Don’t be blinded by a big hand

Scene: this summer’s $1,500-buyin World Series of Poker Monster Stack event, Day 2. There were about 1,800 players remaining, with the top 906 making the money. We were playing 10-handed.

The blinds were 1,000-2,000 with a big blind ante of 2,000. Three people folded, and a player with a stack of 400,000 raised to 4,400. The player in the cutoff seat, who had 180,000, called. I called from the big blind with 3d 4c and a stack of 200,000.

The flop came 10c 3h 3s. I checked, and both of my opponents checked behind me.

The 6d fell on the turn. I checked again. The original raiser bet 6,600. The cutoff called. I raised to 24,000, and both players called.

The river was the 9h. I bet 37,000, prompting the initial raiser to fold. The cutoff thought for a while, then raised to 100,000. I studied him for a minute, processed the hand and then folded my trips.

It’s never easy to fold a big hand, but we must remain disciplined and not get blinded by how strong we think our hand is.

With 200 big blinds and middle position, the initial raiser had a wide range. The cutoff, who had 100 big blinds, also had a fairly wide range. We could exclude a few hands from the cutoff’s range that have would three-bet preflop, such as a pair of jacks or better, or A-K suited.

I had the widest range of the group since I was in the big blind and getting the best pot odds. Any hand that was suited or somewhat connected would allow me to make a profitable call. (That said, 3- 4 was one of the worst unsuited hands I’d call with.)

The flop was gin for my hand, and my only option was to check. When everyone checked the flop, I could logically remove some big hands from their ranges, such as overpairs and a lot of hands that included a 10.

The turn changed nothing, and I decide to check to set a trap. I thought checking was the best way to disguise my holding on a pretty mundane board against two players. When the original raiser bet and the cutoff called, I wanted to build the pot with what was likely the best hand, so I raised. When both players called, I became a little concerned. Neither player bet the flop, and now they were both putting 24,000 in the middle. The only hands that would beat me were slow-played full houses, and that would be really tricky.

When the 9 fell on the river, I wasn’t worried about either opponent holding 7-8 for a straight. The initial raiser could have slow-played a big hand on the flop (unlikely), and both players could still have some underpairs or a 10 in their range. This was why I felt safe betting the river with trips. I was hoping one of them would call my bet. If I got raised, it would scream that I was beaten. It’s likely that only full houses would have raised the river for value — with no missed draws out there, it’s hardly ever a bluff.

Although it can be hard to let go of a big hand, the info available made this an easy fold. Moments after I laid down my cards, my opponent revealed that he’d held a pair of 10s and flopped a full house.

Having the discipline and clear-headedness to make big laydowns will help turn a good poker player into a great one.