What Do You Do?

Posted by wynn on Jun 28, 2010 in Great Reads, Table Talk | 0 comments

You just flopped middle set from middle position.

The flop is Jc-9c-7h.

There is $60 in the pot and you have to call a $50 bet with one player behind you.

You are not sure what the bettor before you is holding, but you are pretty sure the player that acts after you will call off anything on a flush draw.

What do you do?

I have seen this scenario countless times. Right or wrong, in this situation I fold the set and flush draw if I am certain my opponent flopped the straight. For me, it is a coin toss based on the feel of the hand if I think my opponent has both a straight draw and flush draw, making them a 60% favorite to win the hand.

Back to the hand above. I bet out the $50 hoping to take it down right there.

The player to my immediate left takes about 20 seconds to act. He decides to shove his stack of $300 into the middle to win $110.

I am sure of two things at this point: the player left to act is on a flush draw, and he will likely fold if he knows I am calling. Gaining this information came from the long time it took the other player to make a decision.

And that is what this game comes down to. It is not about chasing cards, or calling a certain size bet with a certain hand. It is all about making the right decisions. Profitable decisions.

As the three stacks of red hit the felt, I announce “call”.

Yeah. I acted out of turn. But, with the next player to act watching me for 10 or 15 seconds for an indication of what I am going to do, I figured he needed the extra help.

Besides, I really did not want the flush draw in the hand in case I get unlucky. I would rather go up against any set over a flush draw. For whatever reason, I seem to beat sets after flopping a straight nearly 100% of the time but lose to flush draws almost just as often.

Flush draw folds.

“Jack no good,” my opponent says as he turns over 9-9.

“Straight.”

“Ah fuck,” he says as he sees 10-8 for the nuts.

The board does not pair and I take it down.