Dakota Kid Presents - Deadwood Nuts

Playing the $4 - $100 Spread Limit Game

By
Mike Randall

Part I � Sturgis Rally Time Games

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is the largest event in South Dakota or a lot of places for that matter with over half a million vehicles passing through Sturgis the week of the Rally. Deadwood, being located fifteen miles from Sturgis sees a large amount of this traffic prior to and during Rally week.

During that week I saw some new games spread to accommodate the added action as well as more of the higher limit games than usual. On the limit side there was $15 - $30 every day and in spread limit a $4 - $20 / $4 - $30 was spread the last few days of the Rally.

The $4 - $100 spread limit game got quit a bit of attention during the Rally, but was not new as it had been played a few times before the Rally. I have played in it several times and enjoy the challenge of the game. Because Deadwood has a $100 maximum bet limit this is as close as to no-limit as we can get. This game originated in the online poker rooms as a no-limit game with $1 - $2 blinds and a maximum buy-in of $100. It has spread to the brick and mortar poker rooms and has gained in popularity. It has given the mid-limit player an opportunity to play a limited version of no-limit without having to have the bank roll required to play a big no-limit game. When Steve Erickson, poker manager at the Silverado, first spread the game he bumped the big blind up to $4 which gives the game a little more action than the $2 blind and kept the $100 Maximum buy-in requirement and re-buys up to $100 anytime you are below $100. Once a player accumulates more than $100 he can bet or raise any amount up to $100.

On the Saturday before the official Rally start date of August 8th I found a $4 -$100 game in progress at the Silverado. There was a good mix of local players and Rally visitors. The game appeared to have good action with quit a few chips on the table so I bought in for the $100 max.

I had a few interesting hands in this game that sometimes plays differently in no limit, although some players will tend to play as though it is a limit game.

The first playable hand I picked up was A, Q off suit in early position. The under the gun player limped in and I raised it to $12. Everyone folded and the first caller called the $8 raise. The flop came down Q, J, and 9 rainbow. Even though I have top pair I�m not crazy about this flop because of the strait possibilities. The other player bet $20 and I�ve got to give it some thought. In a limit game I would call and see if he bets the turn or even raise to test his strength. In this situation if I simply call, I may face a max raise on the turn and be forced to throw my hand away especially if a scary card comes. I haven�t seen this player before and we hadn�t played very many hands so I don�t know his style of play. Because I feel I will call him on the turn if a safe card comes, thinking I may have the best hand, I decide to put him to the test and go all in with a $40 raise. He called immediately, we turned over our cards tournament style and he shows a J 10 for a pair and a strait draw giving me the best hand on the flop. Unfortunately an 8 came on the turn giving him a strait and I had to re-buy a $100.

A few hands later I was in the big blind with 7, 6 off suit. With a couple of callers and no raise I got to see a flop of 5, 4, and 2 to give me a nut strait draw. I made a semi bluff bet of $8 and got one caller. A three came on the turn giving me the �nuts�. I don�t want to over bet the pot and run him off so I made a some what larger bet of about $15. He came over the top with his whole stack which was the about the same as mine and I quickly call. A six came on the river putting a strait on the board, I still have a 7 high strait and he showed an ace which had given him a wheel (5 high strait) on the turn.

Awhile latter I�m under the gun in first position after the big blind and find myself with pocket aces. Now in a limit game I tend raise in this position because you will usually get a caller or make a small raise if it is a smaller spread limit game. But in this game I�m going to limp in hoping someone will raise and I can come back over the top and win the pot or at least get it heads up. My plan worked, a middle position player with a lot of chips made it $20 to go with one caller. I re-raised $50 more hoping the tag along caller will fold. Things go according to plan, the original raiser calls and the other player folds. The flop looks good for me, ten high rainbow. I bet $50 and he calls. The turn is a blank and I bet $100 all that I had left in front of me. He studied for awhile and hesitantly called the bet. The river was a king and with no more betting he showed me pocket queens.

My good run of cards wasn�t over yet, as a couple of rounds latter I picked up pocket kings in the big blind. There was no action until it got to the button which raised it to $20. Once I�ve gotten action I�m not slow playing this one and raise back $40 more. He calls and the flop comes with medium cards. I bet $60 and this young man thinks about it, asks me if I got pocket kings, then he mucks his hand saying his queens can�t beat my kings. Good read kid and a good lay down. In summery no limit and big spread limit games are about when to make the big bet and when to make a lay down to a big bet. In the first hand I moved all in when I felt like I had the best hand and I was right even though I got out drawn. In the second hand when I had the �nuts� I didn�t over play my hand and let my opponent make the move. In the third hand I make large bets with my aces when the board looks safe and I am met with what appeared to be a �crying� call. The last hand I re-raise with the kings to test the strength of my opponent and bet the flop when it looked safe. The kid recognized my strength and made a good lay down.

Part II � Two Sessions in One

Two weeks later on a Saturday I find the same $4-$100 game going, this time with mostly local players.

