All right, so when we last left, I was faced with a stiff bet holding a set of 5s, which was top set on the flop, on a 3,4,5 board. The small blind bet $5, the big blind bet $15, and I called the raise cold. The small blind called the raise as well. The big blind has a full stack of $100 NL, as I do, and the small blind has about $65.
On the turn, a 10 of clubs, the small blind checks, and the big blind bet $40, about the size of the pot.
So I pushed.
And lost.
The big blind flopped a straight with 7-6.
Hearing a little feedback on this made me feel a little better about my push. I was a little upset at myself because I kind of thought I was beat and yet pushed anyway. I could not pair the board because that would require sucking out and I lost.
This was an incredibly tight table, and the way he played the hand suggested that he did have the goods and I ignored that little voice inside. I'm not sure but I think I should have folded the turn. I was only 20 percent to win by then.
The feedback was helpful, though I disagree with one comment made by all three. They advocated raising. Folks, I am not going to raise in early position with a small pair in a cash game. I might do that in a tournament if the table was tight, but in a cash game, the only thing I can win is the tiny blind by raising.
I understand by showing strength, I could follow with a c-bet. And I also understand that raising might have driven some players out of the hand, which could have helped me avoid this mess in the first place, but I doubt a $3 raise would have gotten the big blind to fold anyway with 7-6 sooted. That's a perfect hand to defend your blind with against one raise.
The big blind's play fooled me. I thought, as some of you did, that there's no way he would play a straight that hard. A look at the preflop action might have helped me, as he did not raise, so that ruled out an overpair, in my mind, and really reduced his hands to two-pair or a set of 4s or 3s or 7-6.
Would it have fooled you?
P.S. Mucho thanks to rakebrain for last night's freeroll. I had a blast.
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3 comments:
Gawd did I mangle a couple of hands in the Challenge -- with you being a beneficiary both times!
Good playing with you man!
Um...I don't mean to be a stick in the mud, but you violated Jordan's #1 Poker Rule: When you are behind, fold.
If you really thought you were probably behind, you need to listen to that voice. That's not to say that you should self-flagulate over this hand, but you should learn from it, and the lesson is sometimes you have to make the tough fold.
"...because that would require sucking out and I lost."
Not sucking out is a leak in your game that needs to be fixed.
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