Somebody in the game leans back in his chair, shows his hand to Sklansky, and asks, “What would you do with this hand in this situation?”
I can picture David peering at the guy from behind those classic aviator-rimmed glasses.
“I have no idea – I’d never play that hand.”
The story might be apocryphal, but it certainly could have happened. It fits perfectly with David’s no-nonsense approach. He’d never find himself in such a bizarre situation, not with a single buried pair and two opponents showing all sorts of strength. Why would he even waste a moment of his life contemplating such a hopeless hand?
And that brings me to my “DUI Lawyer” theory. I’ve never actually been in this situation, but it’s one of those thought experiments I can’t help but entertain. Imagine a poker buddy calls me late on a Friday night and says, “I’ve just been arrested for Driving Under the Influence – do you know a good attorney?” I wouldn’t really do this, but in my head, my response would be, “Well, as played…”
I read, listen to, and watch a lot of poker hands. I find them not only educational but highly entertaining. Often, I find myself watching a hero in a tough, marginal spot, thinking, “This is a DUI Attorney situation.” All this pain and struggle could be avoided if they’d made better decisions earlier in the hand.
I recently heard a Thinking Poker Daily podcast where the hero was playing $1/3 NLHE at the Venetian. He had AJo in the cutoff, and the hijack (the player immediately to his right) opened for a raise. The hero called, and things quickly became difficult as both the small blind and big blind also called. So, now, our hero is in a four-way flop with a marginal hand. He had the “button,” but the preflop raiser was acting immediately before him, setting him up for a potential squeeze from either blind.
Once they got to the hero’s decision, Andrew and Carlos paused. They both agreed that the first decision was critical here. They spent quite a bit of time discussing this one choice, and rightfully so. Ultimately, they both leaned toward folding or 3-betting, while I joined them in the fold or 3-bet camp. Flat calling was a distant third option.
The hand plays out as a comedy of errors. The hero manages to double through with a worse hand while getting the best hand to fold, all on the river. But, quoting Andrew, “threading the needle.” Had the hero 3-bet preflop, he would have won a moderate pot off the initial raiser, and no one would have thought twice about it. Had he folded, he would have watched as his cards made a strong second-best hand. Either of those outcomes would have been much better than the chaotic mess he found himself in, only narrowly escaping with his chips.
When people discuss hand histories, there’s a sort of unwritten rule that you follow the hand to its bitter end, no matter how disastrous it becomes. For me, though, I often fast-forward to the next one.
I don’t have the mental power of a David Sklansky, but, like him, I value my limited time on this earth. I’d rather not explore a universe I don’t want to be a part of. And on that note, I’ll never call anyone to ask for a DUI lawyer.
