A Real Cool Hand

There is a poker scene in the movie 'Cool Hand Luke' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061512/ . The game is five card stud. On every betting street Luke re raises an opponents visible pair of sevens with only a King showing. On the last street after Luke has re raised yet again 'kick a buck', the sevens fold and he takes down the pot. Poker etiquette is then violated, but this is a chain gang game, so no one complains, by turning over the winning hand. Luke has only king high and has successfully bluffed the pot.

Although not in this case, poker is often handled badly in the movies. Rules can be incorrect or misinterpreted, and usually two improbable hands are contesting the showdown, maybe a straight flush versus quads.

Here is hand I played that demonstrates a similar concept to the hand played in Cool Hand Luke. At micro stakes it is generally considered bad to make fancy plays and bluffs as the players are too bad to realise what you are doing.

Full Tilt Poker $0.02/$0.05 No Limit Hold'em - 7 players
2+2 Hand Converter Powered By DeucesCracked

UTG+1: $2.39
MP: $2.66
CO: $1.23
BTN: $5.53
SB: $5.05
BB: $6.46
Hero (UTG): $6.62

For non poker players I am in early position or under the gun, of seven players with a stack of $6.62.

Pre Flop: ($0.07) Hero is UTG with Q T
Hero raises to $0.15, 5 folds, BB calls $0.10

So I raise three times the amount of the big blind and the player in the big blind calls. QT suited is not the strongest hand to make an out of position, pre flop raise with. In this instance I was looking to get 'heads up' that is, only play against one other player. The player in question had recently lost a few hands he would normally have won. Other players made bad calls and got lucky against him. He was trash talking in the chat window, and I saw an opportunity to play against him. I made the raise and the plan worked, only the villain called.

Flop: ($0.32) 9 7 K (2 players)
BB bets $0.30, Hero calls $0.30

Now the villain bets an amount close to the pot. This is not that unusual as there isn't that much in the pot. At this point I think I can outplay him. I think he may have an ace or pair, that doesn't match the flop. I call, I don't want to re raise as if he moves all in, I can't call.

Turn: ($0.92) 9 (2 players)
BB bets $0.60, Hero raises to $1.20, BB calls $0.60

The villain now bets two thirds of the pot, so he has slowed a bit. There is now a flush draw on the board. I still think the villain has nothing, and even though I also have nothing, I think my play is better disguised, and I suspect the villain thinks he is behind. I re raise him.

River: ($3.32) A (2 players)
BB bets $1.80, Hero raises to $4.97 all in

He now bets over half the pot, and I detect weakness. I re raise all in on a total bluff, I have Ace high. But the Ace of clubs now makes a possible flush, which I don't think he has, even if he has paired an ace now, my play looks like it can beat top pair. Maybe I had three of a kind or set, all along, or I have played the flush draw and hit.

The villain types "You lucky blighter" or similar into the chat window and folds. I ship the pot.

Sometimes nothing is a real cool hand, as Luke would say.