A poker hand that haunts me

I got into a private email conversation with a WoV member who is a wanna-be game designer that I think has a good attitude about the industry and struggles of game design.

During the conversation, he mentioned building a wall of chips to hide behind while playing poker.

On my last G2E trip, I made a couple small walls of chips, plus one nice chip rail at craps. These were all $200 buy-ins.


The conversation also reminded me of a poker hand I played about 10 years ago that still haunts me.

I had been doing well, and after a few hours had built my $200 buy in up to $650. I'm the chip leader. Then this hand happens.

Early players limp. I'm in the middle with a suited one gap: 6c8c, and throw my $2 in, expecting to never see it again. Everyone limps, and we're 9 handed with a flop of 5c7c8h. I have no expectation of being a winner with the top pair, but I have a monster draw - open ended straight flush.

Blinds check. UTG makes it $15. Early players fold to me.

I think about raising my monster draw, but it's only a draw, so I merely call.

It folds to the button who had been felted a little while earlier, rebought for $100, and had been pushing his chips around to build it up to about $170. He raises to $50. I figure he has two high cards with one club at best. No pair. He's just trying to buy it.

I immediately plan to go all in. The blinds fold, but UTG doesn't know about my plan, and shoves for about $450.

The other early players fold, so it's just the three of us, as shown here:


I only invested $17, but have a monster draw. I KNOW the button has crap. But the UTG? My wheels are turning, and I realize he has pocket fives for the bottom set.

Do I really call off all of my profits on this draw?
Why couldn't I be a short stack ninja? That would be an easy call.

What would you do?


I'll finish this story in a couple days.

I dump it in a heart beat, too much to call. Too many callers pre flop so you are in last place. Someone flipped set and or straight. Funny story, I was playing UTH during graveyard head up, I got every $5 chip from the dealer by winning and built the “Great Wall of China” as one dealer saw and named it. I told the pit I would sell them back if anyone sat down. I’ve managed to accomplish this feat a few times

Full house is very possible but you rarely get genuine straight flush draws like this. I like get it in because I'm not the strongest long term player at an event like that. Poor strategy players need to take large calculated risks and that's a good spot to do it.

I'd call. Even if UTG has the set, you have two shots at 17 outs. According to a calculator I pulled up, you win 45.56% of the time in that spot.

I don't play poker, but I like your chip fortress. I like to build my towers on the ends and gradually fill in the exterior walls.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

During the conversation, he mentioned building a wall of chips to hide behind while playing poker.
]

Hide what? Hopefully, your cards are in clear view, as I believe most rooms require that. It's a big issue with me when someone has their cards out of plain view.

Quote: AxelWolf

Hide what? Hopefully, your cards are in clear view, as I believe most rooms require that. It's a big issue with me when someone has their cards out of plain view.
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No. He meant it would be so high, it would hide his face. Yeah, I’d like a stack like that too!

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Quote: AxelWolf

Hide what? Hopefully, your cards are in clear view, as I believe most rooms require that. It's a big issue with me when someone has their cards out of plain view.
link to original post

No. He meant it would be so high, it would hide his face. Yeah, I’d like a stack like that too!
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“Stacks and towers of checks I can't even see over.”

Re: your poker hand. I would happily get my money in heads up vs UTG. Would be a bit concerned that a nut flush draw or a made nut straight is in the button’s range though.

The short update:

I folded. But was that the right play?

More details Sunday.