Send them to Poker School

Last week, I played in a micro-limit online poker cash game. The stakes were modest, but enough in these difficult times I was cautious. It was an odd table with several competent players but there were also the donators who were anything but competent. Those guys clearly needed to go to poker school.

In one pivitol hand, the player first to act fires out a 6 times the Big Blind bet. This guy had a small stack. Clearly, not someone offering the implied odds of trying to hit a big hand and felt him. In fact, his stack was so small he barely had a third of the chips of the second smallest stack. On top of that, this guy was playing very tight.

Typically an early raise has induced a lot of folding as the table was playing conservatively. This time the second shortest stack on his left calls and everybody follows suit.
Seems everybody wants to get their virtual chips into play. This was atypical I could only imagine each successive call being weaker than the first. I hold the titanic hand of 4h3h. I of course am considering a steal.

I say considering because there are a lot of variables at play here. The tightish player, first to act, demonstrated a real hand with that large opening bet. If I do raise to isolate, I’ll know where I stand pretty quick on the flop cause my outs probably aren’t his. The second to with his shortish stack showed a willingness to play and has to have a hand of some strength. A raise might give me three way action and I have a hand that plays very easily after the flop. A big problem is my raise and two calls might induce the others to get into the pot, or simply shove all their chips into the center.

Yet, I have no idea what to raise. Too little, and surely I’m just creating a much bigger 6 way pot with a 34 in my hand OR encouraging and giving someone the opportunity to pound it. Too much and they could move their stacks in and I just have 34 in my hand.

What if I just call? My hand plays well in a multi-way pot. I’m going to be a dog but I’m not that bad of shape. My hand had implied value, though my position cut down on my implied odds of getting paid if I nailed it. Still, needing to call 5x with 31.5x in the pot is definitely worth sticking around especially with suited connectors.

Flop comes out 6s5h2h. That's what I was hoping for. Somebody gets an ace or king high flush two of their 9 outs give me a straight flush. A player with 78 could get bold and unable to relinquesh their hand. Even if they hit, I'd have flush outs. .

I check, praying somebody will have a piece and want to fire out a bet for me. I don't have to wait as the initial preflop raiser fires. Even better the next to act raises 2.5x the bet.
Folded around to me. Again, I have to decide to raise or call. UTG looks like he’s going to call the other guy's bet. Do I risk raising and losing him or do I just smooth call and then push on the turn and tie the UTG player to the hand.

I decide wrong and raise. I bet more then either has.

UTG folds after some thought. Thought he might have an overpair like queens or jacks. The other player calls immediately. He's also got the straight. Sure enough the screen reveals 3d4d.
Fortunately, I river a heart.

I wonder how mad he was to lose a big pot when he flopped a straight. I think for once there is some justice in poker. He mangled a bad holding from start to finish and lost his stack because of it.

Let's start from the top when he calls preflop he has no idea how strong or weak the rest of the table is. He calls a raise from early position by a tight player and all he has is 3d4d. Not a terrible decision in general, though probably on its own merits maybe not a profitable one long run. In this situation I don't like it. The opening bettor's stack is so small there is no reward for the risk.

If say, the stack could double you up and it's cheap relative to your stack to see the flop it's a good play. However, there is none of that extra reward at play here. Even worse he only had position on three players (two of whom were in the blind and might not even go to the flop). Then he still had the risk the rest of the table could raise him. Potentially, he could easily flop best and still have to give up on the hand.

When my flush hit, I knew my opponent got what he deserved. Maybe he should take some classes in poker school in the future.