Playing free poker has its entertaining qualities and will also give me a good place to find a story to tell you. I was playing at an A.P.L. event when I got to talking to the table about why people play hands that they should lay down.
Most people at the table looked at me like I was from Mars or I just kicked their cat. I really thought I was going to get the same old song and dance, “It’s free poker. That’s why I play the way I do!” However, that’s not what happened.
A lady in her mid 60’s asked me what I meant. I asked her, “Why do people play crazy hands like 9, 3 or 5, 10?” She informed me that playing any two cards will increase your chances of winning! I looked at her to see if there was a joke in there, but it became apparent to me that this was not a joke. My brain was screaming with pain when I finally processed her understanding of the game.
She asked me some time later about a hand she had played and wanted to know my thoughts.
Here is the hand. Did she play it right? For the purpose of this story we will call her April.
There are 8 people at the table and April is the dealer. The blinds are 200-400. The first person raises to 800. There is a call, a fold, a re-raise to 1600, and another fold. Now it’s April’s time to act. She calls the 1600. The small blind and big blind fold. The first raiser calls the additional 800.
The flop comes out as Ah,Kc,5s. The first person to act (original raiser) checks and the pre-flop re-raiser leads out a bet of 3000. April calls without blinking, as does the other player. This pot is growing fast!
The turn is a 6s. The first person to act bets 600, then the aggressor of the three pushes all in for 8000 more. April thinks about it for a minute or so and makes the call. Now the only one left in the hand needs to call or fold. But how can you fold with a pot this size? He makes the call and the cards are laid on their backs.
The first hand you see is Pocket Aces. Now we understand why the raise of 800 in the first place. But look out! Here comes the re-raiser with pocket Kings. With two monster hands, both of them hitting the flop, we know why this pot is so big.
But let’s not forget about April, what does she have?
April has 4c, 7c! What? This can’t be right. Why is she in this hand? Before the river card comes, the Pocket Aces asks her why she was even in this hand. She smiles and told him “ATC” (any two cards).
Now let’s look at her hand pre flop, she had no business in even thinking about calling a raise or better yet the re-raise.
She had two suited cards and her percentage of hitting the flush on the flop is so low it’s not worth even attempting to call a raise and then re-raise. All I can say is know the math! Clearly, April was beat before and after the flop. Yet, she stayed in the fight! Why?
Now with everyone “all in” it’s time for the river. The river brings 8d! April wins the hand that she should have not been in to start with. She takes the large pot down, but within 10 hands she gives it all back and is out of the tournament.
Here is the moral of the story: know the math, and if a bad player takes your chips don’t worry about it. They will be giving it back real soon.