I have experienced some MONSTER hands this week. A few made money, and some lost...
Probably the hand of the week was against Rick in O8, its been a few days since this one hit so I'll do my best to remember it, but basically there was a low flop that produced a wheel opportunity on the flop. I had A, A, 3, 6 and the flop was something like A, 3, 5... Rick led out with a bet and there were several callers and I called. The turn, to be honest, I don't remember but it seems as if it was a high card which brought in a flush possibility. The river was my Waterloo.... the board paired 5s and I got very excited. The way Rick was betting I figured that he had a wheel or at least the 2nd nut low. So when he bet $100 and I believe that Bill T called, I raised to $300. After a few moments of deliberation, Rick went all-in and just at that moment, I pretty much knew. I couldn't be 100% certain because he could have been pushing with the wheel. I believe that I had him covered by only a $100 or so and I said as I called, "boy, I hope you don't have the cooler, but if you do, you're getting paid." Everyone else folded and here I sit with no low and the 2nd nut hand, Aces full of fives. Rick said, "I got it." And proceeded to turn over the pocket 5s with no low or not much of one either, which really had no bearing on the hand since I didn't have one either. Quad fives... get the monkey! His betting pattern had me convinced that he had a really good low if not the wheel and it never even crossed my mind that he was betting a set, but he played it perfectly and I just couldn't lay down the big full house.
The other hands were last night short-handed with Rick, the Juice, Dean and John S..... one very nice hand against John where I bet a decent low with the nut flush draw on the turn and it hit on the river giving me the nut flush and the 3rd nut low. There was probably $250 in the pot and John bet when the flush hit assuming that I had no flush and probably some sort of set, two pair, and maybe even some kind of straight draw. He led out with $125 and I pushed all-in for another $215 and he called and I scooped it.
In another nice hand, I had 9, 9, A, 2, and the flop was 3, 5, 9.... Sweet! The Juice led out with a $100 bet into about a $150 pot. I called and Rick called. The turn was one of the prettiest things that I've ever seen (playing cards of course)..... the case 9. Juice led out with about $150 and I pushed all-in for another $55 or so.... In retrospect, I should have just smooth called. My re-raise, even as small as it was, tipped to Rick to the strength of my hand and he folded a decent low draw and the nut flush draw. Juice called and the river was a meaningless Ks. I scooped.
Last night was short-handed, but it was a fun group! We got to see slow-roll after slow-roll as Dean carried out several perfectly played slow-rolls..... The Juice did get him back once when they both had sets, Dean had Jacks and the Juice had fives..... but the river gave the Juice a baby 5-high heart flush.... Dean showed his Jacks and the Juice said, "crap! I've got a set of fives, and then after a moment or two, showed the baby flush which let him scoop the pot..... Nice!
Well, all-in-all, a great week and I'll get back to the felt even if it is nasty......
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You’re close, except you must not have noticed what my other two cards were. Understandable given the circumstances – as I’m sure your eyes never left the fives! I had 4-5-5-6 with two diamonds, so I flopped middle set, third-nut low and an open-end straight draw, then picked up a diamond draw on the turn. I didn’t put anybody on a wheel the way the flop betting went, so I’m not sure any sequence of betting could have got me off this hand on the turn. The funny thing is that I wasn’t even that excited about the set – though I had lots of draws I was really hoping for a 2 or 7 so I could bet the nuts.
After both you and Bill called my turn bet, I figured there was a good chance one of you had a better low. When the 5 came I figured I had two options: either make a huge bet trying to get a better low to fold, or make a smallish bet hoping someone raises with a boat. Of course I chose the latter, and as it turned out, it worked out perfectly. The only danger with this play is that after the low calls the initial bet, he may feel like he’s committed to the hand and call a huge raise/re-raise.
Needless to say, once Bill called the $100 and it got to you, I’m silently chanting “please raise…please raise…” I figured you for a big boat once you did, so the only question was whether or not to make a min-raise and try to make Bill to be the “sucker in the middle.” In the end, I decided there was too good a chance he had 2-6 or 4-6, and I didn’t want to get him any more committed to the hand than he already was. I pushed in to try and fold him and isolate you, and luckily it worked. I never saw Bill’s hand, but someone said he would have won the low. I assume that means he had 2-6 second-nut, because he never would have folded a wheel of course.
Last night was fun as well, though it was a bit more low-key being short-handed. My favorite hand was when I turned the nut flush, rivered the nut low, and got paid with three players in the hand. I still think that, next to “Get the Monkey,” “Double Nuts” is the most beautiful phrase in poker. I just wish I got to say it more often!
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