YES YES YES

OK, so maybe I wasn't entirely truthful in my last post, I'd been playing really well and despite the losses I cam back on and played a fully stacked table alongside the small stack I had been left with. Then this hand came up and I extracted a huge amount of value from it - there is virtually no way I should have made as much as I did so I'm going to talk through it.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1786486

I call the preflop raise and hit middle set with my 99 - obviously at this stage I know that there is no way I am getting off the hand unless a flush hits, then I may consider it. The preflop raiser bets $100 and is called by the other player left in - now I have a choice here as I suspect a flush draw for player B and don't really want to let him hit on the turn. However my main target is the original raiser as if I can get him to committ then I have a massive opportunity to win a big pot. This is why I just call, only a spade scares me and as I am on the button I know already that I am pushing any turn other than a spade.

Anyway turn comes a 2 which I rather liked and imagine my surprise when the original raiser bet $400 committing himself to the pot, KK did cross my mind at this point but I cannot ever lay this down here - anyone who does is a muppet by the way - I push all in knowing he has to call with whatever he has. I was praying for no spade on the river and got what I wanted - turns out preflop raiser had AK, player B 77 for bottom set - no way out for him and I scoop a $2800 pot. Oh it feels good, am now about $800 up for the session and have come off to o important things such as eat and get my vision back!

The guy with AK has played this horrifically - honestly his play is disgustingly bad, never ever get a full stack committed with one pair when you are not certain where you are in the hand. He has no clue after the flop and unless he puts us both on flush draws his turn bet is terrible as it committs him to the hand where he could have checked and seen both of us go all in before wisely folding. Ultimately he has gifted $900 to me here and should be ashamed of how bad his play was.

Happier now

Steve