Shannon Shorr Describes a Good Spot Versus the Right Opponent
Overplaying top pair can be tempting sometimes, but against a savvy opponent who has read you as someone who might do so, making such a play can be especially dangerous.
A hand played during last week's European Poker Tour Barcelona Main Event well illustrated that point, one involving Shannon Shorr who ultimately went on to finish 15th in the 1,988-entry event.
The hand took place late on Day 3 during Level 20. They were well into the money with the field having been whittled down to 85 players.
Shorr spoke with PokerNews about the hand. Take a look:
To fill in details from PokerNews' live reporting, the blinds were 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 big blind ante when Shorr's opponent raised to 28,000 from the hijack and was called by both the button and Shorr in the big blind with 9♣7♣.
After the J♥9♥9♦ flop ("a pretty wet board," Shorr notes), Shorr checked and his opponent bet 45,000. Shorr then check-raised to 165,000 and the hijack called.
After the 4♣ turn Shorr then bet big — 295,000 into what would have been about a 430,000-chip pot — and when his opponent jammed all in with the 865,000 he had behind, Shorr made what he describes as a straightforward decision.
"Versus this particular opponent I think I had an easy call, and I did," he says.
His opponent had king-jack, having flopped top pair, and when the river blanked Shorr won the huge pot and was suddenly near the chip lead.
The combination of Shorr's check-raise on the flop and large leading bet on the turn certainly signaled strength, meaning even though draws were possible a strong made hand was quite likely. Shorr also was getting good pot odds to call the turn shove (around 2.8-to-1) and had his opponent covered, further increasingly the likelihood of his calling.
That said, it sounds like Shorr's read on his opponent's playing style was at least as important as a factor helping him decide what to do — maybe even more important than the others.
The hand serves as an object lesson warning players not to overplay top pair. Another, perhaps more meaningful takeaway comes from Shorr's comment about his read of the player and how he'd "thought he might do that with a hand like that."
Being patient and waiting for opportunities like this one against players who have demonstrated a penchant for overplaying hands and being loose with chips can reap rewards.
