I recently played a Step One sit-n-go on Ultimate Bet (see footnote), where a very interesting hand developed. I say “interesting,” but in reality mean “what the hell were these players thinking?” We’ve all seen some fairly ridiculous things occur online, and while this hand wasn’t the dumbest hand ever, it probably ranks high on the “wtf” list. Even though it was only a lowly step one (ten cent entry) sit-n-go, the level of play exhibited by my opponents was something I might have expected in a play money multi-table tournament.
Enough set up, let’s get to the hand, which was the first to be dealt.
Under the gun, Angler10 raised to 90 – that’s nine times the big blind, and way too much way too early. C-Fire folded, and then Darajohn, feeling Angler10’s oats, raised to 285. So far so… weird. Givemeyurmny folded, and I, with *yawn* AA, raised to 960, telling everyone and their mother that I was in possession of something wicked. There really should have been no doubt about my level of confidence. However.
The next two players folded, and then Playasam777 decided to go all in: 1500. This is after three overly ridiculous raises! Buddylove420 folded, and then, in utter disbelief, I watched as both Angler10 and Darajohn called the all in. Naturally, so did I, unable to control a chuckle, but still a might worried; three players against AA isn’t the optimal situation. With the money in the pot, and four players all in on the first hand, this was the result:
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Okay, let’s think about this for a moment…
Angler10 raised under the gun to 90 (9x the BB!) with TT. I imagine he wanted to either take the pot right there, or hope to get called by an AK or such and possibly double up on the first hand. I can understand this line of reasoning, even if I strongly disagree with the logic. But whatever…
Darajohn, with 99, decided that a 9x BB must have been an AK or the like, and raised to 285. We were 28 times the big blind already, and I felt these guys were ripe for a push, and if not, figured that I could pick up a nice chunk of change without even seeing a flop. It seemed more likely that I would be isolated against Darajohn, since he showed tremendous strength against a very large raise in front of him.
So I raised to 960 and asked “which of you has a real hand?” Playasam777 had a real hand, and went all in with KK, which, frankly, is a very real hand indeed (though slightly less real than AA).
During and after the betting, I put my opponents on the following hands:
Angler had AKs or similar, Darajohn had 88, 99, TT, or JJ, and Playasam777 must have had, after watching the crazy action, at least QQ, more likely KK. I like Playasam777’s guts, and KK would be virtually impossible to fold at this point, so instead of call, might as well push all in and try to get the wankers out of the way and go heads up. He just got unlucky to be up against AA, and if there is a legitimate “victim” in this hand, it’s Playasam777.
Now.
Even if Angler10 was a complete newb, he’d really have to reevaluate his hand after three raises behind him. He has to, absolutely has to, know that his TT is no good. Even if he painted the scenario as rosy as possible, which would be something like this pipe dream: the first re-raise is AJs, the second AK, and the third 99. Not likely, ever, and hardly worth 1500. A rational player would know he’s beaten, and most certainly very badly. And lucky him - he’s only put in 90 chips; time to punt and live to see another hand.
Darajohn is in the same boat, though a little worse off. With 285 chips in the pot, folding will hurt, but he’d be far from crippled. He must suspect he’s beaten, so fold ‘em up and try again. Still, his rationale must have been along the same line as above, unless he figured everyone had smaller pairs (um, okay!). But even if his opponents only have mere overcards, he’s still only a coin flip. Is that worth 1500?
Seriously, though, Angler10 and Darajohn couldn’t put one of the players on JJ just due to sheer happenstance?
So they call, perhaps knowing that they’re beat, but feeling so pot-committed (even though they weren’t), or ready to flop that magical set; their chips rushed right into the pot. Naturally, I called, and the rest is history. I quadrupled up on the first hand, and obviously was able to “hold on” and win the step two prize.
I think this hand shows two things of value:
1) Think about what your opponent might have.
Angler10 and Darajohn didn’t think it through, or if they did, they stopped a wee bit short. It would have taken only seconds for even a novice to conclude with great confidence that one of these freakin’ guys has my medium pair positively crushed into oblivion. Even Playasam777 might have considered the possibility that I held AA. But man, KK with three raisers is very hard to throw away. I could, but I’m a wuss who’s terrified of confrontation… unless I have AA!
Fall in love with your cards if you wish (at your own peril), but when other players indicate just as much ,or more, love for their cards, maybe you should respect the power of love, Huey Lewis-style, and get the hell out of the way.
2) Don't raise 9x the big blind under the gun.
If Angler10 had raised to 30, perhaps Darajohn might have minraised to 60, I might have raised to 250 or so, and perhaps Playasam777 would have gone to 500. I strongly doubt he goes all in if the previous three raises weren’t so ridiculous.
Angler10 got way too nutty and inadvertently set nuttiness into motion ala the domino effect; Darajohn raised too nutty; I continued the nuttiness; so where can Playasam777 go – there is no more nuttiness except “bet it all!” So be reasonable. Your stack will thank you.
There you have it: one dumb hand, made to order and served to me on a platter. But rest assured, I would have folded the 99 or TT, with little to no regrets. Make sure you do the same.
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