This is from the PokerStars $150 6-max Sunday tournament. People are often surprised by calls that I make out of the big blind when I’m getting very good odds. I don’t know how helpful it is when I say things like, “The more you feel that you have a skill edge, the more you can get away with calling,” because everyone thinks he has a skill edge and besides that’s a hard thing to quantify. This is an extreme example, but the point is that you’ve got to be capable of getting pretty creative in terms of stealing pots from out of position. I’m not saying to attack every pot- far from it- but you can’t just call hoping to showdown your fair share of winning hands cheaply.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, 162 Tournament, 60/120 Blinds 15 Ante (6 handed) – PokerStars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
Hero (BB) (t10373)
UTG (t9236)
MP (t5939)
CO (t6108)
Button (t8074)
SB (t4615)
Hero’s M: 38.42
Preflop: Hero is BB with 6♦, 3♦
3 folds, Button bets t280, 1 fold, Hero calls t160
Flop: (t710) 5♠, 5♥, 10♣ (2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks
Turn: (t710) 4♣ (2 players)
Hero bets t472, Button calls t472
River: (t1654) A♣ (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets t550, Hero raises to t2444, 1 fold
Total pot: t2754
Results:
Hero didn’t show 6♦, 3♦ (nothing).
Outcome: Hero won t2754
I expect Ax to be a really big part of Villains’ range, and my plan was to barrel non-A rivers. If the river is a non-club A, I’d just give it up, but this is the perfect card for a check-raise bluff, especially when Villain sizes his bet the way he does. I would have folded to a bet of 2/3 pot or more, but I’m not worried about this guy having a flush or better very often at all. Having a Villain who will turn his hand face-up for you and the wherewithal to take advantage of the information he gives away is what makes pre-flop calls like this one possible.