Would you make this call?

$10 Buyin, 5 max at Paradise poker.

Hero is CO.

SB posts blind (.25)
BB posts blind (.50)

Cards Delt (As, 10s)

UTG calls (.50)
Hero calls (.50)
Button folds.
SB calls (.25)
BB checks.

Flop (2c, Kd, 7s)

SB checks.
BB checks.
UTG checks.
Hero bets (1.20)
SB folds.
BB folds.
UTG calls (1.20)

Turn (Qs)
UTG checks.
Hero bets (3)
UTG calls (3)

River (2s)
UTG checks.
Hero Bets (2)
UTG goes all-in (4.50)
Hero ??

I'd fold. IMO He was on A2s and just hit his set.

Originally Posted by cmg_poker2

I'd fold. IMO He was on A2s and just hit his set.

Sorry, I balls up that report. I was the one with As, 10s. Edited.

If I'm reading this right:

- you have the nut flush
- there's 16.90 in the pot incl. his river raise
- he just went all-in for an extra 2.50

If you don't call that, there's something the matter with you. Your pot odds are almost 7:1 - you think there's at least a 1 in 8 chance he doesn't have the boat? Or to put it another way, if you played this same hand 8 times and he didn't have the boat twice, you're already making money. If he doesn't have the boat half the time, you're way ahead.

Must call. Almost a no-brainer.

It's the betting pattern that I don't get. Lots of checking and calling. I bet for value on the river and he comes over the top for everything he has left. I just dont get it..

I completly misread that history.Being hung over at work sux. Im not firing on all cylinders yet. LOL

Definately call. My guess is 2 pair, bluffing a boat.

Originally Posted by Crunch

It's the betting pattern that I don't get. Lots of checking and calling. I bet for value on the river and he comes over the top for everything he has left. I just dont get it..

Well - it doesn't make a whole lot of sense unless one of these is true:

1. He had something weird like K2 and hit his boat. Of course he should have raised earlier with that hand, but never mind - some people like to slowplay even vulnerable hands like that.

2. He just poured most of his money into this hand and he figures screw it, let's just dump the rest in.

3. His hand is weak and this is his only chance to win this pot, because he knows you probably have better cards. He's not really taking into account that you basically have to call him with any decent hand because of the pot odds. It's a last ditch desperation move. He's bluffing by repping the flush or trips.

4. He has some really godawful suited hand and chased down the same flush you ended up with, and thinks he now has the best hand. He could even have a decent suited hand that explains all his actions thus far - KJ or K9 of spades for example; he was passively calling with top pair/mediocre kicker, and hit his flush on the end when you did.

Basically there's no way to know without calling. You call not out of curiosity, but because the odds of any of the above is too great to be ignored. You can't assume he has the boat; any of the above scenarios is quite possible.

I'd make the call.

Raising preflop would've given you a better idea on whether or not he had the two.

Well, I called. He had KK.

Completely baffling since he didn't raise pre-flop, not even a min-raise. I don't play much 5 or 6 max, is that more normal on those tables..? In a full ring game you're just asking someone to suck out on you by not raising. The rest of his play kind of makes sense, although it would have served his slowplaying ass right if you'd hit the flush on the river with a card that DIDN'T give him a boat.

In any event, sorry you lost the hand - happens sometimes.

This was my first venture into 5 max. His play had me confused, gave no indication that he was holding anything more than 2nd pair or a weak draw. Did I play the hand correcty? I won't feel so bad if I did what i should have...any suggestions?

You played it fine. You bluffed the flop when it checked around - often a good move, although I generally like to do this when there are three or less in the pot. The more people are playing, the more likely it is someone caught something, in which case you might get raised or flat-called (and neither is desirable if you're just bluffing). Ordinarily would check/fold the turn, but you picked up a flush draw, so the continuation bet is a good idea. It disguises your hand and gives you a chance to take the pot down without having to hit your draw. You could value-bet or check-raise on the river... either way you're losing the pot, in this case.

Easy call, tiny bet on the river and you've got the flush. Not the nuts, but still an easy call.

-'rilla