Weekend Poker Excursion (part 2)

Let me share a few more key hands. Tight player (whom I have known for at least a year and played probably more than a 100 sessions together) raised in early position, a few callers and I was on the button with 65 off. In my previous articles on hand ranges I mentioned that I don't like to play broadway hands against tight players but love low cards. I folded QK suited to a min raise from the same player and he showed me KK.

Back to the hand, flop was 355 two diamonds. Woohoo, cha-ching. Preflop raiser cbet the flop, everyone folded except villain on my right and me. Preflop raiser might have Ace high flush draw or over pair. Villain just called the flop likely have a similar hand but I don't think an over pair like 8s or 9s can call again knowing the raiser's image. He may have 64 for the open ender but I was holding the blocker 6. He may be trapping with a stronger 5. So I decided to just flat. If he has a stronger 5, we are both pretty deep, I want to pot control. If he has a draw, a raise can still price him in. I put the raiser on a strong hand so he is likely to call any raise. If I am the only one with the 5, I am streets ahead and induce some bluffs at the end.

Turn came a 7, not a diamond. 64 got there, 57 I am in deep trouble. Preflop raiser bets again. Now he is a tight player, unlikely he would be barrelling two streets without anything. Villain raises the turn! I didn't like the raise. What is he repping? 64? 6 or 4 with the flush draw? Protecting his strong 5? But I can't fold a 5 there so I just called. Preflop raiser calls again. River is a 3, completing my full house. I still lose to 57 or 77, but I doubt those hands would raise the turn. Both of them check, so I bet a decent amount. Preflop raiser folds, villain check shoves! My goodness, what can he have? If 57 or 77, credit on him for playing tricky, then I just have to pay him off. So I called pretty quickly. He showed a 3. I think he was raising for value. He didn't think I would just call the turn with the 5 given there are straight and flush draws. Huge pot came my way.

Actually I got lots more hands to share but these are old news already. I just came back from a 5-day trip to Macau. More juicy and bigger pots to share!