The Net’s Most Wanteds

Playing poker online with tournament that recently appeared on U.S. television, had gotten down to four players at the final table at the casino. Three of the remaining contestants were professional poker players, and one was an amateur. The professionals had a more refined, strategic style of playing, while the amateur made some poor, but lucky, decisions.

Because the amateur was less experienced, he made a move that skewered the final outcome of the game. He was dealt a medium pocket pair, while one of the two pros held pocket Queens and the other a suited Ace. The pro with Queens went all-in with the short stack. The pro holding the Ace called. The amateur with the medium pair, whose stack was larger than the Queen pair, but smaller than the Ace holder’s, raised the bet a small amount.

The pro with the Ace thought about whether to call, and deliberated for a bit before calling. Naturally, the pro with the Queens was frustrated because he had hoped his initial all-in would narrow the field. The flop brought rags, and the amateur shoved all-in, with a board giving him a gut-shot straight draw. The other pro called, and the turn brought an Ace. The river helped no one.

The pro holding Queens was furious, and berated the amateur for his play. His point is well taken – had the amateur gone all-in on his first bet, the Ace would most likely have folded and let the other two opponents battle it out, and the Queens would have won. The amateur let the Ace get into the pot cheaply, and as a result, the pro with Queens was knocked out. The amateur would have lost anyway, but his decision ended the online poker tournament for the pro holding Queens.