Poker: Getting an edge on a steaming foe

Playing small pairs can be a tricky thing because every overcard potentially beats you.

But sitting on a big stack and having knowledge of your opponent can allow you to bet a small pair into a big win.

In today’s hand from the $25,000-buy-in World Poker Tour championship at Las Vegas’ Bellagio in 2010, with blinds at $1,200-$2,400 plus a $300 ante, young star Brandon Cantu faced a raise to $6,200 from the player under the gun.

“I had just beaten him for a really huge pot, and I thought he might be steaming a little bit,” said Cantu, who further frustrated his opponent by refusing an offer of $1,000 to show his cards on that hand.

Now, finding pocket 5s in the small blind, Cantu called, as did the big blind. Three-handed, the flop came 10-10-6. Cantu and the big blind checked.

The initial raiser made it $11,000. Cantu called, having a big enough stack to float his opponent for a street and perhaps hit the card that gets the steamer’s stack. The big blind folded, so heads-up, the turn came the 2 of diamonds.

“If I’m ahead, then that’s a great card,” said Cantu, who has won a WPT main event and two World Series of Poker bracelets, “so I decide to lead (for $16,200) because I actually think I have the best hand and to kind of see where I am, too. He called. I wasn’t sure if I was ahead right there.”

So, Cantu checked the river in the dark.

“I did it just because I wanted to get a read on what he was going to do,” said Cantu, a pro from the UB.net online site. “I was ready to stop betting the hand.”

And then came the 5 of spades, giving Cantu 5s full of 10s. Any regrets about checking dark?

“He moved all in instantly, so there was no time to regret anything,” said Cantu, who called just as quickly and ended his opponent’s tournament when the opponent showed down J-10 offsuit for trip 10s.

“If I had missed on the river and he had shoved, I think I would’ve folded,” Cantu said. “I bet on the turn, hoping he’d shut down. But he didn’t.

“With a big stack, I can take more chances, see more flops, figure out whether I’m ahead, get lucky and hit a full house. I knew he was tilting. I didn’t want to make the pot too big and let him shove me off of it early. I was trying to see if I had the best hand.”

TABLE TALK

Steaming: To lose composure after losing one or more big pots; also known as tilting and on tilt.

Float: To call a bet to see another card when you might not have the best hand, giving you the chance to hit your card or make a play.

Check in the dark: To check before the next card is exposed.