Poker Room Radio

Pokeroom.com – This was a hand that took place on this years WSOP main event final table, involving Schwartz and Demidov. Schwartz is dealt (Kh,Qs) and Demidov (Ah,10c). There is a small raise from Demidov preflop, and Schwartz calls. Both players check the flop of (5h,7h,Jh). The (9h) is a disastrous card for Schwartz on the turn, and he puts out a bet of 1.075 million. Demidov raises another 1.6 million to go, and Schwartz calls. Schwartz then checks the (5s) on the river too, and Demidov puts out a bet of 4.325 million. After some thought, Schwartz makes a quite brilliant fold.

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With the second nut flush, this is a very difficult fold on the face of it, although some would perhaps make an argument that Demidov reraising on the turn gave his hand away. I would disagree with that argument though, as a small reraise does not necessarily mean he has a big Flush, he could have a set or top two pair and be putting out a small reraise to test if Schwartz really had caught the Flush, or whether the original bet by Schwartz was pure representation.

Overall in this hand, you have to say that Schwartz folding was remarkable and I cannot take that away from him, but there are two potential reasons he has folded. One is driven by a perfect read of the situation, and if that was the case, I am in awe of his reading ability. The potential other reason, is driven by fear. Schwartz and Demidov were the two biggest stacks on the table at that time, and Demidov was playing fearless aggressive poker.

I could certainly understand if Schwartz simply wanted to avoid playing a pot with Demidov, but I cannot see how that would factor into this particular scenario. Schwartz knew there were no more betting rounds for Demidov to play back at him, so he had the option to simply flat call on the river. With that in mind, I have to say there was far more skill than simply fear in this top class fold. Pokeroom.com

Full Tilt Poker – With the usual starting stacks of 6,000 chips, I spent the first hour being careful and playing solid poker, but I found myself having slipped down to around 5,400. Then came the key hand where I was dealt (K,K) in the small blind. Somehow, the unthinkable happened when a crazy player with (8h,9h) called, and hit one of four outs on the river for a straight, putting me down to 700. What followed was another hand in which I was all in, and should have been eliminated.

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By some miracle, the same crazy player as last hand, decided not to check the hand to the river against the other player who was in the pot and holding (Q,Q). Instead, he decided to shove all in for 15,000 on the flop with nothing but an inside straight draw, forcing (Q,Q) to fold, and my flimsy pair of eights somehow held up to put me at 2,100. After a failed all in soon after, against the shortest stack at the table, I had just three chips of 100 value each.
Then incredibly with a familiar looking (8,9) in my hand, found myself with little choice but to push all in because of the blinds, and promptly trebled up. I then managed to double up three more times in quick succession.
Feeling incredibly blessed to even be in the tournament, I started playing great poker and fought all the way through to the final table.

Somehow I had gone to having 300 chips, to 40,000 two hours later when I got to heads up. After getting aggressive on a few hands I inched up to 48,000 against my opponents 52,000, then, made a risky all in move with (Jc,8c), and was instantly called by (A,A).
Whether there was some divine intervention at work that night I don’t know, but I rivered one of my four outs to make a straight (just as an opponent had done to almost eliminate me 2 hours earlier), and quickly finished my opponent off to take 1st place.
This was an incredible tournament with no end of twists, and I shall probably remember it forever. Fulltiltpoker

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www.pokerstars.com – I was playing in an Omaha tournament a few moments ago and there were some hands which cropped up that really demonstrated opportunities to make good folds in Omaha.
The first of which involved myself being dealt (3d,4d,8c,8h). The blinds were still low and so I decided to take a flop from late position. The flop came down (Js,9h,8s)

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and with three players in the pot, the first to act made a fairly small raise. Instantly, I was concerned, but when the next player to act then moved all in, it was a very easy fold to make. Having folded, I watched as the first raiser turned over (x,Q,10,x) for the top straight, and the second, rather foolish player turned over (J,9,x,x) for a two pair. if the second player had not shoved all in with his two pair I would still have been looking for an excuse to fold, but might perhaps have called hoping to pair the board.
The second instance of a player not being able to make the right fold, involved firstly, his raise preflop when I was holding (Qc,Qh,7c,8h). We were in late position with only one caller so far, and I didn’t think he, or the single caller were very strong, and so I reraised the maximum bet. The first player folded, and the second pushed all in, which was only an extra few hundred chips for me to call.
He turned over a hand of (Jh,5h,7h,Jc) which with three to a suit, a big reraise, no real backup to his Jacks, should have told him to fold his hand immediately. But then maybe he had a premonition he was going to river a two pair of Sevens and Fives without there being a Six on board to make my straight, or the suits to complete my flush.
The fact is, that in Omaha, making good folds and sensing danger are two key components to succeeding, so you have to know which hands are worth putting down, and when. pokerstars.com

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