Easy, peasy

Tulalip $1/$3

I had been at a super-nit table all night. Should have put in for a table change, but - eh, I didn't mind taking advantage of the nits at the table to take down a number of small pots. I was at about $400 (in for $320) when our table broke, and I shuffled over to another table with stacks between $300-$800, which is a nice amount of cash for a $1/$3 game, and very VERY loose action!


BB: LAGGY-donk, $300ish
UTG: loose, passive, $175ish (shortest stack at the table)
Hero: MP, $400

I decide to limp with 8c Tc. I'll raise with suited gappers and suited connectors maybe 40%, limp 40%, and chuck the rest (usually due to position, stack sizes, etc). 6 of us see a flop; $18 in the pot.


FLOP: 9c Qc Jc

OK, I just flopped the stone-cold nuts, no higher straight flush out there due to the Tc in my hand. I'm praying someone's got a hand of some sort.

Blinds check; UTG bets $20. Folds to me.


What to do here? I could just smooth call and hope to trap someone else in, but the same time I don't want another club to come off and kill any action. If UTG has a real hand, he may be willing to get more money in now; if he doesn't have a hand then this pot is likely not going to get any bigger.

I decide to take a chance here, following one of my mantras "If you want to play a big pot, you've got to build a big pot."


I raise to $60. Folds to the BB who calls. (SWEET!). UTG then goes all-in for another $100.

I pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming.

Now, the trick is to make sure BB comes along. I need to sell being on a draw, or a hand I'm not sure about. I take some time, ask how much it will cost, take a look over at the big blind, kind of smile and sigh (like "crap, what do I do here with you still to act), and say "I'll call."

As I slide the chips in, BB declares all-in, for about another $200!!!!!

Of course, I snap call, wait for the dealer to ask to turn the cards over, and then turn my cards over first saying "I've got the nuts."

BB had Kc 10h, for a flopped straight with king-high flush redraw, UTG had Ac xc for the ace-high flush.

Without doing much work, I rake in a pot close to $500.

Easy game ;)

Raising with the straight flush, I know, isn't always recommended. Slow playing is the "typical" course of action with this hand. In the moment, though, what I thought of was this: if someone's got a hand, they're coming with me no matter what; if no one has a hand I'll likely not be getting any more money anyway, so let's try to build the pot.