Poker Stars $200.00 No Limit Hold’em – 6 players – View hand 358763

The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG: $227.00

MP: $346.90

CO: $226.85

BTN: $254.35

Hero (SB): $217.00

BB: $200.00

Pre Flop: ($3.00) Hero is SB with T J

1 fold, MP raises to $6, 2 folds, Hero calls $5, 1 fold

Flop: ($14.00) J 8 K (2 players)

Hero checks, MP checks

Turn: ($14.00) 5 (2 players)

Hero bets $10.00, MP calls $10

River: ($34.00) A (2 players)

Hero checks, MP bets $24.00, Hero raises to $80, MP folds

My thought process for this hand went like this. Villian is a winning regular. By checking back the flop, I know that he almost certainly does not have a flush draw. I put his range on KT or less. When he bets the river, I’m almost always beat. He can easily have A8, maybe AJ, or he might be on a complete bluff.

Now if we look at the hand from my perspective, I check the flop. If i had a flush draw, I would check with the intention of raising most of the time. He checks behind. I lead the turn. If I had a flush draw, I would lead turn almost all the time if my opponent checked back the flop. Villain cannot eliminate a flush draw from my range because I would have played it exactly the same.

So why turn a made hand into a bluff? Well, I can’t call because I’m beat probably 80% of the time here. My hand is strictly a bluff catcher and a bad one at that because he can be betting for value so many hands that crush my meager jacks. But I do have this little thought in my head which is my opponent cannot have a flush and I can. On the spot I have to weigh my options, is it better to check fold or is it better to check raise. I decided to make the raise and it was the correct decision. Poker is fun when you are able to get to this high level thought process.

One of my strengths in poker is the ability to find spots to turn made hands into bluffs. Not many people do this but it is something to think about. However, in order to do this, you have to be able to put all the information together and have a good reason to do so.