With the Coronavirus in full play, it has been a long time since I last visited a casino to play my favorite poker game, $4-$8 limit hold’em. To compensate, my mind seems to have led me to frequently dream of poker hands. Playing live in a casino is much more enjoyable, but we take what we can get.
The other night I dreamed that I was the Big Blind (BB) and dealt two black Jacks in the hole. It was a full table of nine players. To open the betting, the Under-the-Gun (UTG) player raised it up, and several others called to see the flop. So did I.
And, now, came the flop. It was one of those rare “miracle” flops:
I could hardly believe my eyes. To reassure myself, I checked my hole cards and studied the board. A full house, Jacks-full-of-Queens, stared back at me. What a monster! It could easily be the nuts.
>Jordan “bigbluffzinc” Drummond on why he spends so much time studying blind vs blind strategy:
“People ask me ‘why don’t you spend time on under the gun vs under the gun +1? instead’?I could hardly believe my eyes. To reassure myself, I checked my hole cards and studied the board. A full house, Jacks-full-of-Queens, stared back at me. WI could hardly believe my eyes. To reassure myself, I checked my hole cards and studied the board. A full house, Jacks-full-of-Queens, stared back at me. WI could hardly believe my eyes. To reassure myself, I checked my hole cards and studied the board. A full house, Jacks-full-of-Queens, stared back at me. W
“Because that’s not worth any money.”https://t.co/14nAAZhRzX
— BBZ Poker (@BBZPoker) January 19, 2021
This was a hand with which to build a big pot. So, pleased with my decision, I slow-played by checking from my BB position. UTG again opened the betting and was called by four other players. I figured him for a big pair in the hole. Without hesitation, I quickly decided not to raise. With such a monster hand, I wanted to build the pot as big as possible.
That was my goal. Had I reraised, I am sure some of my opponents would have mucked their cards. I wanted them in the hand when I did raise after the bets were doubled on the turn and river. It was a perfect situation for slow-playing and check-raising; so, I just called along with my full-house — careful not to give any tells. There were six of us in the pot, and my prospects looked great. Who could ask for anything more?
On the turn, the dealer placed the Ks next to the flop. Wow! What a board.
With those beautiful community cards on the board, I felt certain that several opponents held a big hand or a great draw. It would be wonderful if a few caught a big straight or flush. They were bound to call my raise on the turn.
Not surprisingly, after I checked, the UTG again opened the betting. Three others called. At that point, I completed my check-raise. Now, no matter the river card, I planned to open-bet and hope for a few callers. This pot could be the biggest ever in a $4-$8 limit hold’em game.
But that’s the problem with a dream. It is great while it is underway and favors you; but, sooner or later, dreams always come to an end. I never learned how it all ended nor how many chips were in the pot, as I woke up just before the river card was dealt out.
Hopefully, after we defeat the Coronavirus pandemic (soon, I hope), my dream can come true when I return to my favorite casino to get back into action. That would be so nice.
Life/Poker Quote of the Week
One salesgirl in a candy store always had customers lined up waiting while other salesgirls stood around with nothing to do. The owner of the store asked for her secret.
“It’s easy,” she said. “The other girls scoop up more than a pound of candy and then start taking away. I always scoop up less than a pound and then add to it.’” — Anonymous
Great advice!