During one of my first trips to the World Series of Poker, I was playing in a 10-20 Hold’em game, sitting on the immediate left of a friendly Australian. He was a good player who would often raise me out of pots before the flop. I noticed that he three bet before the flop several times with pairs as low as eights. He played a strong game and was a substantial winner. I was learning from him, but could not beat him in a pot. I was determined to change that.
In my third hour at the table, I was stuck $200, when I was dealt A/10 of diamonds on the button. Everyone folded to the player on the Aussie’s right. He raised, the Aussie made it three bets, and, tired of being pushed around, I decided to make my stand and raised again. The first player folded and the Aussie called while looking at me with a big smile. The flop was the K of diamonds, K of spades, and Q of clubs. I felt like he probably had a pair of nines, tens, jacks, or Aces. I had a gut shot straight draw and an over card. I decided to represent a king and try to make him fold. If he stayed, maybe I could draw out.
He bet and I raised. He hesitated and called. The turn was the Queen of diamonds, making two pair on the board and giving me a flush draw. When the Aussie checked, I was convinced that my Ace was a winner, so I bet out. But he check-raised, I called, and he bet the river in the smoke. Now I felt like he had me beat, but the pot was large and there existed a small chance he was bluffing, so I called — in the smoke. The river card was the jack of diamonds giving me a royal flush. I excitedly let out a yell and turned over my hand as I raked in the pot.
The Aussie was shaking his head and his smile had disappeared. In appreciation of what I had learned and in the spirit of furthering international relations, I offered the Aussie his last $20 bet back. At the same time I said, “I guess I played bad, got lucky and put a bad beat on you.” He said, “Well, let’s see. You four bet before the flop as a substantial underdog. You raised on the flop when you were a 1000-1 underdog. You called a check-raise on the turn with two pair on the board and a 44-1 gut shot royal draw as your only out. Then when you hit your miracle card, you couldn’t raise because you had already called in the smoke.”
He had kept his cards all this time and finally turned over his pair of kings that had given him four kings on the flop. At the same time he gave me my $20 back and said, “Keep this somewhere, you may need it for cab fare when you get ready to go home.” I did and I did.
