Here's a hand I played over the weekend against a friend of mine while we were at the same table at GamesGrid. I am doing this from memory - but hopefully it will make sense.

I have ATo on the button and open raise. The SB folds and my friend in the BB calls.

The flop is K94 with 2 diamonds (the ten in my hand is a diamond). He checks - I check.

The turn is the giving me a gutshot draw as well as a draw to the 3rd nut flush. He bets, and I have a decision to make. Clearly the pot is a little small (2.5BB plus his one). I don't know what he has, but I'm pretty sure that if I hit one of my straight or flush outs that it will be good. Since all of the high cards are the diamonds (the K, Q, 9), I am absolutely certain he doesn't have the flush, so to me it is a decision whether he has one pair or two. If I hit an ace on the river - will it be good?

I'm getting 3.5:1 on my call, and I've got 3 jacks and 9 diamonds to work for. With 12 outs and 46 unknown cards, I'm hitting my hand just better than 3:1 - so it is a clear call for me.

I call his bet and the river is a non-diamond jack - giving me the nut straight. He bets, I raise - he reraises, I re-reraise and he calls. He shows his KQ and says "nice suck out" into the chat. I know at this point that he missed the fact that I had a flush draw and is on tilt. I reply "ty" and go about my business.

About 5 hands later, he says into the chat "how can you make that call on the turn?" Someone else at the table says, "because he had the flush draw too..." The next hand my friend leaves. I was perfectly happy to leave him on tilt too...

Star,

I really don't like your check on the flop. I suppose it'd be different if you knew the BB to be a very tight defender, but I think you need to follow up with a bet in general. Granted, in this particular hand, it worked out better this way...but if a somewhat reasonable opponent were to defend with something like a mid/low pocket pair, a missed connector sorta hand, or Ax...it'd be a tough call for them.

I think your analysis of the turn is pretty much spot on...the odds are rather close, but the fact that you got paid off 4 BB clearly shows that the implied odds were there.

-TW

Well, it definitely helps to know your opponent and in his case, I have known him for most of my life and we've played well over 10k hands against each other...

The check on the flop was precisely because I had gotten caught in a couple of these kinds of situations already - raise preflop, follow it up on the flop and get check raised - now I either fold or call hoping to hit my hand. On the flop, there's no way I can call a check-raise and I've already been caught pushing 2-3 times. I couldn't know whether he was on a king or an ace-x hand - but at the same time, I'm fine with folding on the turn if I don't pick up my nice draw.

If he had checked to me on the turn - I definitely would've bet (and gotten check-raised there - but then I have plenty to call with...), but he is too aggressive for that. In fact, after I saw his hand, I'm amazed he checked on the flop...

/d

Is this the same friend that chased you down with A4o not too long ago?

yup...

just tell him you wanted to get some of the money he owed you back.