it is possible to calculate the odds more precisely.
That is why in No Limit you see people who have a greater than 50% chance of winning the
pot go All-In so often. So knowing that a call (or maybe better even a raise to definitely
eliminate other players) would put me heads up with the All-In raiser it is time to see
which cards will win me the pot. I put him on either A-8, K-8, or maybe a pocket pair like
9-9, 10-10 or even J-J. He would have raised with a higher pocket pair preflop. 9-10 will
mean a straight draw. A straight is very unlikely. It would mean that he limped in with
either 4-6 or 6-9 from early position and even called a raise. Chance of winning in case opponent holds A-8 or K-8 (Top Pair with good kicker): 3*Q, 3*9, 9*Spades, 3*6 (already counted 6 of Spades) = 18 outs - 29/47 * 28/46 = 37.5% 100-37.5 = 62.5% Chance of winning in case opponent holds 9-9, 10-10 or J-J (Overpair): 3*Q, 9*Spades, 3*6 = 15 outs = 54.1% Chance of winning in case opponent holds 9-10 (Straightdraw): 3*Q, 9*Spades, 3*9 = 15 outs = 54.1% Chance of winning in case opponent holds 6-9 (Straight): 9*Spades = 9 outs = 35% But also 3*6 for a split pot = 12.5% Chance of winning in case opponent holds 4-6 (Straight): 9*Spades, 3*6 = 12 outs = 45% Chance of winning in case opponent holds K-x of Spades, or A-x Spades (Higher Flushdraw): 3*Q, 3*9, 3*6 = 9 outs = 35% With no money in the pot 50% would be a Break Even point, anything higher is EV+ and everything lower EV-. But the pot was not empty at the time of the All In raise. There was $6.00 in the pot. After my call I can loose $14.15 or win $14.25 + $6.00 = $20.25. The winning amount is almost 1/3 higher than the losing amount. This means that I can call with less than %50 chance of winning. Against a higher Flush Draw I am an underdog, but against all the other above mentioned hands I am in good shape. |
| Our Hero : Call ($14.25) Player 5: Fold Player 6: Fold  *** TURN *** : [ 8h 7s 5s ] [ 6h ]  *** RIVER *** : [ 8h 7s 5s 6h ] [ 3s ] |
| Got the Straight on the Turn, and the flush on the River. |
| *** SUMMARY *** Pot: $33.75 | Rake: $1.75 Board: [ 8h 7s 5s 6h 3s ] Player 1 lost $1 (folded) Player 2 lost $1 (folded) Player 3 didn't bet Our Hero bet $15.25, collected $33.75, net +$18.50 (showed hand) [ 9s Qs ] (a flush, queen high) Player 5 lost $1.50 (folded) Player 6 lost $1.50 (folded) Player 7 didn't bet (folded) Player 8 didn't bet (folded) Player 9 lost $15.25 (showed hand) [ 5d 7d ] (two pair, sevens and fives)   Player 10 didn't bet (folded) |
| Opponent turned out to have 2 pair on the Flop at the time of the
All In raise. A hand I disregarded completely. Let's do the odds after the Flop for this hand: Chance of winning in case opponent holds 5-7 (Two pair): 9*Spades, 3*6 = 12 outs = 45%. Conclusion: Both Preflop calls are justified. The call on the Flop was a good call. Only against a higher Flush Draw I was a slight underdog. Against the 2 pair the oppononent actually had, the call was marginally. But the fact that he showed his hand makes me believe that he thinks that this was a bad beat. Maybe because he was in the lead on the Flop? |
