Give us your opinion in the comments section below for your chance at winning a six-month Card Player magazine digital subscription.
Ask any group of poker players how you played your hand and they’ll come up with dozens of different opinions. That’s just the nature of the game.
Each week, Card Player will select a hand from the high-stakes, big buy-in poker world, break it down and show that there’s more than one way to get the job done.
The Scenario
You are heads-up for a tournament title and are up against a very aggressive and very accomplished pro. You have a tendency to play very unconventionally, and are known for taking somewhat confusing lines.
With 1,855,000 in chips (37 big blinds) against your opponents 8,345,000 (167 big blinds) and blinds of 25,000-50,000 with a 5,000 ante, you aren’t short stacked, but are severely out chipped.
Your opponent min-raises on the button to 100,000 and you make the call from the big blind with A
2
. The flop comes down Q
3 2, giving you bottom pair. You check, your opponent bets 100,000 and you check-raise to 250,000.
Your opponent calls, and you slow down by checking the A on the turn. Your opponent bets 225,000 and you decide to just call with your two pair. The river is the 5 and you decide to lead with a bet of 500,000. Your opponent then moves all in. You have 775,000 behind.
The Questions
Can you possibly fold two pair in this spot? Does your remaining stack influence your decision? If you could change one or two things about your line, what would it be? What realistic hands could your opponent shove with that you can beat? What realistic hands could your opponent shove with that have you beat?
What Actually Happened
Despite betting nearly a third of his stack on a board reading Q 3 2 A 5 with A 2, Vladimir Troyanovskiy somehow managed to fold and preserve his tournament life in the $25,000 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $25,000 High Roller.
It turned out to be the right decision, as his opponent, Vanessa Selbst, was holding 6 4 for the nut straight. Troyanovskiy battled back and was one card away from making a match of it, but Selbst nailed a three-outer on the river to bust him and win the tournament, along with the $1,424,420 first-place prize. Troyanovskiy picked up $792,180 for his runner up finish.
What would you have done and why? Let us know in the comments section below and try not to be results oriented. The best answer will receive a six-month Card Player magazine digital subscription.
