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 he Guardian Poker Column |
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| Victoria
Coren |
| Tues 6 Sep
2011 |
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The player who misses
the point
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Some
players don't seem to have grasped even the basic principles of the
game
Sometimes I
wonder if people have grasped even the basic principles of poker. People who
play it, I mean.
Here's a hand I played in one of the big Sunday
tournaments online. The buy-in was $215, a decent chunk of expenditure.
With blinds at 300-600, an active player in middle position (Mr X)
raised to 1500. From the button, I made it 5000 (from a total stack of 21,000)
with a pair of 10s. The big blind (Mr Y) called, as did Mr X. |
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The flop came 4 A 7. They
both checked and I moved all in for 16,000. Mr Y called. Mr X moved all in for
28,000 and Mr Y called all in for his remaining 7,000.
Mr X had QQ. Mr
Y had 5 6. As it happened, I got lucky and hit the 10. But when I moved in, I
had three ways to win: I could have the best hand, I could make my opponents
fold better hands, or I could hit the 10.
What about Mr Y, though?
Calling all the way, he can't make anyone fold. With 6 high, he certainly can't
have the best hand. So his only way to win is to hit his straight; that's just
bad poker.
Mr X's play is interesting. He should shove all in before
the flop. But at least he checked the ace-high flop, rather than bet, giving
opponents the chance to bluff (and removing my second way of winning by
refusing to fold QQ).
Mr Y, though, has missed the whole point of
poker. Does this need spelling out? The aim of the game is to make opponents
call with worse hands than yours and fold better hands. If you're the one
calling with the worst hand, you're the value in the game.
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