Jonathan Little Flops Trips, But the Board Runs Out Poorly
This hand comes from a $5,000 Main Event I played recently. It's early in the tournament, with the blinds 100/200 with a 25 ante.
A tight-aggressive player opened from under the gun to 550, a 50-year-old guy in middle position called, then it folded to me in the cutoff where I had A?Q? and called. The big blind called as well, so there were four of us in the hand when the flop came Q?Q?J?, giving me trip queens.
It folded around to me, and in the video below I talk about what each of the players checking before me probably says about their hands. With just over 2,500 in the pot, I bet 1,500, and only the 50-year-old guy in middle position called. Again, I talk about what his call might mean and how it narrows his range.
The turn was the K?, and after my opponent checked I bet 2,200 (about 40 percent of the pot) and he called, making the pot almost 10,000. The river then brought the 9?, making for a poorly-run out board for me. See what happened and hear how I discuss both my play and that of my opponent:
It is important to understand that you will not always win with your normally-premium hands. When that happens, remain calm and continue playing your best poker. Do not let the common short-term fluctuations of the game bother you.
Jonathan Little is a professional poker player and author with over $6,300,000 in live tournament earnings. He writes a weekly educational blog and hosts a podcast at JonathanLittlePoker.com. You can follow him on Twitter @JonathanLittle.
