LOW BLINDS NO LIMIT HOLD’EM CASH GAMES
with Sam O’Connor

The Best Gamble or the Least Gamble?

How much do you like to gamble when you play?

Your answer will depend a lot on your available bankroll.

We’re talking small blinds no limit here. Let’s assume you have a short bankroll and an aversion to wild swings in that narrow BR. With that in mind, how much do you like to gamble? How far will you slow play a hand before you make that large, or all-in, bet intended to put your opponent’s drawing hand to an end?

Much of your answer also will depend on what you know about your opponent and his/her attitude toward you. Let’s say you are looking at two cards to a high straight on the board. Does your opponent play those kinds of cards in his/her position with the present betting? How about two board cards that are middle or low connectors? And then there are the two suited board cards, an even harder decision to make.

Actually, we could discuss forever the nature of various opponents in these matters; playing the players is the stuff no limit hold’em is made of. But this discussion is more about you.

The question is whether or not you will gamble with slow play as the board gradually turns against you on the flop, turn and river. A bet and call at each juncture will either win you more money or create a bigger loss. How far will you go?

The following hand was actually slow played recently at Binion’s in downtown Las Vegas. It wasn’t a hand hard to play because the hand was perfect for slow play and the opponent was cooperative. But we’ll make different suppositions as we tell the story and maybe you can decide whether you are a player looking for the best gamble or the least gamble.

You’re in a low blinds no limit game in which you aren’t getting many good cards but, being a good player, you’re doing all right. The game is loose and aggressive but not so aggressive that you’ve wanted to just wait for a hand; you have stayed active. You’ve been in and out of pots, raising preflop, not getting a good flop, folding, and occasionally stealing a small pot with a c-bet because of position and players. With all that, you’re playing about even but unable to engage in one of those big action pots that make the good no limit player winner for the night.

You’re in middle position and you look down at two red aces in the pocket. By the time the action gets to you, there are two limpers in the pot. Too bad; you wanted a raise before the action got to you. Nevertheless, you have been active enough to get a call when you make a raise five times the big blind.

You get a call from the player on the button and a call from one of the limpers. The button call is a hesitant call from an active player who has been watching you closely and you think he suspects you steal small pots too often. You put the limper, a novice player fresh from limit games, on a suited drawing hand that he can’t let go of.

The flop brings a five, an ace, and a seven, rainbow. It’s a perfect flop for slow play.

The first player looks disgusted and checks his hand. You look at your button opponent and see him fingering his players’ checks. The tell makes it easier yet for you to check your hand.

The button makes a sizable bet. Because of his eagerness, you suspect he has the fourth ace and is trying to push you off the pot. You dismiss a small working straight for this opponent and the rainbow flop prevents the flush draw. You don’t think he has a large card with his ace because, even though he thinks you might have been trying to steal preflop, he made no reraise. But he could have two pair.

The first player folds to the button bet and you make your slow play call.

If there had been two cards of the same suit in the flop, would you have bet an amount to take the pot? Remember, we’re talking no-limit here.

Or, with the two suited cards on the board with this particular opponent who you knew was going to bet, would you have check/raised him all in and taken the pot?

The turn card is the queen of clubs, making the rainbow complete with all four suits. (Did we mention this slow play hand was perfect?)

You feel the opponent staring at you. He has position but, correctly, he’s nervous about it. Your calling his big bet after the flop has upset him. You check your hand. He thinks a minute and checks along with you.

If the turn had made two cards of the same suit, would you have made your big bet at that time? Or would you have gambled that he wasn’t drawing to that suit, or that he wouldn’t make the flush if he was drawing? Remember, we’re talking about a future large pot here. There is a good chance he’s holding suited cards and a one fourth chance they’re in the same suit as the two on the board. Do you gamble or play it safe with a large bet?

The last card is the five of clubs, pairing the board. (How perfect is that?)

You check because you KNOW the opponent is going to bet. If he makes a value bet about the size of the pot or less, he thinks highly of his hand. But you also know he senses weakness in your play. If he moves all-in, he thinks his hand might not have real value and he will be bluffing.

He moves all in.

(As an aside, in 1 and 2 blinds no limit, these kinds of desperation bluffs are often made. So we give the above type of opponent the invitation to make the bluff. And we don’t have to be holding the nuts to do it.)

You call.

If the opponent has quad fives, you’re cooked and you’ve lost your stack. On the way home, you might be thinking you should have moved all in after the turn.

This hand was actually played by me and he didn’t have four fives. What’s more, I don’t expect to see a hand like this with this kind of cooperative opponent for at least a couple more years.


Sam O’Connor is the author of the new book How to Dominate $1 and $2 No Limit Hold ‘Em. You can contact him at Howtodominate@aol.com