Slow Playing Queens with John Racener
Full Tilt Poker Red Pro John Racener discusses slow playing pocket queens in a no-limit hold'em hand from the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table.
We were seven handed and blinds were 400,000/800,000 with a 100,000 ante. I picked up Q♥Q♣ in the small blind and, even with Michael Mizrachi on the button, it folded around to me. I decided to limp in. I had about 15 big blinds, and Filippo Candio was in the big blind with a big stack – about 35 million. I thought that with the money jumps being so big, and my play being tight, he’d surely raise it. Unfortunately, he didn’t, so we took a flop of Q♠7♦4♦.
I flopped top set. Normally I would bet here, but I thought Candio was going to try to push me off my hand, so I checked to him. He checked back, which I obviously didn’t like.
The turn brought the A♣.
I was 100 percent sure he didn’t have an ace, but I figured if I led out, he’d raise me knowing that I didn’t have an ace since I didn’t raise preflop. So I led out for about half of the pot and he decided to float me and just call.
The 2♣ fell on the river.
I didn’t know what he had at this point, but I thought he was probably going to make a move on the river. Knowing that, I bet again. This time I bet about half of the pot, maybe a little more, wanting him to make a move on me, which he did, by putting me all in.
Most people instantly call here, and I normally would too, but given what’s at stake I wanted to think for a minute. The only hand he could really have here is a double gutter – needing a six or two on the river for a straight. And, at the same time, I figured he was trying to push me off a hand, which was my game plan all along anyway.
I made the call and won my biggest pot of the night, finally getting some chips to work with.
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