November 1, 2005
If he's really sharp he'll even go one step further, and think about what you think his Pokerstars hand might be. That's three levels of thought, which is pretty deep, mind you. And you can go deeper too. There's really no end to the possibilities, but beyond three levels it's a game of wheels within wheels, and while it's an interesting logic exercise to try and decide what your opponent thinks you believe he might be thinking about what you are pondering about what he reckons you might have --you won't find players who do this regularly.
This is not easy. You'll find plenty of people you can talk to in any cardroom, but damned few you can absolutely trust to speak openly, honestly, and truthfully with you. When you find someone like that, build and keep the friendship so you have a safe harbor where you can discuss your play and problems. You will each improve as a result of reinforcing one another.
If the second Pokerstars player does hold a four, he'll just call if you reraise, planning to checkraise the turn - when betting limits double. But if you three-bet him on the flop and he checks the turn, you have some options at your disposal. You can bet if you believe neither of them has a four or an overpair bigger than your pair of Nines, or you can check behind them and save a bet if, in fact, you're beaten.
- But maybe there's more to his apparent whimsical decision-making than meets the eye. After all, the mix of players at the table might have changed. And even if the names and faces remain the same, poker is always in flux. There's a lot going on at the table that we can never see, even if we had access to the cards being played - and most of the time that's a mystery to us too. This is poker's "it depends" quotient - the seven-eights of the Pokerstars game that is difficult to discern from watching, simply because much of it is obscured from our view.
- If you're playing Pokerstars 7-card stud, you might have four unsuited, unrelated cards exposed on your board, and have a full house or even four of a kind. A hidden hand begets much higher implied odds than a hand that shouts out its strength for the entire world to see. Suppose four jacks are exposed in your 7-card stud hand. Your implied odds are pretty much zilch, zero, nada, nil, and nothing at that point.
- If you hold A-K, and the flop is comprised of three rags, what should you do? The answer depends, at least in part, on the number of opponents you are facing. If the flop didn't hit your hand, but there are seven other active players, you can be certain that the flop was kind to someone. If there's a bet and a call, consider this: To win, an ace or king needs to fall on the turn or the river, and it cannot give your opponents two pair.
- And these were bets, mind you, that carried no risk whatsoever. She had the best Pokerstars hand all the way, and any bet she made was a freeroll. She could either win or be tied; she could not lose. So what are the lessons to be learned if you find yourself in a game like this? First, when you have opponents that will call with almost anything, there are no safe cards. Any card that does not directly help you stands a good chance of aiding one of your opponents.
- When you find someone like that, build and keep the friendship so you have a safe harbor where you can discuss your Pokerstars play and problems. You will each improve as a result of reinforcing one another. But you have to be willing to give more than you get in any relationship, and cardroom relationships are no exceptions. Ask the right questions.
