During the 2016 Super High Roller Bowl at ARIA in Las Vegas, 49 competitors entered the fray, each paying a hefty buy-in of $300,000 for a chance to win a staggering $5 million first prize and gain one of the most esteemed titles in poker. poker With the entire event being captured for global broadcasting on NBC Sports, 888poker decided it would be exciting to spotlight the most significant hands while providing analysis on them. straight from the pros.
In this particular hand, which took place in the second episode of the 2016 SHRB, David Peters managed to extract a bet from Brian Rast with just a king high. What strategies did he employ? Peters elaborates below.
The Setup
At the tournament's early stages, with blinds at 4,000/8,000/1,000, the action unfolded six-handed. Rast, holding 373,000 chips, opened the betting with a raise to 18,000 from his position. button He had a hand of K♥5♦. Peters, defending his big blind with a stack of 317,000, responded with 8♥4♠.
“I was getting a good price Peters noted, 'I was facing a very broad range from the button that could connect well, so I opted to defend my big blind.'
Stealing blinds This strategy is a staple in tournament play, particularly effective when you're in the button position as it often comes around that way. Since the button acts last, it inherently holds power in the game. However, players are typically aware that button raises could be attempts to steal, which means that they often don't give that position much credit. They may think you could be raising with any two cards.
As the flop revealed 3♠3♥8♣, Peters checked, securing top pair. Rast, who had achieved victory in the first Super High Roller Bowl the previous year, opted to check back.
Peters stated, 'With that flop, my plan is almost always to check. If he had bet, I would have simply called it.'
The Turn & River
When the 6♣ was revealed on the turn, Peters decided to lead out with a sizable bet of 27,000 while Rast called. As the river showed 8♠, Peters made a significant bet of 150,000 into a pot of 100,000, leaving him with 121,000 behind.
'On the river, I assess all the possible bluffs in my range, considering the multitude of combinations like 5-4, 7-5, 9-7, T-9, flush draws, and possibly other turn bluffs, which provides me with ample bluffing opportunities,' Peters shared. 'With that in mind, I aimed for a larger bet to extract maximum value, as this sizing also increases my fold equity when bluffing, maintaining a balanced approach.'
Peters's consideration was centered on the hypothetical hands his opponent might hold, rather than solely his own cards. Instead of making a smaller bet in hopes that Rast would call with a weak hand, Peters envisioned himself in Rast's position. He recognized that if Rast had an ace or king, he could easily perceive Peters's hand as strong. full house Equipped with this reasoning, the challenge became determining the optimal bet size. busted draw and pay him off.
Rast deliberated thoroughly before calling with his king high on a board showing a pair twice.
'Rast's call on the river is understandable,' explained Peters. 'King high stands quite well against any pair in this situation since he likely considered that I wouldn’t play any ace high similarly or anything worse than a substantial pair for value,' Peters commented regarding Rast’s decision to call. 'Given that I only defended pre-flop, he might assume I either hold a hand that has no showdown value, making his king high formidable. I can imagine he wasn’t thrilled to have a five in his hand as it blocks many of my potential bluffs, yet it remains a difficult situation with so many likely missed draws.'
Unfortunately, this hand didn’t impact the overall tournament results significantly, as both players ended up not making any cash. However, Peters's gameplay exemplifies the strategies employed by top professionals. If there's one player worthy of learning from, it's Peters, who amassed $7,271,415 in 2016 and earned the title of 2016 Player of the Year by the Global Poker Index. boat or a missed straight or flush draw Be sure to return regularly as we will continue to present more captivating hands from the 2016 SHRB “Straight from the Pros.”
Chad Holloway is recognized for winning a WSOP bracelet in 2013 and has previously served as a managing editor and live reporter for PokerNews.
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