Two Great Plays in Biloxi

Sorry for the delay in getting another post up, but we were having so much fun in Biloxi we didn't want to stop and blog. For five nights straight we played poker all night and slept most of the day. (Could anything be better?) I have to give huge props to the Beau Rivage Poker Room for taking such good care of us the whole time we were there. Not only did we receive the poker rate ($70 weeknights/$90 weekends) but they comped almost every meal we ate at the buffet, cafe, or table side service (our choice.) The games were juicy without being too overrun by donkeys. The floor was knowledgeable and the dealers were proficient and friendly. We're already planning another trip back to Mississippi!

In addition to doing some damage ourselves, we met some really interesting characters during our stay and witnessed some fabulous poker. One of the coolest hands involved a young, local rounder named Gabe who was easily the best player in the room. (In my humble opinion.) I wish that I had been watching the hand from the beginning so I could give a true blow-by-blow, but I can summarize by saying that Gabe raised pre-flop from late position and only one player called. I believe the flop was 9 - 10 - 5 rainbow. The other player bet into Gabe and he called.
There was also action on the turn but I can't remember who bet. The river card paired the board and the other player pushed all in for around $800. Gabe went into the tank and thought for almost three minutes before announcing "I call." The other player tapped his hand on the felt and said "good call." He flipped over the 7-8 for a busted straight draw. This wasn't in and of itself particularly noteworthy except that it was an awfully large amount to risk on a stone cold bluff on the river. (The pot was quite large before the river though, so the bet was not abnormally large in relation to the pot.) The amazing part was when Gabe flipped over his cards. He had the naked A-K...no pair. He had called over $800 cold because he put the other player on a bluff. I have to say, that was pretty damn impressive.

Now, I will note that I was skeptical after watching this play, wondering whether Gabe routinely called down large bets with less than premium holdings. If he did, and lost as often as he won, it would make his call a little less impressive. I was at the table with him quite frequently over the next few days and I watched him also make some very impressive lay downs when he was beat so that helped to strengthen my opinion of his play, but, in all fairness, I also watched him call down a larger than normal number of hands that he felt were bluffs. Sometimes he was right and sometimes not, but all-in-all I'd say his reads were more on than they were off.

Another interesting hand (which I was watching more closely) was especially fun because I felt that both players played it very well. The pot was raised pre-flop, but that was very normal for this game, and several players took the flop. The board came down three diamonds, the highest of which was a ten. The first player in our drama bet out the size of the pot (about $50) and another player called him. At this point, Milton, a local who is a solid player and a really fun guy, pushed all-in for around $400. The original better started thinking. He thought and thought and then called. The third player instantly mucked the lone queen of diamonds face up. Milton showed the naked ace of diamonds and the caller showed the K J of diamonds. Another diamond came off on the turn and Milton took down the pot. What impressed me about Milton's bet was that he knew it would be hard for a made flush to call his all-in push without the ace in their hand. He knew he would be calling a bet on the turn, so he gave himself the extra fold equity of pushing for a large amount on the flop. The caller, of course, made a great call with the King high flush and just happened to get sucked out on.

The hand reminded me of something that I need to improve on with my own game. If you are faced with a situation where you will be willing to call off all of your chips on a draw, either on that street or on the following street, it is usually better to raise the initial bet and give yourself one added way to win (fold equity) than it is to just call. This is also true on the river when you will be willing to call a bet, it is often better to bet out yourself. This assumes, of course, that you have a reasonably good read on your opponent and you are not likely to be bluff raised.