Playing the odds can be expensive…

…but probably worth doing:

Party Poker Pot-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (8 handed) converter

saw flop|saw showdown

BB ($25)
UTG ($10.15)
UTG+1 ($75.85)
MP1 ($44.65)
MP2 ($10.60)
CO ($43.45)
Hero ($15.70)
SB ($55.25)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 5h, 3h.
UTG calls $0.50, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls $0.50, MP2 calls $0.50, CO calls $0.50, Hero calls $0.50, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: ($3.50) 6s, 4h, Qc (7 players)
SB checks, BB bets $3.35, UTG folds, MP1 calls $3.35, MP2 calls $3.35, CO folds, Hero calls $3.35, SB folds.

Turn: ($16.90) 9c (4 players)
BB checks, MP1 bets $6, MP2 calls $6, Hero calls $6, BB folds.

River: ($34.90) 2s (3 players)
MP1 checks, MP2 checks, Hero bets $5.85 (All-In), MP1 folds, MP2 calls $0.75 (All-In).

Final Pot: $41.50
Main Pot: $36.40, between MP2 and Hero. > Pot won by Hero ($36.40).
Pot 2: $5.10, returned to Hero.

MP2 has Kh Qd (one pair, queens).
Hero has 5h 3h (straight, six high).
Outcome: Hero wins $41.50.

If you’re playing pot limit with a good hand and there’s some kind of draw on the board (8 or 9 or more outs), make certain that calling someone else’s bet doesn’t give someone downstream the odds to go fishing. You should raise.

I went looking for that straight because the pot was paying 4:1 on the flop and almost 5:1 on the turn (I was also expecting BB to call and give me greater than 5:1), and there wasn’t anything very threatening on the board (like a board pair or three-flush). Needless to say, MP2 was mad about losing with top pair to a riverred straight (from the chat: “talk about fishing”). It’s his fault for not raising the turn: What some people don’t know will win you money.

One final point: If I hadn’t gotten my straight, I would have been out $10 in one hand, and that does happen. I’m just lucky that playing the odds actually paid off.

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