The Crab Shack

A little known game is played at the Crab Shack Restaurant in Wheeler, Oregon on Wednesday nights. I finally tried the game tonight after hearing about it for a couple of years. It is basically the same guys who play Friday nights at the American Legion in Cannon Beach. We had a turnout of only 14 players and I was disappointed to get only 1100 in starting chips. The blind structure was 15 minutes, starting at 10/20. I got lucky early, limping with 99 and flopping a set. I bet, was raised by K/Q on the queen high 2 heart flop, and I shoved all in with a third player mucking the nut flush draw. Queens called and was out when my set held up.

My problems revolved around QQ. I raised from the big blind fairly large ($250, with 25/50 blinds and several limpers). Got two callers and saw a flop with ace high. Check/check/check. Turn pairs 8's and I check, one player bets $200 and I call. River, another 8, check, bet $400, I fold face up, he shows A/3 offsuit::::????? Nice call, idiot.

Later, after losing two big pots to the same clueless guy with a straight draw one time and a flush draw the other, I see pocket jacks in the big blind with a very good player raising 4x BB from the button. I decide to reraise all-in to push out AK, AQ, AJ, and smaller pocket pairs. He says, "Oh, no, a cooler", but calls anyway. I have him covered by only $25. He shows pocket Queens and the door card is.... a queen, leaving me drawing pretty dead. The clueless player takes my last chip when he flops top pair 8, with his 7/8 and turns another 8 against my Q/2 offsuit in the small blind. Good night.

Addendum to the above: After sleeping on the thoughts above I decided that I kind of like the shove with jacks. Here is why.

1. The player was a good, and thoughtful player, not a donk. Even strong bluffs will be effective a large percentage of the time when you are playing for your tournament life.
2. I am ahead of all but 3 hands, and in a coin flip or ahead of against a very large range (pocket pairs, face cards, suited connectors, all hands that he would raise with from the button).
3. The person going all in rather than calling all in has a huge advantage. He can win 3 different ways. By getting the other person to fold, by showing the best hand, by getting lucky on the flop, turn or river (random sets, straights, flushes).
4. So, all told, the correct play with bad results. Gotta make the play every time except when playing with deep stacks. Then, I probably smooth call and reevaluate on the flop. In this situation had I done that, all the chips would have gone in anyway with a queen high flop (one overcard and less likely to have hit his range). So, same results minus the benefits mentioned of shoving preflop.

Please comment on my thoughts.......thanks.