I am playing in my regular Pot Limit Holdem game at the casino with
Blinds of $1-$2. This game has a minimum buy-in of $100 and maximum of $200. We are over four hours into it and more than half the field has stacks over $500, including myself. I am sitting in the cutoff seat and peak down at my cards to find 53 off-suit. Five people limp into the pot and I notice the button has $2 ready to drop to the felt and both blinds look completely disinterested in the action so I slide $2 forward.

I can call in this spot because I don't fear any pre-flop raise, I have decent position against deep stacks and a field of amateur players who I can outplay. The flop comes A52 rainbow. There is $17 dollars in the pot, 8 callers at $2 and $1 from the small blind who folded pre-flop.  Everybody checks to me so I lead out with $20 (pots are rounded up post-flop) and get called by the button and one early position limper. Well at this point with two callers I am done with the hand unless I get some major help. I led at the flop hoping my tight image may win it right there.

The dealer lays the 4 of hearts on the turn also putting out the heart flush draw. The limper checks and I bet $80 with my wheel. The button takes about three seconds and raises the pot making it $320 in total, a raise of $240. The limper folds and the action gets back on me. The female button player and I had started the hand with stacks of about $600 each. I had invested $102 in this pot and now my whole stack was at risk. From previous encounters I knew for a fact that this player would not raise in this spot without a 3 but could she have 63? Hmmm…I look back at my cards and notice I have the 3 of hearts which is important because she could not have a straight and be freerolling on hearts. I had that one blocked.

I could fold now and leave my stack in tact giving up the $102 or I could push in because it's going to cost me my stack on the river anyway isn't it? That would mean another $500 to win my $102 back with a split pot, however I would lose $600 every time she had 63. I decided there was only a very small chance she had 63 (her pre-flop standards are quite solid)…much more likely a holding like 33, A3 or K3s. Whatever it was I think folding would have been a mistake. But hold on…pushing in here is always wrong! If I am certain she holds a 3 then why don't I just CALL. If a heart or repeat falls on the river I could push in my last $260 and she might fold! Now I am freerolling baby! I have taken about 45 seconds at this stage and in her head it must have seemed like I was drawing when I finally called. The perfect card fell on the river…the beautiful 5 of hearts.

I enthusiastically without any hesitation push all my chips forward saying "all in". Her look of disappointment was obvious as she mucked her cards after a few seconds. Sometimes a little bit of imagination can be well rewarded. Thinking out all the angles is a must for pot-limit poker.

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