A pearl?

STRATEGY - A pearl of wisdom?

"Every time somebody min-raises, God kills a cat!"
- unknown Party Poker Player

I don't remember who the player was, but I will always remember the quote. For some sadistic reason, I found it to be about the funniest line I have ever heard on Party Poker.

Anyway...

I am playing a 100NL table last night, sitting with $115 or so, and I am dealt 10sQs in the cutoff. There is one limper, and the player in front of me raises to $2; a min-raise at a NL table... blah! I call. SB calls and the limper calls. Pot is $8.

The flop is spectacular – 9sJs8h

I have the nuts. I am drawing to a flush. I am drawing to a straight flush.

SB checks. Limper checks. Mr. Min-Raise bets $1. $1? I call hoping that SB does the sensible thing and re-raises. Unfortunately, he doesn't. SB calls and limper folds.

If ever I was to slow play a hand, this is the time. I have the nuts. I have a draw to the flush. I don't have to put any money in (to speak of) in order to slow play. I can get away from this at almost no cost if I blow it. Raising has little chance of paying off. I am going to wait for the turn and then take this hand down.

Well the turn is a great card. A Kh probably improves someone but doesn't create a bigger straight. I still have the nuts. My only concern now is the second flush draw and the chance that the board will pair. Time to take this down.

Min-Raise bets $25 into the $11 pot! Wow! This is gold. I decide that there is no way SB will call that bet, therefore I am going to try to milk Mr. Min-Raise. I raise to $50.

Well, I am wrong. Not only would SB call his raise, but he also was willing to call my re-raise. Nice.

Even better is that min-raise really likes his hand too. He re-raises all-in. Woop! That's $79 more. I have that covered. I raise all-in and SB, who has me slightly covered, thinks for a second and reluctantly calls. Wow! Gold!

I figure this is probably a split pot. But I do have my flush redraw.

Well, my flush misses. The river is a 4h but it doesn't matter, no one was on that draw. Min-Raise shows 7d10d. SB shows JhKc.

I rake in a $330 pot!!!!!!

At that point it occurs to me that if Mr. Min-Raise had raised to $4 instead of $2, there is no way I would be in this hand.

"Every time somebody min-raises, God kills a cat!"

There is a bit of truth in there somewhere.