When you see LLinusLLove (Linus Loeliger) on YouTube, things usually go quite well for the Swede.
In an online 6-max cash game against Michael Addamo, the line between bluff and blunder is closely examined, by none other than Uri Peleg.
After seeing this hand, decide if this bluff was a bit punty or just unlucky timing. Read the tale here or watch the full video on Uri's channel. The stage? GGPoker's high-stakes cash game tables.
We have an exciting hand between Linus Loeliger and Michael Addamo. This hand is not full-stacked. It's at a table with antes and also a multi-way hand, at least for part of the hand.
I think the recreational player is in a big blind, so all the ranges are a bit off. So we're not going to use a solver, but it's still a very interesting hand.
Michael Addamo opens from the middle position, and Linus calls from the button. BTC200k, well, I don't know him. I generally assume people I don't know are recreational. He might not be, for what it's worth. Anyway, he makes the call.
The Flop
We take a flop of . Now, it's a three-way flop.
So how should this board work?
First of all, we think about how the board hits each of the ranges.
The big blind should have by far the widest and weakest range, so he should just be checking unless it super smashes him, which this doesn't. So he checks, and now between Addamo and Linus, this board actually hits Linus more because Linus's range is a bit more condensed.
So his range has a higher percentage of pocket pairs, and that means also a higher percentage of suited hands. And that just means, given the stack, Linus is supposed to have more of the betting lead than Michael. Michael can still probably bet a little bit.
So Michael checks, everything standard so far, and Linus takes a very small stab at it. ($800 into $3,440)
What this very small stab does multi-way is it puts the big blind in a kind of sandwich where he's getting a great price, but there's a player behind him, and the player behind him might squeeze. So it kind of leverages the fact that you're multi-way to bet small the first time.
Very cool bet by Linus. BTC200k folds and Addamo makes a roughly pot-sized check-raise, maybe a bit less. On , you know, we're assuming top pair, top kicker, or over pairs for value.
Draws are easy to see. Flush draw is the easiest one.
Linus decides to click it back, which we'll talk about in a second, and Addamo calls.
Now, why does Linus click it back? What does this mean? Basically, I think the idea is that whereas the check-raise range might have over pairs, Linus is the one with sets. So he still gets to kind of fire another raise in terms of who has the nuttiest hands in his range. This allows him to put some pressure, some extra pressure on Addamo's draws and backdoor draws. So once he does this, Addamo has a rough spot with something like or .
Flush draws continue, over pairs continue, they're drawing to the top set, and yeah, we take a turn card.
This entire hand took place on GGPoker, at some of the highest stakes available. If $400 big blinds and $100 antes sound a little too pricey, you are definitely not alone.
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The Turn
The turn is an , making the board . This should favor Michael's range by quite a lot.
I wouldn't be shocked if he even gets the donk bet because pocket aces improve, and all his flush draws improve. And he should, after the flop 3-bet, I think he still has Aces and flush draws, whereas Linus should be a bit more polarized and just have fewer flush draws in his range at this point.
It goes check, check.
The river is the , making the board now . This is another good card for Addamo because now, pocket Queens improves for him as well. Addamo checks a third time, so really super good run out for his range. I imagine if he had something to bluff with, he would bluff. But what do you bluff here as Addamo? Are you bluffing with or ?
It's tough to actually even find which hand check-raised, called the 3-bet, and now needs to bluff. It's tough to find bluffs, honestly, like a very unique run out.
Try to think, what should he bluff with in these kinds of spots? To bet and let's say Linus has , should Linus call a bet? What's he beating? What's he bluffing with?
It's an interesting spot, but yeah, he checks.
Linus goes into the tank, goes all in for one and a half times more or less, and gets snap-called by the nuts.
Addamo trapped him with .
So, the preflop action from Addamo makes sense.
Check raises are nice, it's a flush draw but one with a backdoor straight draw and an overcard, so it's a nice hand to check-raise. He calls the 3-bet and then decides to use the hand as a trap – very sneaky.
This is something you're supposed to do sometimes, I guess, unless you bet your full range on the river, which maybe you do.
Linus shows up with a very cheeky hand, .
Once he gets to the river, he decides he does want to fire a bluff. You know, I can't blame him. He's certainly never winning. Addamo makes it look like he just has or .
I'm not sure Linus is credibly repping a lot of value hands. I'm not sure he would actually shove a set here, or check a set on a turn for that matter. But it's kind of a Wild West hand since it starts three-way and with a check-raise. I think keeping track of ranges is a bit tough.
Linus gets his hand caught in the cookie jar for once. I think it was a well-played hand by both, a very interesting, unique spot. So it's tough to compare to a solver.
Addamo picked the right player to trap against.
