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3 letters to know: KYO
In poker, it is a truism that if you chase flush draws and straight draws in
no limit hold ‘em, you are going to lose a lot of chips. However, you can
also win some very big pots, especially if you’re up against an aggressive
opponent who you know will have to call you for his own peace of mind.
This kind of strategy is what paid off for Layne Flack in an early level at
the 2005 US Poker Championship in Atlantic City, where he drew a 9-10 suit
in late position, putting him behind the other players. Flack has
established a loose-aggressive reputation, so opponents are willing to
return all the action he give. He often bluffs, but sometimes that strategy
will pay off big.
“Anytime you make a straight with 10-J, it’s the nut straight,” Flack says,
commenting about the match.
The flop came up 6-7-Q rainbow. A couple early players checked, and a player
in the middle bet $100. Flack called with a gutshot, and needed an 8 to
complete his straight. Unfortunately, the turn was a blank, and Flack’s
opponent bet another $100, indicating that his hand was not very great as it
matched the earlier bet on the smaller pot. Flack raised $100 again to check
out the strength, and was called.
The river was an 8, and Flack had his straight. The time to bank on it was
now. His opponent checked, and Flack bet $2,000, which blew the other bets
out of the water and indicated a big fat bluff. His opponent called and then
mucked.
Flack says that the first key came in seeing that a calling machine was his
opponent. Because of this, Flack felt he could safely gamble low on a 9-0.
“KYO- know your opponent. I was playing against a guy who would pay me off.
That’s one of the reasons I played the hand.”
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