Sometimes it pays to be risky, but other times not so much

The World Series of Poker held a special $1,500-buy-in event this summer that was open only to former gold bracelet winners. That meant the tournament, which attracted 185 runners, was filled with players who had obtained poker’s highest honor.

In 2013, I was fortunate enough to best a field of 898 players to win the $500 Casino Employees event for $84,915 and a gold bracelet, which made me eligible for this year’s special tournament.

In Level 5 (300- 600 blinds with an ante of 600), Blair Hinkle, winner of a 2008 no-limit event, raised under the gun to 1,500. The short-stacked Ron Ware, who won a six-handed, eightgame-mix event in 2017, called from the button. I was in the small blind with 7s 6h and a stack of roughly 55,000. I called, and two-time bracelet winner Vitaly Lunkin came along from big blind.

The flop came Qc 2d 4s. Everyone checked, and the dealer burned and turned the 5d to put two diamonds on board. I bet 2,000 with my up-and-down straight draw, and much to my surprise, I received three calls.

A 3c river gave me the nuts but also put four to a straight on the board. I opted to check, hoping one of my three opponents would bet behind me.

This was a tricky spot. I almost always want to get value when holding the nuts, and the only way to ensure a chance of doing so is to bet. I know many folks who always bet the nuts on the river because they don’t want to risk others checking behind. Most of the time I’d do the same, but this was a special circumstance. Here’s why.

Given that it was four-way action preflop, and everyone called my turn bet, it seemed likely that at least one of my three opponents would hold an ace, which would give them a wheel. If so, they would have made an inferior runner-runner straight that they should think was the best hand and bet accordingly.

By checking, I hoped to give myself the opportunity to check-raise, get more chips in the pot and present my opponents with a tough decision. If one of them happened to have a six for the big end of the straight, I was primed to win a monster pot, as they’d surely bet, I’d check-raise big, and they would either call or possibly move all in.

I was licking my chops just waiting for someone to bet, but one by one they all checked. I failed to get value, and to make matters worse, Ware did show an ace. Something must have smelled fishy to him because he checked last to act, playing it safe and saving himself a lot of chips in the process.

In poker, checking the nuts is risky. Sometimes there’s a big reward, but other times you’re left wanting, just like I was in this hand.