SCENARIO 55
The flop:
You are sitting in late position with:
Before the flop, Tight Ted limped in for $25 and everyone else folded to you. You raised to $100, the small blind threw away his poker cards introduction, Reckless Rick called from the big blind. Tight Ted also called the raise. The pot size is $310 before the flop. On the flop, both Rick and Ted Check.
What's Your Move?
Analysis
This is not a good flop for big Slick. It is dangerous Because it is connected. You don't put Tight Ted on a big hand because, if he had aces, kings or queens, he probably would have reraised before the flop. And you don't think he has a set shifting thinking?
Why?
Because this is a dangerous flop for a set (with its possible straight draws), so Ted most likely would lead at the flop to discourage anybody from calling and possibly outdrawing him if he had flopped a set. You figure that Ted is out of the picture now, so the only opponent you need to worry about poker is Reckless Rick. Of course if he had bet it.
The Strategy We Suggest
Bluff at the pot limit holdem poker with a $200 bet. It's fun to win with no pair! If either opponent raises you, fold. If either or both of them calls, just check it through unless you hit a pair on the turn.
SCENARIO 56
The flop:
you are sitting in the big blind in an unraised pot with:
Passive Paul and Solid Sam limped into the pot before the flop and Authority Artie called in the little blind. On the flop, artie leads out for $100 from the small blind.
What's Your Move?
Analysis
You have flopped an Open-end straight hand draw with an over card. Your perfect card to catch would be a ten, which would give you a jack-high low poker straight. This is good because if someone else has a nine and a ten comes off, you will bust them with your superior straight, an occurrence that would make you a very happy camper.
Solid Sam, who limped in behind us, could have limped with pocket aces, kings, or some other pair in order to set a trap. Because of his style of play, it is hard to guess whether he's slow-playing a big hand before the flop, or whether he's just trying to see a cheap flop. Passive Paul also could have anything he never learned the old axiom, "A bettor be, a caller never. " He is a calling station.
There's a good chance that Authority Artie has a pair, or possibly even a pair with a straight draw-a hand like 9-8, 9-9, 5-5. He could even have a 5-4 suited to make the low end (the "ignorant" end ) of the straight glossary on the flop. If that is true, he would be more likely to bet on the flop than if he had 10-9 and flopped the nuts.
The Strategy We Suggest
Smooth-call Artie's $100 opening bet.
SCENARIO 57
The flop:
you are sitting in middle position with:
Before the flop, Passive Paul limped in front of us. We just called from middle position, and everybody folded to Authority Artie in the bigs blind, who just checked. With three of us in the holdem poker hand before the flop, the pot has $85 in it. On the flop, Artie and Paul and Paul both check to you.
What's Your Move?
Analysis
The 8-7-6 flop gives us a draw to the low end of the straight with lots of danger lurking in the shadows. For example, if a nine comes on the turn giving us a 9-high straight, it also could give an opponent the 10-high straight. A four is the only straight advanced stud card that would give us any confidence that we have the best hand and even then we wouldn't want to risk a lot of money betting the hand. Since everyone limped before the flop, it is quite possible that one of our opponents has a 10-9 and has Been slow-playing his straight from the get-go.
The Strategy We Suggest
Also check. Then hope for a four on the turn card when nobody else has a higher straight-or even better, runner-runner fives!
Flop Seven
A High Pair with a Low Card
The flop:
