Sometimes you feel weird laying down a monster hand, especially when your stack is on the shorter side. But sometimes you just feel something is... well, wrong. And this was one of those times.

Situation:

I had 21k coming into the hand. It was near the end of level 5, the final level of the day (each level is 2 hours). Blinds were 200-400 with a 50 ante. I had 44 in middle position. I opened to 1000.

Juan Maceiras, a very aggressive Spanish pro who is on Team Pokerstars, flatted me. He was to my direct left. He had toned down his aggression some after chunking off a lot of chips -- 120k to about 35k -- in approximately 3 1/2 hours.

A woman to Maceiras' direct left, who was pretty much his polar opposite (super tight and super straightfoward -- basically the stereotypical middle-aged white woman in the WSOP) also flatted.

One of the blinds also called.

There was something like 4650-4850 in the pot, and I now had 20k behind. Given the number of players seeing the flop, I planned to check/fold if the flop came with anything high or coordinated, except perhaps a ragged ace board.

However, the flop came 7c-6s-2d. I thought there was a fair chance I had the best hand.

Blind checked, I bet 3k.

Maceiras called.

The woman thought for a short time and called.

Blind folded.

My decision at this point: Check-fold turn unless I improve.

Pot size: A little less than 14k.

Turn: 4c



I was ahead of every hand except 66, 77, 35, or 85. There was no flush possible.

I planned to let Maceiras hang himself by check-raising all in for my final 17k. (He was very likely to bet if I checked to him, no matter what he had.)

I checked. Right on cue, Maceiras threw in 5000.

The woman then nervously said "raise to 8000", which was lol for a few reasons. First, she only had 10500 total, so only someone braindead wouldn't realize she was going all in. Second, the required min-raise was to 10k, not 8k.

The dealer informed her that she had to put in 10k instead of 8k, which she did, leaving herself 500 behind.

Right when she did this, Maceiras let out a frustrated sigh.

Back to me.

I thought about these scenarios if I shoved:

Maceiras folds, but I lose to woman: 6500 left for me.

Maceiras calls, I beat him, but lose to woman: 13k left for me.

Maceiras calls, I lose to him: I bust.

Maceiras folds, I beat the woman: I have 36.5k

Maceiras calls, I beat them both: I have 53.5k

Given Maceiras' loose nature, it was very tempting to shove, hope he called, and rake in the nice 53.5k as the day came near a close.

But....

Something just felt wrong.

Why did Maceiras make that frustrated sigh?

Why was he still betting into the woman on the turn, who didn't seem like she was going anywhere after calling the flop?

Why was the woman waiting until the turn to get her chips in, and why did she want to raise so little (even less than a min-raise)? Was she that hopeful to get callers?

I thought for awhile and couldn't decide. I mean, I had a freaking set. I only had 17k behind and the pot was already bigger than that. The average stack was probably in the mid-40s at this point, so how could I even THINK of laying down a set there? I had a good chance of getting up to 53.5k and having some chips to play with on Day 2.

But something just didn't seem right. I considered the possibility that the woman slowplayed a big pair. But what about Maceiras? Was I really ahead of both of them? What was my gut feeling?

My gut feeling was that I was going to either be busted or crippled if I called.

Maceiras then called the clock on me. That was pretty much the clincher. Now I suspected even further that he was trying to pull something, and even if he wasn't, I still had the realistic possibility I was behind the woman with 66 or 77 anyway.

As much as it pained me to do, I tossed my 44 in the muck just as the floorman counted down the final 5 seconds left to act.

Maceiras then instantly said, "I'm all in".

He flipped over 3c5c for the straight + backdoor flush draw. The woman tabled JJ. She was drawing dead.

River was Tc, giving Maceiras the flush he didn't need.

I would have been busted by Maceiras if I called. Instead, I had 17k to play with.

I finished the day with 19775.

I will need to double up on Day 2 to remain competitive, but it's 19775 more chips than I would have had if I had done what initially seemed obvious. I don't know what will happen in this Main Event -- and I'll need a lot of luck to cash at this point -- but if I do, I will always remember laying down a set of 4s with a short stack.

I should throw in that I knew the woman could not have a 2-pair like 76, because she was very tight and would never flat with that, even if suited.

66 and 77 were in her flatting range, as was a high pair that she was trying to slowplay. She also wasn't likely to be flatting 22. That also influenced my decision.

Between her and Maceiras, I just felt one of them had me.

Very impressive lay down.

I thought the woman was going to show 66 or 77. It's amazing that people who play such bad poker would throw away $10k.

