The Poker Quiz

You’ve been sitting at an extremely lucrative $1/$2 table for a few hours. After buying in for the maximum ($300), you have built your stack to $850. Two players limp and a new player at the table raises to $11. You call in the big blind with J 10 as does a middle position player.

The flop comes 9 8 4.

Action is checked to the raiser who leads out for 2/3 of the pot. You decide to check-raise your strong draw to $60. The middle position player folds and your opponent moves all-in for $130 more. As you contemplate your decision, he flashes you the 9.

The Solution

It depends…what do you think his other card is???

With about $155 in the pot and a re-raise of $130 which hand you put him on is the key factor to determine your action. Since you already know half his hand you have to figure out what his other card is. Here are the most likely hands he holds with the odds of you drawing out.

A,9 or K,9 – 52%
10,9 – 42%
9,9 – 26%
9,8 – 33%

After raising in late position and flashing a 9, I would be putting my opponent on A,9. If he had a dominating hand like a set of 9s or 9-7 it would be very strange to show the 9. I would call. However if do put him on one of the stronger hands you are not getting great odds on your money.

In close hands like this, go with your reads, and factor in all available information before you make a decision.