In Big Hand

When all the chips go in the pot, it’s usually because two players or more really like their hand.
Or somebody has done something stupid. Or maybe one player is taking a shot. Desperate times and desperate measures.

So there we were late on a Sunday afternoon. It was so late Game 2 of the NBA Finals had already popped up on the TV monitors around the poker room.
It had been an okay day. Good hands, not great hands. Good hands but nobody else wanted to get involved.
I made a full house when my 8-7 suited flopped 7-7-x. The turn was an ace, but nobody was interested. The river was an 8. Again, nobody else was interested. Bet $15 into maybe a $12 pot and won. Yawn.

It takes two (or more) to tango. It takes a least two players who really like their hand or are willing to take a shot.
Watched was one multiway pot early in the day when three players got involved. And all three got it in for maybe $100 and some change.
It was A-K suited from the preflop raiser vs. 10-10 vs. J-10 suited. A jack fell somewhere in the runout and that was good enough for somebody to triple up — increase their stack by 200 percent. Just watched that hand since I had nothing to get involved with.

Late in the afternoon, I’m in early position when the dealer pitches me Qc-Qd. One of the better hands I’ve seen during the day. Make it a whopping $12 to go, hoping for one caller, maybe two, but no more. More players increase the odds that they will outflop me. Get one, then two callers. Okay, that’s not too bad.

Texas Hold’em can be frustrating. You probably fold 85 percent to 90 percent of your starting hands. Even with a two high cards like an ace and a king, you miss the flop 70 percent of the time. Even if you make a pair or trips on the flop, you are dodging straight and flush draws like bullets whistling past your ears all the way to the river.

The dealer burned a card and put out the flop: Qh-8s-4c. That would be a direct hit. It’s top set (two in your hand and one on board) and unbeatable at this point. With nearly $40 in the pot, I led out for $15, hoping somebody else had hit something. If they haven’t, the party’s over. The first player folded, but the second player decided to stick around. Hmmm. I had been watching him. He was an older, overly aggressive player with gray hair and glasses and nervous mannerisms. More than once had overbet the pot. 

The dealer burned and turned again. Another 8 fell. Boom, another torpedo just struck broadside. We made the nut full house. There’s only one hand that can beat us, 8-8, and it’s very unlikely. Possible, but unlikely. I’m first to act. I could check and let him catch up. Or I could bet and try to extract value. Maybe he made three 8s. The house has taken its cut so there’s maybe $65 in the pot. I decide to lead out for $25 and hope Mr. Overly Aggressive is still interested.

He thinks for a short time, grabs a stack of red chips, and raises to $66. Somewhere deep inside, the feel-good endorphins are firing. We’ve got the nut full house and have been raised. He’s definitely interested. He’s likely hit the 8. A hand with Q-8 is even possible which would mean he would have a smaller full house. A hand with 4-4 would also be a smaller full house.

We take a few seconds to think. I have maybe $200 left behind me. After a few seconds of pausing and checking my hand — yes, Q-Q is still there, it hasn’t budged an inch — I call the $66 bet and raise to about $140.

Mr. Overly Aggressive looks startled. “I think I’m trouble,” he announces to the table. That could mean he realizes he is in trouble, which is likely, or he’s feigning weakness with 8-8. Or maybe it’s a spontaneous, unrehearsed response. People say strange things when they’re under pressure. He picks up his hand and looks at it. I’m rooting hard for a call. I’m pretty sure he’s got just an 8 and really likes his trips. He doesn’t wait long. “I call,” he says and slides out a rangy stack of red chips to match the $140 bet.


There’s still one card to come and there’s only one danger card left in the deck — the case 8. The dealer burns and turns and a harmless 9 falls. Whew. I look at my remaining chips, maybe $60. I push them out, careful to grab the dollar chip protecting my hole cards. If you’re going to get it all-in, grab every chip in sight. “Call,” Mr. Overly Aggressive says quickly. I turn up my hand, and there’s stunned silence at seeing queens full of eights. He flashes his 8 and pitches his hand in the muck. 

A guy at the far end turns to a guy next to him and asks, “Hey, what did he have?” “Queens full,” the other guy says. “Ho-ly shit,” the first guy remarks.

The dealer pushes me the pot, one of the sweeter ones for the day. I know him very well, too — he’s pleasant and efficient, and we talk Major League Baseball every now and then. I flip him a generous $11 tip, roughly 2 percent of the pot.

I catch pocket kings once later and raise. Surprisingly, no one is remotely interested. Then another dealer sits down and deals me pocket aces. I raise again preflop, and the chips clatter when they hit the face of the automatic shuffler.  But nobody is remotely interested. Rack up a few hands later.  Time to head for the ranch. The NBA game is already at halftime.

It takes two — or more — to tango. When more than one person locks into a hand, things turn lively in poker.

Recommended Posts

Leave a Comment

Contact Us

We're not around right now. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

Not readable? Change text. captcha txt