At the CoinPoker Mid-Stakes Cash Game World Championship, “Berbatov147” was the beneficiary of one of the sickest possible online poker coolers in a three-bet pot.
“Freeway1988” played with fire preflop and ended up getting burned on the way out.
Action
Playing six-handed at $2-$5 stakes with a $500 max buy-in, “luckerdoge420” opened to $11.25 from under the gun. “Freeway1988” called on the button with 3
3
and “Berbatov147” three-bet to $67.50 from the big blind with 8
7.
While “luckerdoge420” folded, “Freeway1988” made the call.
The flop came 1093 and, after “Berbatov147” checked, “Freeway1988” put out a $37.18 bet. “Berbatov147” called.
On the 4 turn, “Freeway1988” bet again, this time for $100.39. “Berbatov147” went all in for $492.32 and “Freeway1988” called.
They ran the river twice.
The first river was the A and the second river was the K
. “Berbatov147” faded the board pairing on both rivers and scooped the whole pot with a flush.
Analysis
Preflop, “Freeway1988” got a little frisky by calling pocket threes. A solver likes folding pocket fives and worse on the button more than half the time against an under-the-gun open. The machine likes to fold pocket threes nearly 75% of the time.
However, “Berbatov147” also went against the grain by three-betting 8-7 suited from the big blind. While a game theory optimal strategy would three-bet smaller suited connectors at a much higher frequency, the solver only three-bets 8-7 about 7.5% of the time.
Nevertheless, it is solver approved. It’s a great way to clear out equity and build a big pot. Once “Freeway1988” calls a low pocket pair on the button, he should call a three-bet more often than not.
On the ten-high clubs flop, “Berbatov147” should be betting this flop with almost his entire range. Low flushes can decide to check a bit more often as they’ll have to often deal with a fourth club on later streets and don’t want to have to guess for their entire stack. But a solver would bet 87 90% of the time.
“Freeway1988” had a real dilemma and according to the machine, a small bet is the best option here, although it’s roughly a coinflip of a decision. “Berbatov147” had an easy call.
On the blank turn, “Freeway1988” decided to bet about 40% pot. This is not a sizing recommended by solvers, unfortunately, as he should either get 75% of the pot or check. A big bet size gains value from hands that could decide to call and fold river, like those containing an A, overpairs, and top pairs.
The machine recommends a call from the flush on the turn. He took a different route. Perhaps it was an exploit because of a read on his opponent, but “Berbatov147” shoved and got his stack in in a good spot against a hand that’s always going to call.
