Good advice from accomplished pro Eli Elezra: “Look at both of your cards.”
Elezra, who owns a World Series of Poker bracelet and has won a World Poker Tour main event, was laughing when he said it, but for several betting rounds in this hand he didn’t know what he was holding and it almost cost him.
With blinds at $200-$400 plus a $50 ante in the WPT’s $15,000 buy-in Doyle Brunson World Poker Classic at Las Vegas’ Bellagio in 2007, a player in middle position raised to $1,200. Elezra raised to $4,000.
“When I raised him, I looked at just the two four-acrosses; I didn’t look at the whole card,” Elezra explained.
“The way you see the cards with four-across is you either have 9-10 or two 10s or two 9s. I raised him just seeing that and hoping to take it right there.”
But his opponent called, and the two players took a flop of 8-7-2, two clubs.
“Right there, I said to myself that even if I have the worst possibility with my cards that I didn’t really look at, I still have an up-and-down straight draw or two overcards,” Elezra said. His opponent checked. Elezra bet $4,000.
“I was betting without knowing what I had, so I was hoping to take it right there,” said Elezra, a regular on the “High Stakes Poker” cash game show. “That’s why I bet so small. Then when he called me so fast, I realized the man flopped a pair, at least.”
Finally, Elezra took a good look at his cards and saw pocket 10s.
“Now I know I have an overpair and I know he has either A-7, J-7, or he paired the 8,” he said.
The turn came the 8 of clubs, a dangerous card for Elezra because it potentially completed a full house with the 8s or a flush draw with the clubs. His opponent checked. Elezra checked behind him.
“When I saw I had the 10 of clubs, I took the free card,” Elezra said.
The river came the king of clubs, giving Elezra a flush. His opponent thought for a long time, then checked.
“He was hoping I wouldn’t bet,” Elezra said. “I think he has three 8s, and when he checked like that, I made a value bet of $4,800 because I don’t think I can get more than that. He didn’t have a check-raising style, so I wasn’t worried about that.”
Elezra’s opponent called and mucked his cards when he saw the flush.
“He should’ve led on the turn,” Elezra said. “That was his mistake. It would be very hard for me to call there, wondering if he had three 8s or a club draw. It would’ve been 50-50 that I would?ve mucked on the turn if he had bet into me. It depends on how much. If he had bet $3,000, I’d call. If he bet big, I’d probably lay it down.”
Eli Elezra
10 OF SPADES
10 OF CLUBS
The flop
8 OF DIAMONDS
7 OF CLUBS
2 OF CLUBS
The turn
8 OF CLUBS
The river
KING OF CLUBS
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Table talk
Up-and-down straight draw: Four cards to a straight that can be completed by a card to either end; also known as an poen-ended straight draw.
