News / John Tabatabai / 09 March 2009 / 5

Over the past couple of weeks, instead of just playing online, I've been playing more live cash poker...and I'm glad I've done so!

...he threw his cards over the line into the muck and as the dealer was moving the chips into my direction and I started to collect them he said "oh, turn my cards over, I think I may have a flush"

As well as all the online offers, the amazing selection of games from various sites, a variety of limits and the ability of letting you pick and choose opponents to play with, there is, however, one main difference, namely - interaction with people.

It's the interaction that most of us internet players aren't too accustomed and it has created some very interesting and some funny spots over the last week which I would like to share with you guys and get your opinions on them.

Moral Dilemma

The first one happened a few days ago in the £3 - £3 game whilst I was waiting for a seat at a bigger game.

I had just sat down and was playing every hand to make up for the fact that you're not allowed to multitable live!

Anyway, this touristy looking guy limped UTG for £3, it folded to me in LP and I made it £15 with A-10dd, folded back to him and he went all in for £300.

I gave him the option to choose what I do, I said I would call or fold as he pleased as I was merely waiting for the bigger game and didn't want to bust him up. He insta-replied with "call". I didn't like this, assumed I must be down to 3 outs.

Anyway, by the river the board read K-Q-10-6-3 and when I showed my hand he said it was good, he threw his cards over the line into the muck and as the dealer was moving the chips into my direction and I started to collect them he said "oh, turn my cards over, I think I may have a flush".

The dealer turned his cards over which were in front of him and HAD NOT touched any other cards, he had J4hh and indeed did make a flush. Now the ruling is quite clear that I win the pot due to the fact that his hand is dead. I wasn't sure what to do in this spot and I thought the fairest thing to do was to give him his money back.

Everyone at the table said it was very generous of me and that hardly anyone else in the casino would do the same for me if the situation was reversed. My question is, is that true? Perhaps. Should the fact that others would do something different affect my moral decision? What would you guys have done there???

Q hi on a 6 hi flop

My favourite was from a 5-10nl he game where there was no max buyin.

I sat down with £2,500 and started opening plenty of pots, as it was early in the afternoon the other 8 seats seem to have been occupied by "z" catchers and I must have won 80% of the hands dealt over the next hour or so preflop.

During all this, there was an elderly gentlemen sat across from me, dressed well and sitting with approximately £5,000 and all he had done was limp fold everytime I raised which I thought was rather odd. Anyway, he limps UTG again and it's folded round to me in MP and I make it £75 with 7h8h, folded back to the gentlemen in question who makes the call.

The flop came 3h-5d-6h giving me an open ended straight draw plus a flush draw. NUUUTTTTSSSSSS!!! The UTG limper now bets out £150, I made it £450, he made it £1150, I rereraised to £2,000 total and he finally decided to go all in for my last £1300.

Now, at this point I was 99% sure he had either flopped a set or had an overpair as I was committed to the pot and was clearly not folding for £1300 more. The funny part of this hand is when the turn and river brick blank Ks and 10s and the guy goes you must win.

I replied "no, I'm sure you win", he then seemed a bit annoyed with me and said stop slow rolling as he showed me Q hi. To my amazement, he had QJdd, no flush draw no nothing! Turns out he was fed up of me bullying the table and decided that this was the time to punish me, and how right he was. I got OWNED by Q hi on a 6 hi flop.

" Lesson here I learnt is when playing Omaha live or any game live, for long durations, always double check your cards to make sure you have what you think you have."

What made the whole situation hilarious was the fact that there wasn't a pot over £200 for an hour and out of nowhere there was this comparatively huge pot, and it wasn't AA v KK it was Q hi v 8 hi lol.

Live PLO Hand

Another funny situation was when I was playing 5-10 PLO live waiting for a seat in the NL HE games. I had approx £1500 infront of me when this hand occurred, everyone had limped for £10 to see the flop of KQ6 rainbow.

I was LP and before I had acted the 3 people behind me had checked, so I took advantage of this sign of weakness and bet pot, to my surprise the whole table called. I believed I had K-6-xx, so I wasn't necessarily bluffing on the flop, but when everyone called I was obviously behind to KQxx, possibly 666.

Anyway, the turn was a blank rainbow 3 and once again it was checked to me so I decided to represent a set and take down the pot as I thought KQxx would fold, especially as it was live and most players are nits live. Surprisingly two people called me. I really couldn't see them flatting sets here so I just thought they must both have wraps, possibly with KQ or something like that.

When the river came another 3 I wasn't entirely confident on their possible holdings as I am new to Omaha but was pretty sure that they didn't have sets so couldn't have boated up. At this point I wasn't that confident with my hand either so I thought it was perfectly reasonable for me to go all in for my last £720 or so into £1800 as a bluff.

Again, much to my surprise they both called (not taking pot odds into consideration big mistake by me in this spot, if I had more money it would have been a much better play). When they both called I announced "nothing, you caught me" and then one of them said you have to show your hand. I was about to throw it away, but as I was instructed, I turned my hand over and of course I didn't even have a 6 in my hand, it was just the bare K, on the plus side I did have a 3 in there!!!

I didn't even realize I had made a full house. What a gift that was. I thought that was quite funny. As it turned out they called me with KQxx and K6xx. Lesson here I learnt is when playing Omaha live or any game live, for long durations, always double check your cards to make sure you have what you think you have. Otherwise it can be a very costly mistake.

And Finally

As I am writing this I just bust out of a $2,500,000 guaranteed tournament which I final tabled last year as chip leader then exploded to come a very disappointing 10th. Blinds are 100-200 and I picked up AK on the button, I had been playing pretty tight, I opened for 600 and the SB flat calls. The flop came an innocuous Js-2h-3h and weirdly the SB randomly bet all in for my remaining $3,400 tournament chips. It just didn't make sense to me and I thought I must be ahead, so I called and he turned over A-10o. The turn was Qh so I have a flush draw also but unfortunately the river was a black K. Well played small blind.

Be lucky J

kunku

Read More about John Tabatabai

Catch John on the Betfair Cash Tables...when he's not playing live:)

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(5)

1. amatay | 10 March 2009

   Fkin comeday.Keep posting John, funny blog m8

2. damjambo | 10 March 2009

   superb stories john. I must applaud your generosity in giving the first guy his money back. I wonder if you would have done the same in a high stakes game. Nevertheless its good karma for you.
   Keep blogging and gl on the tables.

3. BerZerK | 13 March 2009

   Premium stories Kunk :)

4. john tabatabai | 13 March 2009

   thanks guys, to be honest i thought about it a lot and have no idea what i would do if it was in a big pot, say £20,000. That is a lot of money and it is their own fault for making such a huge mistake. Tough to say what we would do unless we are in that situation at the time.

5. Barry | 16 March 2009

   Well played, John. Giving the money to the winning "mucked" cards was the morally right thing to do. 99% of players would have kept it and said, sorry, mate, you mucked. You have always been an honest, responsible and fair opponent, no need to angle anyone. Great indication of character. Love the blog. Peace out

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