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 he Guardian Poker Column |
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| Victoria
Coren |
| Tues 27 Sep 2011 |
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You can learn
a lot from watching the top pros play AK – it's a trickier hand than
people think
Back to
our screens next Monday night, with a new sponsor and glittering line-up of
players, roars Coral Late Night Poker.
Look out for this interesting
hand from level one, when the players have around 10,000 in chips and blinds
are 100-200. Dan Cates (known widely as the internet sensation Jungleman12,
making his first TV poker appearance) raises to 400 with AK. |
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Another online pro, Melanie Weissner,
makes a creative call with 9 6. On the button, Adam Noone also finds AK and re-raises
to 1400. Jungleman calls and Weissner folds.
It's a good spot for those
who enjoy betting on the outcome of individual coups. Although both players
have the same hand, Noone is favourite to win because he has position and he is
the pre-flop aggressor.
It comes down 6 2 J. Jungleman checks and Noone
bets 1500. Jungleman has a long think, then calls. The turn is a 5, bringing a
flush draw. Both check. The river is 8, making the flush (which neither player is
likely to have, for the action; Weissner's the one pining for her folded
cards). Jungleman bets 4500 and Noone folds.
During the series, it will
be worth watching the different ways that top pros play AK. It's a far trickier
hand than people give it credit for, unless your chips are correct for just
shoving all in before the flop.
Here, Noone could have triple-barrelled
(kept betting each street) to win the pot. Jungleman could have folded on the
flop because he missed. The only explanation for Jungleman winning this pot
when he had the same pair-less cards and the worse position is that he had the
better sense of where he was in the hand. It kicks off 10 weeks of fun and
useful study material for the recreational player.
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