Putting it together?

Poker is about trying to put the pieces of the
puzzle together. If you can work out what your
opponent is holding then its a lot easier to
work out what to do. But its important to try
and form a view, even if its wrong.

Couple of hands from yesterday's tourney.

Ive got 9-7, dayle A-K. Flop comes
9-7-J all spades. I have bottom 2
pair kind of dangerous. She bets
100, i raise to 300. She calls at this
point im prolly thinking she at least
has a spade in the hand, or may be
has A-J. Turn comes a red A, she leads
out and best 500, im think im ahead
but worried about A-J decide to call
and see what happens. But think theres
a chance she at least got an Aces and
a spade which im ahead of, possibly
could re-raise all in. Last card
comes a spade, and she bets 500, i have
to fold putting her on one spade in
the hand. Perhaps could have pushed her
off her tp tk, flush draw on the turn,
but called and bet when i was ahead and
folded when behind.

Another hand dayle and barter, flop
Ah-2h-2, barter is in the blind. Check,
dayle bets barter calls. The turn comes
another heart, barter checks and dayle
bets, and barter calls. There is about
a 1000 in the pot. River comes an aces
putting 2 pair on the board, Barter bets
500. Dayle decides to call with her flush,
barter has a 2 and wins the pot. This is
one of those hands where you are almost
certainly beat. Barter is for one reasonably
solid, he has called a bet on the flop
and the turn. Logic would dictate he either
had an Ace or a 2. Its very unlikely that
he would bluff into a board like that,
after the opponent, has bet twice, i mean
barter would have to be a little worried
about his opponent having an ace. Barter
would also be very unlikely to bet a flush
there, and prolly just check it out. So
what hand can u put ur opponent that would
make him play his like that. Almost nothing,
so therefore you are beaten and you probably
have to fold.

In both examples sometimes your ahead, but
then logic dictates that you are beaten
on the river and its time to let go and
save chips. Im not saying you always have
to fold in these situations, but you want
to try and work out what sort of hands your
opponent might be betting or calling with
and then add it up. Even if your wrong the
most important thing is engaging in the
process. You cant just look at your hand
and the board and think well ive got a decent
hand i could be ahead.

One thing i learnt in London, was how the
better opponents are always studying and
you and putting it together. In the
semi-finals, tony bloom raises from late
position, i called with 5s from the blind.
Flop comes 9-9-6. I check he checks. Turn
comes a 7. I bet , after a while he comes
over the top strongly. I think about it
for a while, and conclude that either
he was slow playing or somehow sense weakness,
but the check on the flop abd the re-raise on
the turn, seems like strength. I was later
told that Tony Bloom had k-9 , good lay down!
But the amazing thing was when Tony G, said
to Tony Bloom thats probably the most you could
of got out of his 5s !!!! And i was like wtf.
Can he see my cards?? Then i thought about it,
and it seemed logical. Bloom raised in late
position, I just called. If i had a stronger
hand 10s and up i would have been tempted
to re-raise. So therfore i had something a bit
weaker. Then the flop comes 9-9-6, I check
and he checks. Ok i could still have anything,
then the turn comes 7, and I bet. Logically
i had something to call with pre-flop, possibly
a small pocket pair, bloom has checked, i have
picked up an inside straight draw and have a pair,
so it would seem a good point to bet. Anyway
he put the pieces of the puzzle quite quickly,
and worked out what i had, and i still remember
thinking wow, neat trick, but really he just
deduced it all rather cleverly !