Bottom two facing check raise, no limit cash high stakes

Game type: 200/400 NL Cash Full Tilt Poker
Your image: A little wild
Opponent’s image: Selectively aggressive
Your hand: 3♠2♦
This hand took place between Phil ‘OMGClayAiken’ Galfond and Ram Vaswani. You’ll be standing in for Ram. Thanks to high stakes report for the hand history.
The setup: You’ve been taking the worst of it in this match, with your opponent up on you by nearly two buy ins. You’ve let your stack dwindle, not rebuying after the last large pot you lost.
This hand you minimum raise the button. Phil calls and you flop bottom two:
5♠3♣2♣
Phil checks and you bet 1200. Phil checkraises you to 3600.
What’s your play?
2.20.08 / 12am
perhaps I’m behind but he might be pushing me around on a rag flop…5-4 of clubs is the worst hand for me…If I don’t push with two pair heads up what am I playing for?
2.20.08 / 1am
is the staff trying to get us to not pushing here? True, the actual hand is very possible, but I estimate opps range a lot wider here, making a push clearly correct.
2.20.08 / 1am
I agree with Kaimano. Headsup I am getting all my chips in here.
2.20.08 / 1am
I would not have raised with 32o, especially if I had a wild image…
After the flop, I would have folded this hand, fearing a set, or A4c, 64c.
Nevertheless, pushing is not a bad option.
2.20.08 / 7am
I dont see any other play than pushing here. Unfortunately your stack is not big enough to have any fold equity added to the equation. Guess you have to settle with what you have. Push All-in!
2.20.08 / 10am
I guess we are on raging tilt being as we raised with the worst possible hand, so I guess we are pushing here as well.
I don’t get playing like this - it’s stupid. The way you win in these heads up matches is by playing a better game than your opponent. If he is playing everything than you need to tighten up and fold some hands - there’s your edge.
If he is folding some hands THEN you can play everything aggressively IF he is playing too tight post-flop. If he is not, then you have to be somewhat tight preflop AND figure out some other weakness to exploit. If there isn’t one, leave.
Never play short stacks like this - rebuy for the max or leave.
2.20.08 / 11am
fold pre flop. as played, easy shove. probably a 50/50 but you’re getting the price.
2.20.08 / 12pm
Just the fact the guy’s screen name is ‘OMGClayAiken’ makes me want to shove here.
2.20.08 / 8pm
Stupidly played. But now you shove.
2.20.08 / 9pm
Since we have a wild image, he knows that we could be betting anything on the flop, and thus, the range of hands that he could be check-raising with are much greater than the staff implies. He could think that we are just making a continuation bet with nothing. Pushing all-in is a must here.
2.20.08 / 10pm
I voted fold (meaning shove)
You have flopped 2 pair heads up. Thats pretty much a monster hand.
Seems like the staff are getting way too cute here. You have a strong hand. In fact despite the fact your opponent has a very strong drawing hand (something like 54% chance to hit open-ended straight + flush draws) + another 2 outs for the other 5’s, you still have 4 outs to get a full house (though 2 of his outs give a straight flush). Like it’s more or less a coin flip.
You bet looks like a continuation bet. You have a wild image, meaning he’s more likely to reraise you with a marginal hand like a pair or even absolutely nothing.
What do you have to fear from him calling? The hand he has is a coin flip, and with the money sitting in the pot you only need to win about a 1/3 of the time to make it worth your while, so shove was correct in this instance. You only fear 55,33,22,53,52,a4,46. Given that he could have made his reraise with pretty much anything, shoving seems so so correct here.
2.20.08 / 10pm
>> I voted fold (meaning shove)
Lol. I mean I voted raise (meaning shove)
2.20.08 / 10pm
meh
2.21.08 / 12pm
Were it not HU this would be a good quiz. Call, even know you might be dead already I cant see a fold here.
2.23.08 / 5am
I voted folded but changed my mind.
Phil could be check raising any over pair, A4,64,55, (33,22, unlikely) anything with a 4 or a 5 any flush draw with a pair or over cards.
Poker Stove this hand range and your way out in front, 58%.
If you fold in this situation 1000 times in the future years you will be out of pocket to the tune of $1,400,000, shove 1000 times and you will have a nice 2 million or so to spend.

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2.12.08 / 1pm
Phil’s raise tells a pretty clear story here. It’s not large enough to blow you off of any reasonable hand - you’re being offered nearly 3-1 on the call. It’s also not large enough to pot commit him with a weaker draw - if you shove over here, Phil will be getting worse than 2-1 to call. Note that he could have easily committed himself with just a slightly larger raise.
So, it looks like Phil doesn’t have a weaker draw and he also doesn’t have a mediocre made hand that he feels like he should defend against the draw (and most of those hands, like overpairs, are even less likely due to his flat call preflop). That leaves either a strong made hand or a combo draw, and you’re not doing well against either. You’re flipping with a pair and a flush draw, down 60/40 to a pair, flush and gut and down 65/35 to a pair, oesd and flush draw. Against a flopped straight you’re a 4-1 dog. I think you can expect Phil to play all of those hands pretty much the same way.
In light of the match momentum, this bet looks especially like a baiter, an attempt to induce you into shoving over the top with a weak pair and draw or weak overpair.
What actually happened: You moved all in and Phil called with 54 of clubs. A 7c fell on the turn and the river did not pair, giving Phil the win.