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 he Guardian G2 Poker Column |
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| Victoria Coren |
| Monday April 09, 2007 |
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A situation came up during the Cardiff GUKPT which reminded me - as if I had forgotten - that poker is a slippery game, in which any hand can be played a number of ways.
It was early in the tournament. Several players limped in, and I called on the button with  J7. The flop came K J4 - very good for my hand. Everybody checked, and I bet 400. My opponents all ed except for the last one: Mickey Wernick, otherwise known as "the Legend". (He was previously "the Worm". I think he likes his new nickname better.) |
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This man is one of the heroes of British poker, a great survivor of many years at the baize. When he raised my bet to 1,400, having previously checked, I should probably have ed. But, with a pair and flush draw, I called.
The turn was 9, making my flush, and the Legend bet 3,000 (from a stack of 10,000). He could be testing the water with a set of fours - in which case I should raise, but it would have to be all in. Or he could be holding a bigger flush than mine (A10 and Q10 would both be check-raising hands on that flop), in which case an all-in raise would be suicidal. He could have Q and an off-suit 10, giving him a straight (which I was beating) and a bigger flush draw. Feeling uncertain, I took the conservative option of folding. I showed my hand, unwisely, and my opponents insisted that I should have moved all in with the flush. Mickey itted (or claimed) they were right. I despised myself.
Five minutes later, a friend of mine was knocked out on a nearby table. Why? Because he turned a flush, and refused to believe that his opponent could be holding a bigger flush. He moved all in, and this ended his tournament.
The only rule is that there are no rules.
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