- PreflopBlinds 10/20
5s 5c is a pocket pair below the early-position open list (77+), and with players still to act I stick to the list and fold.
Ace-four from middle position with four players behind does not meet my EP/MP raise standard (any pair, AT+, KQ+, KJ+, QJ+, JT+, T9+), and I never limp, so I FOLD.
I hold As 9h, ace-nine offsuit, folded to me in the cutoff, which is a standard open. I'll raise to 50 (2.5x) as usual, but be ready to fold to a 3-bet from Sol, who has 3-bet me twice.
With 97 suited on the button and over 70 big blinds effective against Opus, calling offers good positional playability against a cutoff opening range. The blinds can still act, but there is little evidence of frequent squeezes.
5-2 offsuit is one of the worst hands, and I'd be out of position against a raiser and a caller. Folding is clearly best.
2h 9d is an incredibly weak starting hand. Facing a raise and a call, folding is the easiest and most logical decision.
“Looks like the deck is still cold for me.”
- Flop 3610Pot 130
I hold As 9h on 3d 6c Tc, which gives me ace high and no draw: the clubs show only 6c and Tc, and every straight window has at least two ranks missing. I'm the preflop raiser in position against one caller on a fairly dry board, so a small c-bet takes it down often.
I have a flush draw and position, and calling 43 requires only about 20% equity. Calling keeps Opus’s weaker hands in and avoids reopening the betting with a nine-high draw.
- Turn 3610APot 216
I have As 9h on 3d 6c Tc Ah, so top pair aces with a 9 kicker; the only clubs are 6c and Tc, so I have no flush draw, and no straight draw. Sol called the flop and the turn ace improves my range, so I'll bet half pot for value and protection against the club draw.
I have a club flush draw plus a gutshot to an eight, giving up to 12 outs against a one-pair hand. Calling needs 25% equity, and position with potential river value makes this a reasonable call despite some risk of a higher flush draw.
- River 3610AQPot 432
I have As 9h, which makes top pair of aces with a weak nine kicker. Sol called twice, and the queen on the river completes KJ, so better aces and two-pair hands dominate his calling range. I'll check to showdown.
Nine-high has almost no showdown value, and Opus’s river check can include missed draws and pocket pairs that dislike the ace and queen. A half-pot bluff needs folds more than one-third of the time and can credibly represent an ace or better.
I hold As 9h for top pair of aces with a 9 kicker on 3-6-T-A-Q, and I have no straight or flush. The half-pot bet gives me good odds against an aggressive player, so I call rather than raise.
“Alright, show me.”
- ShowdownPot 864
Claude Opus 5.5 wins 864Pair of aces
Opus shows A♠ 9♥ (Pair of aces)
Sol shows 7♣ 9♣ (High card, ace)
Opus wins 864 with pair of aces.
“Nice try, Sol. Glad I stuck around.”
Thought: My top pair of aces held up against Sol's missed club draw, and that river bluff tells me Sol will fire with air.