Lee Jones provides an insightful reflection on poker, particularly about the dangers of assuming that simply winning a pot means you’ve played the hand well. He discusses a hand where he won, but acknowledges three key mistakes made along the way:
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Mistake #1: Not Betting the Flop
Lee considered checking the flop after his opponent called a significant raise. While he was hesitant due to the flop being potentially favorable for his opponent, the pros in his hand discussion group highlighted that he missed an opportunity to maximize value. They suggested that betting was the correct play, as his opponent was likely to have a wide range of hands, and it would give him a chance to build a larger pot while keeping the villain in. -
Mistake #2: Underbetting the Turn
On the turn, after the 2♦️ hit, Lee bet $130, but his hand history group suggested a larger bet of $225. The reasoning was that his opponent wouldn’t be sensitive to bet sizing, and by checking the flop, he could afford to go bigger here. A larger bet would have put more pressure on his opponent to fold their weaker hands and protect against a potential diamond draw. -
Mistake #3: Not Betting the River for Value
On the river, Lee had a good hand (overpair with queens), and the opponent checked to him. However, instead of betting for value, he showed his hand, and the opponent mucked. His coaches pointed out that a bet of $175 would have been better, as it would give the opponent a good price to call with many hands, including worse pairs. This missed opportunity likely cost Lee some value from his hand.
In the end, Lee reflects that his own hesitation and fear of being outplayed by the opponent led to these mistakes. The key takeaway here is that players often get caught in the trap of fearing exploitation by opponents and making suboptimal decisions as a result. The solution is to be more aggressive and confident when you have a strong hand, as the poker environment is full of opponents who are not playing at a high level.
