Friday, December 26, 2014

What Could They Have Had?

Sorry folks, no time for a full-size Rob-style post that you are all craving, I just have time for a quickie.

This was from last nite's session, Christmas night.  The story of this night's session will be an epic post (or two, or three) that I will get to eventually, possibly mid-2017 at the rate I am racking up stories for you. And it has a happy ending (the family friendly kind).

But for now, there were more Asians (Crazians?) than usual at my table, something not unusual for Christmas time.  There were at least five, and this involves three of them.  The table hadn't been especially wild to this point, a little more aggro than average but nothing that was unreasonable.

On this hand, a non-Asian guy wearing his baseball cap backwards raised to $8 in early position.  The guy next to him, Asian, made it $55.  That was unusual.  We hadn't seen a raise or a three-bet that size--or anywhere close to that--at this table.  The only exception would be the random short-stack shoving pre-flop with maybe a little more than that.

It folded to another Asian guy, who called.  The Asian guy behind him called as well.  The original raiser said, "I gotta get out of this," and folded.  It was three way action, all of them with two cards worth $55.  They all had decent stacks, at least $160-$300.

The flop was Ace-high, two lowish cards.  Rainbow.  

It checked around.

The turn was a Queen, putting all four suits on the board.

Again, it checked around.

The river was another Queen.

Again, it checked around.

What?

How could that board have not hit at least one person who was willing to put $55 into a pot in a Vegas 1/2 game?  You would thank that board hit--and hit hard--about 100% of the hands that would pay $55 preflop.

The dealer asked the players to show their hands.

The guy who initially bet the $55 flipped over his hand--it was the dreaded pocket Kings.

He did so reluctantly, sure that he had lost.

The other two players in the hand studied the board, looked at the guy's two Kings, and--one by one--mucked.  Silently.  Without so much as a grunt or a sigh.

The guy took in his $160 pot in disbelief.  How could his Kings be good on that board?

By the way, backwards baseball cap guy (the original raiser) said he had Ace-8, and thus, he threw away the winning hand.

The two losers continued to say nothing.  The rest of us were as stunned as the winner.  Indeed, how could a board like that not have hit two people who called $55 preflop?

What were they calling such a big preflop bet with?

Jacks?  Tens?

I don't know the answer, but I'd love to know.  Any guesses out there?


11 comments:

  1. KJ sooooooooted and 99. Actually, that's probably optimistic for Asians....lol

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  2. Yeah, you could be on to something there.

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  3. "guy wearing his baseball cap backwards raised to $8 in early position"

    Gotta look out for guys who wear their ballcap backwards.

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  4. Once played in a 1/2 game @ Harrahs New Orleans, with 3 Asians that were clearly playing as a team, took me about 2 rounds to realize what they were up to, so i moved tables. Be wary, especially if they are separated by a couple of seats, and continually jacking the pot.

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    1. that isnt really what people do who sit with friends at tables and collude. they dont raise or bet at all. (if they are, theyre not cheating theyre just inducing action and gambling.)

      collusion is when a man and wife or GF or buddy sit and check it down with each other or verbally ask to check it down

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    2. Anony, this was the only time anything like this happened. I don't think it was collusion at all. If it was, the guy winning his KK should be an actor and he'd surely win an Academy Award someday. But as I said, this was the only time I saw anything like this--one of the reasons it really made an impression on me.

      Tony, I think there could be the kind of collusion that Anony suggested, but your point is valid too about the other form of collusion.

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  5. Replies
    1. Wow, this must have been really well - written.

      Oh wait, you were probably referring to the pic. :)

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  6. Replies
    1. Really? Well anything is possible, thanks Dkh.

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