At the 2016 Super High Roller Bowl held at ARIA in Las Vegas, a total of 49 competitors contributed the hefty buy-in of $300,000 each for a chance to contend for a grand prize of $5 million, along with a highly coveted title in the poker world. poker Since all the exciting action was recorded for global airing on NBC Sports, 888poker decided it would be enjoyable to highlight some of the most significant hands and provide insightful analysis. straight from the pros.
In the fifth episode of the 2016 SHRB, we witnessed a hand where Dan Smith and Phil Hellmuth both limped into the pot from the blinds with an ace in hand, leading to an intriguing situation. We invited Dominik Nitsche, an ambassador for 888poker, to dissect the play for us.
The Setup
With the blinds set at 12,000/24,000/3,000, and five players remaining, Smith, holding 1.8 million in chips, opted to limp in from the small blind with A♦7♥, while Hellmuth, who had 1.2 million, checked from the big blind with A♠3♦.
Nitsche began his analysis by addressing the critical preflop decision point. \"Dan Smith chooses to limp here from the small blind. This is a move commonly seen among elite tournament players. The rationale is straightforward: the call is comparatively favorable, and we aim to avoid letting opponents have too many free chances. If we frequently raise, it can be easy for our opponents to read our plays, especially since we're out of position. Personally, I believe that favoring limping from the small blind is a wise strategy.\" limp However, it's important to note that limping from the small blind shouldn’t be your default play. If executed too often, you may end up with a mix of strong hands while giving opponents a chance to see the flop for free with weaker hands. As an example, Q7, often referred to as 'The Computer Hand', represents the median of a total of 169 starting possible hands. If your hand is stronger, you likely have a good shot. Ultimately, decisions should be made based on various factors such as your starting cards, the opponents, and the size of chip stacks, so adopt a flexible approach rather than sticking to a strict limping strategy.
As the flop came down showing 7♠4♠A♣, Smith took the lead and bet 24,000 with his top two pairs. Hellmuth promptly called with his top pair. heads-up “Dan’s decision to bet here is commendable for several reasons,” Nitsche stated. “Initially, he doesn’t presume Phil possesses an ace. If that were the case, Phil would likely have raised or pushed all-in for about 30 big blinds preflop. It's quite rare for Phil to check an ace preflop, especially as stacks dwindle. Thus, it wouldn’t shock me if Dan employed a strategy of betting with every single hand in his range.”
The Flop & Turn
Unfortunately for Hellmuth, by keeping his ace concealed, he found himself losing chips. When the turn brought the 5♥, Smith raised his bet to 85,000 and again, Hellmuth called without hesitation.
“This is a card that doesn’t significantly affect the board considering Phil Hellmuth is likely holding a range around 7-4 or fewer,” Nitsche continued. “Dan believes his hand is unmatched and aims to escalate the pot with a solid hand. A substantial bet is indeed warranted; even if he lacked an established hand, bluffing would be viable since it’s tough for Phil to possess a hand that could confidently call down.”
As the J♠ was revealed on the river, Smith decided to bet 200,000, and Hellmuth quickly responded by calling.
“When you have A-7, this board isn’t particularly threatening,” he remarked. “The only circumstance where Smith could be outdone is if there’s a flush possibility. Nevertheless, there are numerous opposing hands he beats that may be inclined to call. Betting in this spot is the clear choice; since Hellmuth won’t have A-J or any kind of set as those would require a raise preflop, our only concern revolves around the flush, which is rare in a situation where ranges are broad, particularly with blind vs blind in a limped pot.” flush draw Indeed, this was a situation where Smith needed to make a bet. Had the river revealed a more alarming card like four, five, six, or eight, opting to check might have been justified. However, as it stood, Hellmuth was likely holding an ace or at best a weaker two pair, both of which Smith wanted to extract value from. If Smith were to bet on the river and Hellmuth chose to raise or check-raise, it could indicate that he was indeed drawing to the flush. In that case, Smith would have a straightforward fold.
The River
“I can’t imagine he considered checking the river at any point,” Nitsche wrapped up. river Make sure to come back often as we continue to provide you with more highlights from the 2016 SHRB “Insights from the Experts.”
What does Nitsche think?
“While the river looks like a scare card Chad Holloway is a WSOP Bracelet winner from 2013 and has a background as both a managing editor and live reporter for PokerNews.
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