Sick Reads and No Cards

Posted by wynn on Mar 29, 2010 in Great Reads, Table Talk | 0 comments

One of the internet players on High Stakes Poker made a comment about only playing 300 hands a year in live games.

Sounds about right for me lately. I can’t seem to catch a playable hand. And when I do, I can’t get action.

The good part of my game is my sick reads.

The other night, some guy in early position raises to $15 preflop and gets 6 callers.

A player to my immediate right and I are quietly engaged in conversation. He impresses me to be a solid player. Unlike the super donkey play going on around us.

He says, “I think he has Kings.”

The flop comes 9-6-2 rainbow.

The raiser is first to act and bets $10 into a $105 pot.

“Maybe. I think he just flopped top set,” I reply.

The next player – a drunk young gun – raises to $25.

Everyone folds around to the original bettor.

“No, I think that guy as a set,” my pal says.

“Big Ace,” is my read.

With a call, the turn comes Jack.

The first player checks. The drunk bets $25 and gets the call.

The river is an Ace.

The first player checks again and the drunk bets $25.

“The kid has a set,” my pal tells me.

“Bet you $25 that the guy in first position flopped a set of 9s and this kid over here just went runner-runner two pair,” I offer.

“Deal!”

“Don’t show yet! I have $25 riding on this. You have a set of 9s and you have Ace Jack, right?”

I figure if I can’t catch cards or get any action, I might as well put on a circus act for the table.

Sure enough, a misplayed set against an over-played two pair.

“How did you know?” my pal says as he hands me the cash.

I put the original raiser on a middle pair preflop.

When he bet so small on the  flop, I just knew he had top set and was slow playing it.

I could see by the drunk’s reaction to the Jack that he paired up. Then, I narrowed his range down to A-J or K-J.

When the Ace hit on the river, it was obvious that the kid had A-J.

The body language and betting patterns told me everything.