Usually in our video of the week we present you with particularly spectacular bluffs, calls or even folds. Sometimes, though, we find hands that go against all odds.
This week we’re showcasing a hand that would otherwise probably go unnoticed -- even thought it was played by one of the best players in the world and shows his outstanding skills.
Playing top pair, Colman finds a check on the river that very few players would be able to make.
We’re guests at the finale of the PartyPoker Premier League VII where 12 players have paid $125,000 each to play for $1.5 million.
Obviously, the field is studded with top players. The final five contenders are Scott Seiver, Jason Koon, Jeff Gross, Dan Colman and eventual winner Sorel Mizzi. The winner picks up $466,000.
in this hand the stacks are rather short but the hands are pretty strong so there's action when Koon and Colman clash in the blinds.
Colman Plays the Value Line
Pre-flop, Colman shows he’s not going to turn his hand into a bluff. The majority of players would re-raise to Koon’s open and go for an all-in against the small stack.
But a player like Colman isn’t afraid to play a flop. He wants to play his good hand in position against the full range of Koon’s possible hands instead of making all of Koon’s bad hands fold.
Of course he’s unaware that Koon is playing the third-best starting hand in poker -- and that he wouldn’t mind a re-raise at all.
Two Players on Same Level
Koon goes for a regular continuation bet on the flop but then slows down when the turn is a second six. This check is both trying to induce a bluff and to control the pot.
Colman, however, sees no reason not to bet. He has top pair and can make hands like tens or nines pay.
So far, so good. But when Koon calls the turn and checks the rather insignificant ten on the river, Colman somehow doesn’t bet when 99% of all players in the world would have.
The reason here is the number of good and bad hands that can still call another bet. The ten on the river has changed these numbers and Colman instantly realizes it.
Hands like 9-9, 8-8, or 7-7 are now looking at two overcards while J-T, T-T, or K-J have just gone ahead. The range of hands that are worse than Colman’s and still call a river bet has diminished greatly and now basically consists of Q-J, Q-9 and J-8.
Simple, isn’t it?
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