Poker After Dark with The Girls
One of my favorite poker shows on television is Poker After Dark. I remember a great PAD match that featured well-known Danish poker pro Gus Hansen and The Girls - that is, Clonie Gowen, Erica Schoenberg, Vanessa Rousso, J.J. Liu and Beth Shak.
With the blinds at $100/$200, Beth Shak opened for $600 under the gun with A-J offsuit. Erica Schoenberg called from second position with 9c-8c and everyone else folded.
The flop came Q-Q-8 and Shak bet out $1,200. Schoenberg called immediately.
A five hit on the turn and Shak fired out a $2,500 bet. This time, Schoenberg took some time before eventually making the call.
The river card was a nine. Shak quickly shoved $5,000 into the middle. Schoenberg assessed the situation, let out a sigh, and finally folded her hand.
Let's break down this hand.
Shak's first-position opening bet of $600 was the standard play.
Schoenberg's second-position call with 9c-8c wasn't necessarily a bad play but I would have folded in this situation. Why? Well, first off, she was in bad position. If any of the four remaining players had reraised before the flop, she would have been forced to fold her hand. Also, deciding to play a hand like 9-8 puts pressure on your reading ability. If the flop comes 10-8-2 or Q-Q-8, you have to decide whether your hand is winnable or not.
I like Shak's $1,200 bet on the flop. It was aggressive and gave her a chance to win the pot right there if Schoenberg calls with a hand like A-10 or K-J. And it gives her a chance to win the pot with the worst hand, too, if Schoenberg is playing a small pocket pair.
Schoenberg's $1,200 call was the natural play.
On the turn, Shak really stepped up her playing aggression. Beth's $2,500 bet was a pure bluff! She probably sensed that Schoenberg had the best hand at the time but also must have realized that Schoenberg wasn't that strong, either. All in all, that was a good situation to attempt a bluff.
And though I do like Shak's bet, I probably would have just given up and checked. But Shak's bet gets the nod because it enabled her to fire the $5,000 third bullet bluff bet on the river.
Schoenberg's $2,500 call on the turn was standard.
Now, Shak's $5,000 bet on the river was a great play albeit a bit too risky for my taste. It's just so rare to see a player with the courage to bluff three times in one hand.
Beth Shak has guts!
I don't mind Schoenberg's fold on the river. She either thought that Shak indeed had bluffed three times, or had a pocket pair higher than eights, or that the nine on the river had improved her hand, or she had three queens.
Over the years, much has been written about the ability to fire the mythical third bullet on a bluff. That, in fact, is one of the traits that separated the late, great poker pro Stu Ungar from the rest of us mere mortals.
Most sane poker pros (me included) are simply too timid to fire the third bullet. It's tough to do when you just know you're going to get called. So why risk your chips in a hopeless situation?
Look, this hand wasn't played during the WSOP Main Event but you still have to give Beth Shak credit for playing so courageously on Poker After Dark.
Firing out three bullets on a bluff -- wow!
-Phil Hellmuth
With the blinds at $100/$200, Beth Shak opened for $600 under the gun with A-J offsuit. Erica Schoenberg called from second position with 9c-8c and everyone else folded.
The flop came Q-Q-8 and Shak bet out $1,200. Schoenberg called immediately.
A five hit on the turn and Shak fired out a $2,500 bet. This time, Schoenberg took some time before eventually making the call.
The river card was a nine. Shak quickly shoved $5,000 into the middle. Schoenberg assessed the situation, let out a sigh, and finally folded her hand.
Let's break down this hand.
Shak's first-position opening bet of $600 was the standard play.
Schoenberg's second-position call with 9c-8c wasn't necessarily a bad play but I would have folded in this situation. Why? Well, first off, she was in bad position. If any of the four remaining players had reraised before the flop, she would have been forced to fold her hand. Also, deciding to play a hand like 9-8 puts pressure on your reading ability. If the flop comes 10-8-2 or Q-Q-8, you have to decide whether your hand is winnable or not.
I like Shak's $1,200 bet on the flop. It was aggressive and gave her a chance to win the pot right there if Schoenberg calls with a hand like A-10 or K-J. And it gives her a chance to win the pot with the worst hand, too, if Schoenberg is playing a small pocket pair.
Schoenberg's $1,200 call was the natural play.
On the turn, Shak really stepped up her playing aggression. Beth's $2,500 bet was a pure bluff! She probably sensed that Schoenberg had the best hand at the time but also must have realized that Schoenberg wasn't that strong, either. All in all, that was a good situation to attempt a bluff.
And though I do like Shak's bet, I probably would have just given up and checked. But Shak's bet gets the nod because it enabled her to fire the $5,000 third bullet bluff bet on the river.
Schoenberg's $2,500 call on the turn was standard.
Now, Shak's $5,000 bet on the river was a great play albeit a bit too risky for my taste. It's just so rare to see a player with the courage to bluff three times in one hand.
Beth Shak has guts!
I don't mind Schoenberg's fold on the river. She either thought that Shak indeed had bluffed three times, or had a pocket pair higher than eights, or that the nine on the river had improved her hand, or she had three queens.
Over the years, much has been written about the ability to fire the mythical third bullet on a bluff. That, in fact, is one of the traits that separated the late, great poker pro Stu Ungar from the rest of us mere mortals.
Most sane poker pros (me included) are simply too timid to fire the third bullet. It's tough to do when you just know you're going to get called. So why risk your chips in a hopeless situation?
Look, this hand wasn't played during the WSOP Main Event but you still have to give Beth Shak credit for playing so courageously on Poker After Dark.
Firing out three bullets on a bluff -- wow!
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