When I got into the game it seemed to be fairly loose, with a couple of tight players in the mix.

The first hand I played past the flop a solid player raised to $12 and I called with pocket sevens and as did the big blind. The flop came 8, 7, 6 with two hearts, giving me a set of sevens. The first player checked and the second player bet $20. I put the original bettor on an over pair and raised another $20. Then a big surprise the first player check raises all in with about another $60. Now I�m faced with a tough decision. Had he flopped a strait? He could have as he seemed to be some what of a loose player. Then again he may have flopped two pair and I have him beat, plus I�ve got the full house draw if he does have a strait, so I call. He shows a flush draw and I have him beat, but get unlucky when a heart comes on the river. Now it�s re-buy time again.

Another round of the button and I�m in the big blind. Three callers and no one raises so I get to see a free flop with a 7, 9. The flop comes with a face card and two sevens. Looks like I finally got lucky and I slow play it and just check. A young lady at the other end acting unsure what to do makes a small bet. Everyone folds and I call. A king comes on the turn and I again check. The lady fumbles with her chips and makes a larger bet of about $20 and I check raise her, the rest of my stack. She calls and turns over K, 7 of clubs, boy do I feel dumb, check raising into a full house. I got trapped in the blind with a bad hand that made second best. Re-buy time again as it is a good game and I�m not ready to quit yet.

This stack slowly melts away as I call several hands and nothing develops on the flop or I can�t make a play. I bought my stack back up to a $100 again so as not to be short stacked if a big hand does come along. A short time latter I pick up pocket aces and raise to $12 after a loose player has limped in. Everyone folds to the loose player and he calls. I flop a full house with one ace and two tens on the board. Finally I�ve hit a hand! We both check the flop. On the turn he checks, I bet, and he check raises what I have left in front of me. He shows king ten for three tens. He leaves the game, which is getting short handed. He was the last loose player, so this short handed tight game is getting real bad. There is no use in staying in this game; I couldn�t get even in it if I played all night!

On my way to the cage I stopped to visit with the hostess and some dealers. As we were talking I noticed four new players buy into the game. Now I try not to �read a book by its cover�, but I couldn�t help but notice some characteristics about these people that made me think that this game had potential to get good again. I sat down to the left of the new players wanting to have the advantage of position. The first player, a relaxed young man, looked like he knew what he was do and could be a good player. The next young man looked nervous and unsure of himself, a new player or new to a higher limit. Next to him an older gentleman with plenty of money and who had partaken of a few drinks, could be a loose player. And next to me a girl who wasn�t aware of the order of betting, etc. another beginner. The important thing about reading players by appearance is being ready to change your opinion of them when they show you something different in there style of play. Remember I had misread the girl with the full house as being weak when actually she was just nervous about how much to bet with a big hand. With these new players this was a whole new game, a new session if you will.

Early on I get pocket aces under the gun and limp in hoping for a raise. There are a couple of callers, including the nervous looking kid, but I am disappointed when no one raises as I have given them a cheap look at the flop. The flop is king, ten, rag and I check it to let someone with a king think they got the best hand. The kid on the button bets $20 and I check raise $40 more and he calls. On the turn I go all in with the rest of my stack and he calls. When it�s over with I show my aces and he shows a ten for a pair of tens. He drops out along with the girl and the game is getting a little short handed again, but the older gentleman has proven to be the loose player I thought he might be so it�s still a good game.

A few hands later I�m in the blind with pocket eights, an early position good player makes a $10 raise, the loose player and I call. I get extremely lucky and flop quad eights. I check, the original raiser bets $20, the loose player makes it $50, I call and the first bettor folds. On the turn he bet the rest of his chips and I call. It turns out he had top pair with a bad kicker on the flop. Now it�s getting really short handed with only four players, but there are reports of more players coming from another broken game so I�m not going to quit playing, especially the way this guy is playing.

On the button I pick up A, 8 off suit and raise to $12. This is a hand that I usually fold with in a full game even on the button. When a game like this gets short handed I play more aggressively for two reasons. One, because the odds are a less powerful hand will be the best hand and a lesser hand may give me action, and two, I have to steal some blinds because they are coming around so fast. The blinds fold and the loose player calls me. Again I get lucky and flop two pair and make eights full of aces on the turn. He check raised me again for all his chips and I gladly call. It turns out he actually had a good hand with A, Q. He miss played his hand by not making an over sized bet pre-flop and I would have laid my A, 8 down. I don�t like calling with those kinds of hands in any game.

About that time these other guys from a broken $5-$50 game show up and they are ready to gamble. After a few hands I can see this is going to be a really good game. I relax a bit, as I am not getting any cards to play and I begin to get sleepy as it is getting late, so I take stock of the situation. Even though this is a good game it is not a good idea to play sleepy and make bad decisions. Also I am satisfied with this second winning session which had balanced out the earlier loosing session, so I call it night.