It was a loose $3-$6 limit game at the Normandie Casino in Gardena, Calif. I had been at the table for about a half-hour. The poker gods had not yet smiled on me. Then I looked down at my hole cards: A-Q suited! Perhaps my luck was about to change. With a little good luck, perhaps I might be able to build-and win-a big pot. In an early position, I just called the blind. Four opponents stayed to see the flop:
My Hole Cards: Ad-Qd
The Flop: As-6d Qs
The Turn: 6s
Top two-pair! I bet my aces-up to build the size of the pot, expecting to have callers; it was a very loose table. The lady to my left and two others called. She was an extremely loose-aggressive player. During the time I had been at that table, I don't think she had folded a single hand before the flop. The fact that she had not raised me pre-flop or on the flop suggested she had a drawing hand-perhaps connectors, A-x, or a small pair in the hole.
The turn put a second 6 on the board. Now I had lots of outs to a full boat; but I figured my aces-and-queens were still the best hand. I bet and was called by the lady and one other opponent. Hopefully she didn't have a third 6 in the hole.
The river was the six of spades. I now had sixes-full-of-aces! I figured that I had a winner. I bet. Guess what? She raised! Could she have the fourth 6 in the hole? Possible, but not likely, I reassured myself. She might have stayed in with an ace and a small kicker, in which case we would split the pot. The other players promptly folded. I was tempted to re-raise, but decided just to call her raise. She turned up her hole cards, 6-5 of hearts. She held the case six! Four sixes beats a full house every day. I was devastated.
Thinking It Over. . .
She called from an early position with 6-5 suited. Definitely a long-shot! Hardly a playable hand, especially in an early position. That may be true for most poker players, but not for this lady. She enjoyed the action and was bound to see the flop-at the least. Then she connected with a pair of sixes on the flop, giving her bottom pair-still a very long-shot! After all, she had to figure that someone would have an ace or a queen in the hole. When I came out betting after she connected with trip sixes on the turn, she probably read me for a pair of aces and decided to slow-play. And I had complied. Actually she didn't need the fourth six on the river. The only way I could have beaten her trip sixes on the turn was to catch another ace or queen on the river. But of course I didn't know that.
I berated myself. I thought, I should have raised pre-flop to force her out; but, no, she would have called. Based on her prior play, I was sure of that. She never folded before the flop. She was just darn lucky.
Certainly, pre-flop this lady was a big long-shot against almost any two cards that I would have stayed in with. And her pair of sixes on the flop were nothing to write home about; they were still a long-shot. Yet she called and was fortunate to make trips on the turn. The fourth six on the river was frosting on her cake. For me, it was the bitter end. Oh well. Long-shots can win!
. . . So readers, what's YOUR opinion?
George "The Engineer" Epstein is the author of The Greatest Book of Poker for Winners! and Hold'em or Fold'em?-An Algorithm for Making the Key Decision and teaches poker at the Claude Pepper Sr. Citizen Center in Los Angeles. Contact George at geps222@msn.com.
