I was playing a decent but not great player heads up, and the match had been close, with first him then me having the upper hand, until I tried to bluff him off of trips:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (2 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
SB ($2045.50)
Hero (Button) ($2488.75)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 8
, Q
Hero bets $30, SB calls $20
Flop: ($60) J
, 10, 10 (2 players)
SB bets $40, Hero calls $40
Turn: ($140) 3 (2 players)
SB bets $100, Hero raises to $333, SB calls $233
River: ($806) 5 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2085.75 (All-In),
SB: sick… you hit the flush?
SB calls $1642.50 (All-In)
Total pot: $4091 | Rake: $0.50
Results:
Hero had 8, Q (one pair, tens).
SB had K, 10
(three of a kind, tens).
Outcome: SB won $4090.50
SB: i am not good enough to fold trips
Foucault: evidently not
Of course it’s not generally a good idea to try to bluff someone off of trips, and if the river hadn’t flushed I wouldn’t have attempted it. It’s not that I was trying to represent a flush but rather that the flush coming in makes it a very good time for me to make a huge shove if I have a full house, most likely JT or JJ. The huge shove is designed to polarize my range, so that it won’t matter that he has trips (except for decreasing the combinations of boats I could have). Basically, I am either bluffing or have him beat.
Here’s the very next hand, where he once again can’t lay down trips:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (2 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
Button ($4090.50)
Hero (SB) ($1000)
Preflop: Hero is SB with J, K
Button bets $30, Hero calls $20
Flop: ($60) 10, Q, 9 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $40, Hero raises to $120, Button calls $80
SB: also you could have been value betting worse I think?
Turn: ($300) 9 (2 players)
Hero bets $200, Button calls $200
River: ($700) 4 (2 players)
SB: like any T?
Hero bets $650 (All-In), Button calls $650
Total pot: $2000 | Rake: $0.50
Results:
Button mucked 9, J (three of a kind, nines).
Hero had J, K (straight, King high).
Outcome: Hero won $1999.50
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (2 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
SB ($3353.25)
Hero (Button) ($1717.25)
Preflop: Hero is Button with A, A
Hero bets $30, SB raises to $120, Hero calls $90
Flop: ($240) 4, 2, 7 (2 players)
SB bets $140, Hero calls $140
Turn: ($520) 6 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $222, SB calls $222
River: ($964) Q (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $1235.25 (All-In), 1 fold
Total pot: $964 | Rake: $0.50
Results:
Hero didn’t show A, A.
Outcome: Hero won $963.50
This wasn’t a good value shove by me, but it did show me that the table dynamic had shifted as a result of his snapping off that big bluff. Now, he was going to give me credit on my shoves.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (2 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
SB ($2656.75)
Hero (Button) ($2410.75)
Preflop: Hero is Button with K, J
Hero bets $30, SB calls $20
Flop: ($60) K, 4, 5 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $40, SB calls $40
Turn: ($140) A (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $90, SB calls $90
River: ($320) K (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $250, SB calls $250
Total pot: $820 | Rake: $0.50
Results:
Hero had K, J (three of a kind, Kings).
SB mucked 8, 8 (two pair, Kings and eights).
Outcome: Hero won $819.50
In this hand, I show him that I can value bet thinly (on the turn, here, nothing thin about the river) in a spot where he thinks I’m going to have a polarized range (hence his calldown with 88- he assumes I either hit the A or am bluffing in a common spot).
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (2 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
Button ($2261.75)
Hero (SB) ($2805.25)
Preflop: Hero is SB with Q, K
Button bets $30, Hero raises to $111, Button calls $81
Flop: ($222) 7, 10, 9 (2 players)
Hero bets $169, Button calls $169
Turn: ($560) 4 (2 players)
Hero bets $425, Button calls $425
River: ($1410) A (2 players)
Hero bets $2100.25 (All-In), 1 fold
Total pot: $1410 | Rake: $0.50
Results:
Hero didn’t show Q, K (nothing).
Outcome: Hero won $1409.50
This time, the big bluff works. Given the texture of the board, I think it’s very likely that he raises flop or turn if he has two pair or better. Something like a pair and busted draw is more likely for him. And even if he does have two pair, I think it’s now plausible for him to think I can shove Aces up, so his weaker two pair may not be good. Pretty much the only thing I’m worried about here is that he himself rivered Aces up. Otherwise, I expect this to work.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (2 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
SB ($1889.50)
Hero (Button) ($3175.50)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 3, 3
Hero bets $30, SB calls $20
Flop: ($60) 2, 6, 3 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $40, SB raises to $120, Hero raises to $269, SB calls $149
Turn: ($598) A (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $376, SB raises to $1590.50 (All-In), Hero calls $1214.50
River: ($3779) 7 (2 players, 1 all-in)
Total pot: $3779 | Rake: $0.50
Results:
Hero had 3, 3 (three of a kind, threes).
SB had K, 5 (high card, Ace).
Outcome: Hero won $3778.50
And that cleaned him out.