Brad Booth makes the most of this nothing hand against one of the best high-stakes, cash-game players in the world. Following along with what transpires, remember the big blind is $600 in order to keep things in perspective.
There are tight aggressive players and loose aggressives at this table and just one slip you could be down about the cost of a new home. David Williams makes a standard open raise 1800 but is reraised by Brad Booth to 5800. I can see David making this raise but what is Brad thinking with this move?His hole cards are actually 2, 4 suited but Booth must have saw pocket aces instead. Maybe he’s just looking to take the pot but for this small amount when they are sitting with 100’s of 1,000’s in cash behind it just doesn’t seem worth risking any for the return.There is also the other thought that he KNOWS his competition and can use the flop to his advantage.
He walks right into a monster though because Phil Ivey is sitting on KK or “Cowboys”.Naturallly, Ivey re-raises here forcing Williams out of the hand.
Brad Booth bravely asks Phil how much money he has left at the table, while realizing he himself is behind in the hand. Phil has a couple hundred grand so Brad CALLS phils preflop last re-raise for implied odds.There is some reasoning to Brad in hoping to hit this flop big and win a monster pot.
The flop shows 3 of diamonds, 7 of spades and 6 of diamonds not giving much to either player.In terms of hand strength Booth is nowhere at all. Phil is first to act and he bets out 23k.This is where Brad thinks to himself, “Do I want to go all the way with this play?”.Hitting the gutshot or some lucky 4th and 5th street cards he may very well land a monster pot, but that is a wild long shot.
Most people would fold here, instead he shoves in $300,000 to make the whole table start sweating! He knows that Phil cannot call him if he has a big pp like AA or KK because Phil can put him on a small pp that just hit a set for him or even a 45s which though a radical choice is quite conceivable with these players on this level. Phil made his move, put out the chips and got his answer.Just like in the old western days, Booth is saying you are going to have to kill me to win this pot.
Phil Ivey isn’t willing to risk that, but I have a feeling Gus Hansen just might have.
Brad gives us a perfect example of using position, stack size and opponent read coupled with selective aggression in poker to win a pot he would otherwise have lost. Now this isn’t a move you can make in low stakes games as you already know some of the junk your opponents are willing to call your all in reraise with. They can’t put you on a hand and most don’t care, they only care about the hand they hold.When the competition is this tough, but also – this thoughtful – this is how you might go about it!
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November 25, 2008
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