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Turning a flush out of the big blind
So after stewing on this hand for the better part of 5 + years, I thought this could be a good hand to have some discussions about. I have my feelings about how this hand was played and where I think my mistakes were at the end.
This was at Mohegan sun in a $150 tournament. This was in the first session after the second break of the day. I was in the big blind with ~$60k stack with the blinds at 600/1200/1200. MP limps with ~$45k stack and button limps with ~$25k stack. Action folds back to me. I look down at Qd3d.
I decide to check it back and hope for a big blind special.
Flop comes JcTd9d. I get a flush draw and an open ended strait draw. greedy me decides to try for a check raise. The action checks around.
Turn comes Jd making the board JcJdTd9d. I hit my flush but the board pairs and I now have an open ended strait flush draw. I check again checking to see if this is an action killer. MP checks behind and the button puts in $4,500.
I tank for a bit, and decide to follow through on the check raise I would have done on the flop. I raise to $16k.
MP shoves for his remaining ~$40kish and button calls quickly with action back to me.
I tank for about 2 minutes. Everything in my gut told me one of them had JT/J9. But as I thought through it, my flush was pretty well disguised. I thought it’s possible that someone could have a lesser flush like 54dd( in the moment, I thought anyone with Ad/Kd would have bet flop) I also talked myself into believing that they could also potentially had QJ/KJ, J7 would seem possible as well. In the end, I decided against my gut, but also because I’ve never been so close to a strait flush draw before and I call. MP turns JT and button reveals K5dd for a higher flush. My only out of the 8d does not come on the river and I’m down to 12ish BBs.
So my thoughts as I agonized over this hand for the next few months and still occasionally think about it. At the time, I wasn’t a very studied player although I had been playing for over a decade.
Overall, it was a strait cooler situation, but I had a couple exit points. First, I should have bet pre to potentially get one of those hands out. Seeing how they played up to that point, one would have called, and likely would not have changed the outcome. second, I should have donk bet the flop when I hit it so hard. That likely would have caused both opponents to call, but one might’ve raised then. It would definitely have changed my action on later streets. Third, when I got raised on the turn and called behind, I feel like that should have been the sign to fold, but the allure of hitting the strait flush proved to be too strong in the moment.
I’m definitely curious to know what others think about this as well though. I’m still not a thoroughly studied player, but I’ve been known to make a strong thin bet or smart laydown since then.
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1 Reply
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Even 5 years ago most recreational players did not have access to solvers or solver solutions like they do today. When we think about hands today we think in terms of ranges and balance. I had been playing for 18 years at that time and I still did not have a handle on pre flop ranges or the shape of ranges that people used. Today we have access to solved pre flop ranges. There are books explaining GTO and solvers help us understand how to be balanced. Would I have played the hand differently back then? I may have folded the turn because monsters under the bed were very real to me back then. I would have checked to see a free flop. I agree with your logic to not bet the flop, but back then I probably would have just check called taking a passive line with my draw. For clarification the bet on the flop would have been a lead and not a donk bet as no one raised preflop. Once the board pairs on the turn I would probably check call the bet by the button and when MP goes all-in and the button calls I would fold. The paired board is very scary to me. I would have struggled to put them on a range but I would have assumed one of them had a full house. Monsters under the bed are even bigger when two players make these kinds of actions in front of me. That was the level of player I was at the time. I played a lot of live poker and survived by not getting into tough spots without near the nuts. This is interesting to try to imagine my frame of mind back then. So much has changed in the last five years. Thanks for the memories.
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