Avoiding the Cooler

PezRez on 18 March 2010

Sometimes when you have a good hand and your opponent is throwing chips at you it can be tempting to slowplay. Here is an example of a spot where you shouldn't slowplay, to avoid the cooler card killing all your action.

PokerStars Game $35+$3 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level III (25/50)

Seat 3: Player 3 (2848 in chips)
Seat 4: Player 4 (2906 in chips)
Seat 5: Hero (3246 in chips)
Player 4: posts small blind 25
Hero: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Tc 7d]
Player 3: folds
Player 4: calls 25
Hero: checks
*** FLOP *** [9d 8c 2h]
Player 4: checks
Hero: bets 50
Player 4: calls 50
*** TURN *** [9d 8c 2h] [6s]
Player 4: bets 250
Hero: raises 400 to 650
Player 4: raises 400 to 1050
Hero: raises 2096 to 3146 and is all-in
Player 4: calls 1756 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (340) returned to Hero
*** RIVER *** [9d 8c 2h 6s] [5c]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Player 4: shows [2d 2s] (three of a kind, Deuces)
Hero: shows [Tc 7d] (a straight, Six to Ten)
Hero collected 5812 from pot

So obviously I check my T7o, flop a nice draw and when he checks, take a cheap stab. He calls. When the turn gives me the nuts, he bets, I raise and he three-bets. Most people here develop a hard-on and then slowplay. 'I got the nuts! I'm in position! He's betting and I don't want to lose him!' they cry as they rub their hands in glee and writhe sensually in their chair. I was briefly tempted to do the same - but then I remembered about the cooler.

The cooler is the card which comes on the river that kills your action. You are so pleased with having the nuts and having your opponent nearly drawing dead that you forget there are bad cards on the river that will not give your opponent a better hand but stop him from stacking off to you. In this hand, I guess my opponent has a minimum of two pair. But lets say the river is an A. If he has 98, he might get cold feet. Where he might joyously have snap-called your push on the turn - things have changed now. Things are worse if that river is a T, 7 or 5. Your decision to slowplay might easily cost you the stack you would have won if you just did the straightforward thing and stack with the nuts.

So in this hand, with the guy three-betting the turn he obviously had something he was willing to go with. Even though my all-in is a big one, I'm pretty confident he will call, and I don't want the cooler to ruin my fun.

So he calls, with a set of twos.

The river: 5c - the dreaded cooler. But that's ok; I got my chips on the turn.

PezRez