By John Juanda
I'm at Foxwoods playing the event to $2,000 Texas hold em no limit. All players start with $ 3,000 and I now have $15,000. At my table, Richard Tatalovitch, a player against whom j often played there.
I raise preflop in middle position with KJo and Richard call from the big blind. The flop falls 9-6-4 with two diamonds.
Richard hesitated a moment before checker and I raise the value of the pot. Richard thought for a moment and decides to caller. Suddenly, I decide that I n my hand really like not.
Imagine my relief when a J who n was not tile fell on the turn. Now, j had top pair with a good kicker. And Richard is alla d another update. Uh-oh.
Now, let me mention a moment when someone hesitates before checker, c is often a big tell. But Richard is the king to delay the action, so j decided d ignore this tell in any way. But its bet on the turn was screaming: "raise me, I t beg!
I took time to think and my ideas were as follows:
I'm at Foxwoods playing the event to $2,000 Texas hold em no limit. All players start with $ 3,000 and I now have $15,000. At my table, Richard Tatalovitch, a player against whom j often played there.I raise preflop in middle position with KJo and Richard call from the big blind. The flop falls 9-6-4 with two diamonds.
Richard hesitated a moment before checker and I raise the value of the pot. Richard thought for a moment and decides to caller. Suddenly, I decide that I n my hand really like not.
Imagine my relief when a J who n was not tile fell on the turn. Now, j had top pair with a good kicker. And Richard is alla d another update. Uh-oh.
Now, let me mention a moment when someone hesitates before checker, c is often a big tell. But Richard is the king to delay the action, so j decided d ignore this tell in any way. But its bet on the turn was screaming: "raise me, I t beg!
I took time to think and my ideas were as follows:
1. He flop a set. It explains the call on the flop he tries to trap me leaving me in the hand, wishing that I bet the turn.
2 No, s he had a set, it would have checke turning it until I myself hang myself or to let me hit something on the river. It cannot be a set.
3. the l Jack helped. I n have the Jack of diamonds. Maybe he l and there calle the flop with a flush draw to the valet. If Yes, I love my kicker and my hand.
4. He bets with a flush or a straight draw hoping to immediately buy the pot.
J spread these possibilities without knowing what conclusions draw.
Normally, j would simply have calle here. We have both a lot of chips and I don't want to go all-in with only top pair. And I had the misfortune of remind me a hand played at Bellagio last month:
Richard n had no chance and complained of its bad sequences. I've even seen check-caller with top full because he was afraid of the square! A guy who is afraid of the monsters under his bed is not going check-caller his set on a flop that gives a flush draw.
I took the decision d go 'all-in '.
Oops. C is now a big pot. And top pair n is not what looks like a big hand.
In the four years that j have played with him, I do l have never seen caller so quickly. I was drawing dead with his 99 perfectly played.
Sometimes, we forget that the large maps are not always large hands and that the best game can sometimes be playing conservatively rather than d to go with the big game that kills. Richard played a big pot with a big hand and patience l paid!
