Poker Hand of the Week Setup
In our Hand of the Week we analyse Nick Schulman’s great value bet bluff in a $26,250 pot against Jeremiah Williams on Poker After Dark.
This very interesting hand comes from episode 2 Poker After Dark “Not About Nick”, which features Nick Schulman, Matt Berkey, Terry Fleischer, James Bord, Scott Ball, and Jeremiah Williams.
They are playing $50/$100 No-Limit Hold’em with a $100 big blind ante and there is a straddle to $200 and re-straddle to $400 before the start of the hand. Nick Schulman has Jeremiah Williams covered.
Poker Hand of the Week Action
Preflop:
Scott Ball re-straddles to $400 and Jeremiah Williams raises UTG to $1,200 with A♣Q♠.
Nick Schulman picks up A♠5♠ in the small blind and decides to play right back at him with a very large 5x 3-bet to $6,000. Williams calls. Pot Size: $12,750
Flop:
The flop comes 10♣3♥K♣ and Nick completely whiffs and chooses a small cbet sizing of 31% ($4,000) and Jeremiah calls again with his gutshot to the nuts and overcard. Pot Size: $20,750
Turn:
After the Q♦, Schulman slows down by checking and Williams checks behind. Pot Size: $20,750
River:
The 9♦ puts four cards to a straight out there and Nick knows he can only win the hand by betting and he elects to go for the value bet bluff by betting $5,500 into $20,750 (26% pot).
Jeremiah Williams quickly releases the best hand and Nick Schulman picks up a nice $26,250 pot with just Ace-high!
Poker Hand of the Week Analysis
Very nice bluff by Nick Schulman, which is worth taking a close look at. Let’s go through it street by street.
The preflop raise with AQo by Jeremiah Williams is standard. Nick picks up A5s in the small blind, which is one of the best hands to 3-bet as it blocks the Ace and also can make the nut flush and a straight.
Schulman chooses a very large 3-bet sizing of 5x with the aim to take down a lot of dead money, after a straddle, re-straddle and raise, but Williams calls.
Having missed the flop completely, Nick elects to take a small stab at the pot again with the aim to end the hand right here, but Williams calls again with the gutshot to the nuts and overcard, which is perfectly fine.
The turn brings the Q♦ and now Schulman checks and here Williams should have taken a small stab to see, where he stands, with his second pair, gutshot and overcard, which would have won him the hand, but instead he checks behind.
The river puts four to a straight out there as now every Jack makes a straight and definitely is a scare card. Nick knows this and that he can’t win a showdown, so he decides to go for the old value bet bluff.
He bets 26% pot, which looks very milky and like he is begging for a call and turns out to be the perfect sizing as Jeremiah quickly folds.
Poker Hand of the Week Conclusion
To conclude: A very nice bluff by Nick Schulman, but Jeremiah Williams opened the door for him by checking behind on the turn.
A small bet of ¼ to 1/3 pot by Jeremiah, after being checked to, given the strength of his hand (second pair top kicker plus gutshot to the nuts and overcard) would have not only given him the information, where he stands, but also won him the pot, which he then lost.
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