Redemption

The most beautiful pot I have ever won...

Honestly.

First off, I love playing 3-handed. It fits my more aggressive personality (oh, I have several) perfectly. Heads-up often gets too crazy and dumb. 3-handed is exciting and involves a good deal of skill.

Anyways, in this particular SNG, I'd been making a good deal of pre-flop raises. Usually with hands like A-9s to A-Jo, pocket 7-7, and the like. I'd also stolen a few blinds and antes with hands like 6-7s and 10-9s. But the key thing, I was also checking down a lot of hands. Check, check, and if they bet, fold any hand worse than top pair. Maybe cost me a few small pots early on (I remember fold A-6 for second pair, top kicker, and was almost sure I had him beat).

But then, all that work and preparation paid off completely.

A-A in SB, and make a common, standard raise of 450 (3X BB of 150). BB calls, button had called but now folds. Flop? 10 - 10 - A, with 2 diamonds. No joke. The first thing I said to myself was, if this guy has 10-10, I'm paying him off and not regretting it.

Check. Why? Because if I make a standard bet (and not some half-assed min bet), he folds hands like K-Q, J-J and on down, etc. He checks. Now I'm praying for the diamond to come.

Turn is a blank.

Now what?

Check, as I ponder. If he has a big Ace, then I'm missing out on some value bets at this point. If he has J-J, he'll call to look me up on the river too.

He checks, and I breathe a sigh of relief. His check here pretty much tells me that he would have folded to almost any bet from me on the turn card.

And the river?

The oh so sexy Q of diamonds.

Now I've got him. I know he's made his flush (about a 99% certainty in my mind). Any other hand, like a middle pocket pair, a straight draw, etc. he would have bet, would have tried to push me out. But with his diamond draw, he'd want to see it cheaply at the same time keeping me in the pot. I check, because I know he is going to bet it. Even if that 1% uncertainty was right, he'd bet to steal the pot from me. Why? Because I'd LET HIM DO IT at least 3 or 4 times before.

He bets out, 600.

(slow) Raise to 2100.

(almost immediate) Reraise all-in.

I was smiling as I called. Not because of the size of the pot.

It was just so damn beautiful.