Nailing a flop after calling with or checking mediocre cards in the big blind is one of poker’s all-too-rare delights. It’s like finding a £10 note down the back of the sofa; an unexpected bonus made all the sweeter by the lack of expectation. Over the course of several hours playing a multi-table event you will probably be able to see a flop quite cheaply from the big blind on numerous occasions and the vast majority of the time it will come to nothing. It’s typically a frustrating time when your chip stack withers away and you feel increasingly inclined, or desperate, to make a move. But then, once in a blue moon, your seemingly pitiful 3-7o becomes the hand of your dreams when you flop two pair. The challenge then is to win the pot, and hopefully a big one at that.
It’s an old adage that you never know which two cards will win you your biggest hand of the day. The main reason for this, when it comes to textbook players who don’t tend to enter pots with a wide range of hands, is the ‘bb special’ as it is affectionately known. The big blind becomes the seat where you are most likely to get involved with ‘trash’ because you already have chips committed to the pot whether you like it or not. So if nobody raises then you see a flop for ‘nothing’ and even if there is a small raise and multiple callers then you may be priced in to call because of the pot odds on offer. Incidentally, another incentive to call with meagre holdings on the big blind is that a call from you will often end the pre-flop activity. In any other seat the decision to get involved is always complicated by concern that another player still to act could re-raise.
If we focus on 3-7o as our start cards then we still need to play a flop of say 3-7-10 correctly. It has to be seen as a great flop to be played hard but with awareness of dangers that could lie ahead. As always we need to consider how our opponents play, what range of hands they could realistically hold and how many people are in the pot. As a general rule the more players in the hand the less advisable it is to slowplay almost anything too much. If there are five others in the pot then trying to imagine all the hand ranges and pitfalls that could befall you is nigh on impossible so get on with betting the hand, and hard. In fact, given your poor position at the table from the big blind and the vulnerability of bottom two pair don’t slowplay here if there is more than one rival involved. That last sentence can be expanded on in much greater detail. Firstly, position is poor because you will act before anybody else at the table, other than the small blind. This is a disadvantage because you have no further information to act upon to assess how strong your opponents are and how many of them seem to like the flop. Furthermore, checking is dangerous because if nobody bets at all then you have allowed everybody else a free card to improve with. At best, you will still be ahead but even then you will have missed a major opportunity to build the pot up.
My reference to the ‘vulnerability of bottom two pair’ is the key to this whole play though. 3-7 is the weakest of the strong hands you can hold on this flop because there are still two cards to come. If the turn card brings an ace and there are still several players in the hand then you need to be concerned. Suddenly anybody holding A-3, A-7 or A-10 has you beat. Let’s then imagine that the river card brings a queen. The hands that can beat you now also include Q-10, K-J and A-Q not to mention the likes of Q-3 that players are less likely to be calling with pre-flop. The key point to realise is that once any five cards are down the numbers of two pair possibilities are numerous and you probably can’t beat any of them with 3-7. Now consider the possibility that the turn and river pair, 5 and 5 for example, and appreciate how this destroys the strength of your hand to the point where you may not even be able to call down with it. You must also be aware what a disaster another 10 coming down is for you. In other words, a magical flop has given you a great spot but one which is riddled with the threat of outdraw. And I haven’t even mentioned the flush and straight possibilities for once!
None of this is intended to be too pessimistic. It simply serves as a warning against slowplaying. If you run a high risk of being outdrawn then bet your hand to reduce the field. At least charge people for the privilege of chasing you down. The good news is that if bottom two pair is played fast out of the big blind then it is beautifully disguised and still pretty likely to hold-up and get you paid off nicely. Yes, I know I haven’t mentioned the threat of a flopped set at any point in this. But you just can’t afford to think like that when you flop two pair. I thought I’d take a week off from dwelling on Hold’em’s cruel set-ups for once.
Simon Ballou writes for Oddschecker Poker