The obvious part about playing draw hands is to make sure you’re drawing to the nuts.
The tricky part is building a nice pot if you hit it vs. creating a situation where you can get a run out of it.
At the $25,000 buy-in 2006 World Poker Tour Championship at Las Vegas’ Bellagio, with blinds at $100-$200 plus a $25 ante, aggressive pro Chip Jett drew A-J suited on the button. A player in early position limped, then former WPT Championship winner Alan Goehring raised to $400 from middle position. Jett called, as did the limper after the blinds folded.
The flop came Q-K-8, two hearts, giving Jett the nutflush draw and a gutshot straight to the 10. The limper checked. Goehring, a sometimes indecipherable pro, bet $1,200.
“With Alan, it can be position or a hand,” Jett said. “He’s liable to have anything. I don’t think my A-J is good. He could have K-5 or K-K. You really don’t know with him.”
Nonetheless, Jett called. So did the limper.
“The limper called really quick, like he had a flush draw, which I didn’t like because it’s going to make it tougher for me to hit my flush draw if he has a flush draw too,” Jett said. “If we both have flush draws and Alan actually has a hand, then there are two flush cards that I can’t get.”
The turn came the jack of diamonds, giving Jett a pair of jacks to go with his nut-flush draw. The limper and Goehring checked.
“I was last to act on the turn and I thought about betting it there and I didn’t,” Jett said. “When they both check, it’s a spot where it looks like my hand is probably good. If it was anybody else but Alan, I would probably bet it. But Alan could have Q-3 there and he’ll call me.”
The river came the 7 of hearts, completing Jett’s flush. “I’m positive the limper had a flush draw,” Jett said. “I know I’m getting paid off. He bet about $1,600. Alan folded and I raised about $7,000. He didn’t think long and he called.”
Jett showed his nut flush and took the pot as the limper mucked his cards.
The key to the hand was Jett’s check on the turn, a decision aimed at managing the size of the pot.
“It would stink to have to fold the nut-flush draw on the turn,” he said. “If I had bet the turn and gotten raised, I probably would’ve had to fold.
“It’s a fundamental part of no-limit to not put yourself in a position where you’re going to get raised out when you’re drawing at the nuts. If I bet the turn there and Alan makes a re-raise, he can force me out of calling. I can call any normal-sized bet, but a big re-raise is something I couldn’t call, especially with another guy in there who has a flush draw too.”
Chip Jett
Ace of hearts
Jack of hearts
The flop
Queen of clubs
King of hearts
8 of hearts
The turn and river
Jack of diamonds
7 of hearts
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Table talk
Nut-flush draw: Holding four to a flush with the highest possible card to make the hand.
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srosenbloom@tribune.com
