Poker plays with PokerPeaker - Playing a paired board strong
I am playing $50 NL on Bodog Poker.
I'm dealt K-K.
Sweet. It's not the nuts, but it'll do.
A player calls under the gun. There are two more callers. No, no, no, we can't have that.
So I bump it to $3. I've said this before, but I really prefer to play my big pairs heads up against someone, when I can be sure I'm most likely a favorite.
Sure enough, the blinds fold, the other limpers fold, and the first person to call throws in the extra money.
Perfect.
The flop comes J♥ - 10♦ - 10♠. That's a good flop for me. It's unlikely he has a 10, so I most likely have the best hand.
I bet $8, which is around the pot.
Here's where it gets interesting. The other player raises me to $20.
Lately I've become really aggressive in situations like this one. Here's why.
Most players think trips are golden (and let's face it, it is a pretty good hand). They almost never play it hard and fast. They love to slow-play trips.
His raise tells me he has a Jack because he's playing it hard and fast. I'm going to put him on A-J. I could see him calling a raise with that hand, and he's probably thinking he has the best hand now. It's hard to blame him. Would I raise with something like A-10? Maybe. Would I raise with A-Q or A-K? Sure.
Not only that, but it's also likely I would make a continuation bet on a paired board. One of the many good tips from Phil Gordon is to always bet at a paired board because usually the first person to do so takes down the pot. That's probably what he thinks I'm doing.
I think he's played this hand well up until this point if he does have a Jack. He raised me to find out where he was, and he showed he wasn't afraid of a 10, and he probably shouldn't be afraid. Most of the time, his big raise here will take down a nice pot. Unfortunately, he's run into a bigger hand.
I'm not messing around with this hand. It's likely that the next card is going to cause problems for me, and I'm happy if I take down the pot here with a pair. So I jam all-in.
Here's where he makes his mistake. He calls me with J♠ - Q♦.
I'm not sure what he put me on, but let's look at what he's beating here. J-J? No. Queens, Kings or Aces? No. J-K? Maybe he gets a tie, but probably not, and the same goes with A-J.
What on earth would I be pushing with here? 9-9? Or just putting all my money in on a stone cold bluff? That's unlikely, and that's not enough for him to put another $20 into the pot to find out. He had a full buy-in in front of him.
I'm not complaining. The turn brings a 9♣ (see what I mean about the next card giving me problems?). The river brings a Q♠. Nice try, Bodog, but my two-pair of Kings and tens is still better here.
If you get raised on a paired board and you are pretty sure you have the best hand, don't be afraid to get your money in. It's unlikely the guy has trips. And if you have trips, you might consider raising, as it's hard for them to put you on trips when you play it hard.
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