Cash Game Question: Call or Go All In With Big Draw vs. Bet and Raise?
DECISION POINT: In a $2/$5 no-limit hold'em cash game, the player sitting UTG+2 raises and it folds to the cutoff who calls. The button and small blind fold, and you call from the big blind with A♥2♥. The flop comes 10♣5♥3♥. You check. The preflop raiser bets then the cutoff raises. Action is on you...
PRO ANSWER: In this hand there was a bet and a raise to us after checking the flop. We are holding the nut flush draw with a gutshot straight draw and an overcard to the board. We have 9 outs to a flush, 3 additional outs to a straight, and sometimes any ace will be an out as well. Overall, this gives us 12+ outs on the flop.
We are not getting the correct pot odds to call, since there is approximately $220 in the pot and it costs us $120 to call. In addition, we are not closing the action if we call $120. The initial bettor may reraise us. Our draw is not very disguised if we call, so we shouldn't assume we have implied odds to win additional chips on future streets. Calling is not the best play.
However, one of the benefits of having big draws is that they have decent equity against most opponent hand ranges and, if you combine this with fold equity, you often have a profitable situation.
In this case, we can reraise all in, putting tremendous pressure on the initial bettor and raiser. We can win this pot on the flop, uncontested, some of the time. The times we don't win it uncontested, we will often have around 45 percent equity against our opponent's range. Overall, we can win this pot the majority of the time when we move all in.
In order to play big draws the most profitably, you must be willing to play them aggressively in situations where you can create some fold equity.
Moving all in is the best play.
LearnWPT is a poker training site dedicated to transforming the poker games of rank beginners, skilled amateurs, and aspiring professionals. Offering both Live Workshops and Online Training, is a one-stop shop for poker education, designed to provide all the tools a player needs to become a winner. Visit LearnWPT.com today and get 2 Free Strategy Episodes that will immediately impact how you play. LearnWPT.com - Think Like a Pro!
