If you’ve been following the world of high stakes poker streams lately, you’ve probably seen the man they call Peter a lot!
Seemingly always up for a game and showing no fear when he gets involved in a pot, Peter has become someone fans are looking forward to, as his presence at the table guarantees loads of action and at least a few pots.
Throwing caution to the wind, he’s never afraid to put his chips to work and risk it all, and the hand we’ll look at today is just one of many examples of this.
It happened recently during one of Hustler Casino Live streams, and although the stakes are $50/$100 with a $100 big blind ante, everyone’s super deep, and the effective stack in this hand is $109,500.
Preflop Action
The hand begins with six players and Steve limping under the gun with 7♦. Mike X is the next to act and he makes it $300 to go with K♦2♦.
Peter makes the call in the cutoff with 8♥, while the button and the small blind fold. Wesley makes the call in the big blind with K♠3♥, as does Steve, closing the action.
So, they go to the flop four-handed with just $1,350 in the middle.
Preflop Play Analysis
Steve’s hand is on the edge of playability, being the first player in, but his decision to limp with it is a strange one. Opening to $300 is the right way to go if he wants to play it.
Mike X doesn’t have to get involved with a small suited king, but trying to isolate the limper and play in position often makes sense, especially when playing deep. That said, he should probably make it $400 or $500 to discourage players behind from calling.
Peter has position on both, a very playable hand., and the largest stack, so it is natural that he wants to get involved. There is even a case to be made for 3-betting, but with his image, Peter probably wouldn’t get too much respect, so calling to try and see the flop makes a lot of sense.
Wesley in the big blind is just getting great direct pot odds, although he should probably just fold in this spot. K-3 off is such a difficult hand to navigate in multi-way pots even if he gets to see the flop, and Steve could still raise and deny him the opportunity.
When the action gets back to Steve, he is calling, at the very least. He could even go for a big raise to represent a huge hand that he limped in with and is now springing the trap. The only player he has to worry about is Mike X, as the other two would have raised themselves if they held premiums.
Steve opts for the approach with less variance and just calls, and while his UTG limp was somewhat questionable, calling is perfectly fine in this spot.
Flop Action
The flop comes J♥6♦4♥, giving Peter a combo draw and Steve an open-ender. Wesley checks from the big blind, and Steve follows suit.
Mike X decides to fire a continuation bet into three people, making it $1,200. Peter responds with a big raise to $5,200. Steve takes a few moments before making the call, and Mike X finally gives up.
The action proceeds to the turn with just two players and $12,950 in the middle.
Flop Play Analysis
Although Mike X is the preflop aggressor, facing three other players and not connecting with the flop in any way, this is a good time to just give up. If it checks around, he may get to see the turn and pick up some equity, but otherwise, this is not a good spot to barrel with air.
Peter has a monster draw, but his hand has no showdown value at this time. So, if he can raise and pick up the pot right now, that’s a great result. If not, he can still catch one of his many outs on turn or river, so raising here is the right play.
Steve is in a tough spot here. He has an open-ended straight draw and a backdoor flush draw. However, his heart outs might not be clean and could get him in trouble. Facing a bet and a raise, the best move here is to fold. However, he makes the call, hoping for a good turn card.
Mike X obviously has nothing to stick around with, so he gets out of the way.
Turn Action
The flop brings one of the perfect cards for Steve as it comes 3♠ to complete his straight. He goes for a very strange move and donk-bets $100 into the pot of almost $13k.
Peter raises to $25,000 and Steve wastes no time moving all-in for $104k. Peter quickly calls, and all of a sudden, they are playing $221,225!
The river bricks off in the 9♣, and Steve rakes in a massive pot.
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Turn Play Analysis
The action on the turn quickly gets out of hand. Steve’s donk bet is strange, but with him betting just $100, it’s just a check. So, Peter has to decide what he wants to do.
His hand still has no showdown value, and Steve’s hand certainly looks like a draw of some type. If the 3♠ did not help him, putting a lot of pressure should win the pot for Peter.
But the question is, if the same result could be accomplished with a smaller bet instead of making it two times the pot. Something like $8,000 – $9,000 is a sizeable bet, but it still allows for some play.
After Peter bets $25,000, he is making it much easier for Steve to simply jam, which he could do with a strong hand and maybe some strong combo draws, which likely have Peter’s hand in bad shape.
Of course, after taking such an aggressive route, it is clear that Peter is never folding, so Steve’s read was spot on here. His turn call was rather optimistic, to say the least, but this time around, it really paid off.
