Hard Poker Rule: Don’t go broke with one pair, especially when the big stack has position on you to your left.
Aggressive pro Mark Seif was facing that problem at the $25,000 buy-in World Poker Tour Championship at Las Vegas’ Bellagio last April. Seif, who won two World Series of Poker bracelets in 2005, drew A-Q offsuit in early position with blinds at $400-$800 plus a $100 ante.
“I was going to come in raising,” Seif said. “(Patrik) Antonius, who was to my left, had some chips in his hand and had capped his cards. This is a fairly unusual occurrence where you have a pro who’s tipping you off that he’s going to play the hand.
“So, I didn’t want to bring it in for a raise and have to call a monstrous re-raise because that’s what he’d been doing. If I brought it in for a standard raise of $2,500, he probably would’ve made it $10,000 to go, and I didn’t want to call it out of position against the chip leader.”
Mark Seif
ACE OF HEARTS
QUEEN OF SPADES
Patrik Antonius
? ?
The flop
QUEEN OF HEARTS
7 OF SPADES
5 OF DIAMONDS
Turn and river
3 OF SPADES
JACK OF SPADES
Seif called, as did Antonius and three other players. The flop came Q-7-5, rainbow.
With top pair/top kicker, Seif bet out $5,000.
“The reason I did that is I wanted to clearly define everyone’s hands,” said Seif, a resident pro on the Absolute Poker site. “It would’ve made it hard for everyone without a queen to continue with the hand.”
Antonius popped it for another $5,000.
“That tells me he wants to isolate and I think he wants to see a free card (if Seif checks and Antonius checks behind him on the turn),” Seif said.
The rest of the field folded. Seif called.
“I could raise, but again, I’m out of position, he’s the chip leader, and I have to put the brakes on,” Seif said.
The turn came the 3 of spades. Seif checked. Antonius bet $20,000. Seif called.
“I’m clearly telling him what I have and I’m clearly telling him that I’m going to defend it,” Seif said. “If he has somehow flopped two pair or a set, then it’s up to him to outplay me and get the chips in.”
The river came the jack of spades.
“The one hand I would be concerned about is a Q-J, which, if you think about it, it is a hand he could limp in with, it is a hand he could raise the flop with and then bet the turn,” Seif said. “I was prepared to really analyze the situation before calling a $40,000 or $50,000 bet on the river.”
Seif checked. Antonius checked. Antonius mucked his hand when he saw Seif ‘s A-Q.
“I gave up some equity by checking the river, but I was prepared to make a pretty big call there,” Seif said.
“The way I played it, if he does have two pair or a set, I’d lose maybe a third of my stack. If I show aggression and he out-charades me, I could’ve lost all my chips if he had a set.”
Table talk
Kicker: The hole card that isn’t used to make a hand but can be used to break a tie.
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srosenbloom@tribune.com
