Playing the sympathetic listener...

Playing the sympathetic listener...

Sunday, 20 September 2009

Out on a quick ciggy break and i am joined by South African Raymond Rahme (3rd in 2007 WSOP Main Event) and Belgian player Matthias De Meulder (who cashed in this year's WSOP Main Event) who both recount the tales of their demise.

Rahme raises pre-flop before loud-mouthed Ganesh Bathmanathan re-pumps it. Rahme then moves all in and Bathmanathan snap calls with AQ off suit. Rahme tables JJ and a good ol' fashioned coin flip proceeded. The flop brought low cards, leaving Bathmanathan needing to hit the turn or the river. But...you guessed it, the ace falls on the turn and it's all over for Rahme.


"I should've just called his raise and seen a flop" says Rahme. "Then i could've pushed in when the low cards fall. Everyone was saying that this guy is just a calling station".


Indeed, hind sight is one of a poker player's worse nightmares.


De Meulder, on the other hand, was more perplexed by his exit hand. Having raised preflop with KJ and getting one caller in the big blind, he checked a K high flop behind only to see his opponent bet out on the turn. He decided to flat call - stating 'I just wanted to see a showdown' - but his opponent then put the pressure on him by shipping it all-in on the river.


After a combination of logical deductions (of which he explained to me but i thought they were a littl too extensive to jot down) he decides to call. His opponent turns over KQ and it was bye-bye Matthias. "I thought he was either making that move with a monster or complete air. But if he had a monster why would he not try and extract some value with his river bet?"


My role of sympathetic listener is becoming better by the minute.




Tags: Poker News, Playing, the, sympathetic, listener...