Peter Costa’s “Small-Bet Poker”

During my early years of playing tournament poker, I decided to experiment with various styles of playing pot-limit Hold’em.  One of these experiments was slow-playing, or underbetting, some of the strong hands.  This led to many situations in which I would make a succession of small bets-even with the nuts.  I would often show these hands down, and as a result I was mostly given a lot of respect when making a small bet.

            This led to many bluffing opportunities in which I needed to make only a small bet in order to steal a pot limit omaha.  Although this style of play would occasionally open the door to a bad beat when I did have a big hand, it did pay many dividends over the long run.  One such hand took place in my local casino (the Gala) in Nottingham, England, in 1993.

            The event (somewhat of a big one in those days) was a £200 buy-in pot-limit Hold’em poker game event, with multiple rebuys.  From a starting field of around 80 players, I found myself among just 24, but with a very small stack.  With blinds of £800-£800 (in those days, the two blinds were the same), my stack of £5,800 was looking weak.

            But, having just posted both blinds, I knew that I had a whole round to pick up some sort of hand, and that I had no need to worry.  I was right! On the very next hand, I dealt 3-3.  What a hand! After failing to get any sort of a payable hand for the last two hours, this one looked like a monster.  And as each player folded to me on the button, my hand grew in strength.

            I would simply raise the pot to £3,200 and take the blinds.  Both of the blinds had about poker the same-size stack as mine.  I felt sure that if I found either of them with any kind of hand, they would be forced to call.  I would then be in a position of needing to get lucky.  Thus, I decided to slow-play this “monster,” and just the minimum.  I fully expected to get at least one caller, but at least this way I could represent a hand without having to commit most of my stack.  It also allowed me the opportunity to make a steal from the perfect spot-I was on the button.

            The first blind thought poker about  it, reluctantly mucked his hand.  The second blind, a somewhat tight lady player, just flat-called.  Hmm… I knew she had some sort of hand, but obviously not good enough to reraise me! Oh well! Perhaps I could get lucky and flop another three?

            The three did not hit, but the second blind did check the flop of K-Q-Q rainbow.  I now liked my hand! I hand to make a stab at the pot somehow.  But what could I bet with just £4,200?  Bet the pot of £4,000 and hope she had not connected with the flop?  Checking was an option, but a very weak one.  Having represented something of a hand with my minimum pre-flop raise, I decided to follow it through with a minimum bet. I was sure that if she did not connect with the flop, she would have no problem mucking her hand.

            With a slight hesitation, and to my disappointment, she called my bet of £800.  That was it!  I was done with the hand!  It was now obvious to me that one of her two hole card games was a king.   Her reluctance to call was based only on the many times that she had seen me underbet big hands.  But with the size of our stacks of around £4,200, there was no way I could get her to muck.  She would reluctantly call I waited for the three to hit the turn.  It did not! But it was a big, beautiful ace.

            Experimentation in poker is a complex thing, but is only complex to the extent that you disregard the simple and the obvious.  Like betting all-in in this case and simply taking the pot.  I became greedy for another £800 of this lady’s chips. She would be forced to call and try to river another king.   And so the reluctant £800 was thrown from her hand into want was now a nice pot.  I was playing he  odds, and hoped for any card but a king. 

            The king did not hit the river! But a dangerous jack did.  She then took another look at her hole cards and checked.  It was that close!  With a board of K-O-Q-A-J, she needed only a ten for a straight.  But her check was assuring; she did not have a straight limit poker.

            Experimentation over with! I simply moved all-in with the knowledge that she would muck what I thought was K-9.  She did declare, “I muck,” as she picked up her hand to throw it to the dealer.  I asked her if her K-9 was suited.  She asked how I knew it was K-9 as she threw them faceup on the table.  I explained that it was a long story and that I had A-Q for a full house.

            And yes, the K-9 was suited! As for my being on the button, I felt sure that she would have called any pot raise before the flop.  That was one of my thoughts during my drive home after winning the tournament that night.

            They say that necessity is the mother of invention.  In poker, it could well be that invention becomes the necessity.  That was another thought that night poker.