Wow. Hell of a turn, outstanding lay down. Good luck on day 2.

so if the guy had not sighed, would you still laid it down?

That's actually a good question.

I don't know. Probably, but it was one of many factors I considered when deciding to lay it down.

The final thought in my head was, "Between this woman's weird super-slowplay and Maceiras' strange behavior (sighing, calling the clock, betting into the woman who definitely had a hand), I felt at least one of them had me.

It was just one of those spots where my head said, "There's no way you can fold there" but my gut feeling was that I was fucked, so I laid it down.

Awesome read of the situation. Often, sets that happen on coordinated boards like this on the turn or river, can often be "sucker cards" that let you focus more on YOUR hand than the entire picture.

It's ironic that the tight lady who minbet c/r was the one who didn't have the nuts; but yet again, it's Juan, not her, who has the 85/53 in his range.

we need an :excellentlaydown

idiot Euro luckbox

fucking spaniards

her play was actually quite odd. was she smooth calling to see what you'd do on the turn with her JJ (and fold if you threw out a double barrel)? what is funny is she'll talk about how bad her luck is, and how 35s beat her JJ when he called with a gut shot. she won't tell you exactly how the fuck it happened, only how bad her luck is.

Nice read I have always found hands like 22 - 88 to be more like ride along hands unless you hit a set or strait draw, still its tuff to muck when the pot is big and we are short stacked there. but facing a rase and then a rerase. defiantly the right thing to do.for sure there is always a monster hand coming around the corner!!!
good luck druff go deep!

If this woman shoves her stack in post flop she gets fold fold i bet. course this might not be the best play if you are very deeply stacked but defiantly solid short stack or caped play
I would give Maceiras credit for a big hand considering if he knows Druff and 3 players in the hand he did a real hero call on the flop though. defiantly needed a specific card for his play to work unless he was planning to bluff big. Druff did you tell him your hand might have tilted him

Is this what started the heated argument?

nice lay down obv. When reading ur description of the hand, I felt the woman was overplaying a hand like 10-10 and most likely I would have jammed my stack all-in. I thought Maceiras had shit. Again, nice lay down.

I think this is a feeling only long time live players get, I had this 2 weeks ago at the Isle playing 5/10 nl were guy in mp raised to 40.00 3 callers to me i look down at kk in bb i make it 140.00 (i have 800 behind) the guy who made it 40 snap makes it 500, folds to me, I tank fold, he shows AA, Now at the time i had played with these players almost daily, This guy was a loose player who is retired with 100 mil (so thats what i hear anyway) but I have a tight image in the game, so when he snap makes it 500 I start to feel sick, any time i have had this feeling it has been right,although the feeling don't come around that often , Nice laydown .B.T.W Druff

Is an amazing fold, and certainly one I do not have in me. Having a undercard (the deuce) on the flop out there would make me call, knowing that is possible that one of them was slowplaying a set of deuces. Only 2 possible higher sets instead of 3 would probably be enough for me.

Also, with the turn being a club, it opens up the possibility that one of the players has a hand like A6c or A2c, and is just jamming.

Although a straight is never in her range, it certainly is in his, and knowing that if worst case he has a straight, I still have 10 outs I am going to put my money in everytime at that stage of the tourney.

In any event, once in a lifetime (based on the significance of this tourney) read, and well done.

Keep playing well and try to stop making monster second best hands.....

Great lay down!

I have a new rule I implimented on myself about 1 year ago. Anytime I am going to go all in or call a LARGE bet unless I have the nuts I take a a few moments and re asses the sistuation as you did. Go threw the hand rigth from the beginning. Too many times I just snap call or snap all in with a strong hand and lose to a monster better hand.

This has greatly improved my tournament results.

Terrible laydown!!! No im joking, just being a contrarian.

It's impressive given how obviously spazzy Maceiras was/is. Good luck on day 2!! Stay alive!!

Also - since this is "ask druff", what percentage of the field or your table(s) is dead money like the lady you describe? Any other lolwtf moments from doofus amateurs that you saw or heard about?

Wow ...great read....not sure i could've layed that down, but i'm not a pro. GL the rest of the way Todd.

This is a pretty easy fold. You still have 42 bbs, and when he sighs knowing he has to call and your yet to act your never ahead. People put to much stock in what the average stack is. I'm concerned with how many bbs I have. Yes I know with antes you can go by m or csi or whatever but I always go by bbs just easier to me. I do keep track of the % the ante/sb ratio is though.