In the October 1st running of the Durrrr Challenge, Tom Dwan and Patrik Antonius got their chips in the middle on a board of 10-8-4, all hearts, in an early hand. Antonius checked, Dwan bet $2,000, Antonius raised to $7,200, Dwan made it $16,500, Antonius pushed the action to $51,900, Dwan shoved for $67,896, and Antonius called. The turn was the deuce of clubs and the river was the jack of diamonds. Dwan turned over 10d-Ah-Js-Qh for the nut flush, while Antonius held 6c-Qs-10c-10s for a set of 10s.
DurrrrChallenge.com sought the help of PokerXFactor.com instructor and Omaha expert Chris “Fox” Wallace to break down the hand.
DurrrrChallenge.com: This hand seems like it pretty much played itself, with Dwan flopping the nuts and Antonius flopping top set. Is there any way for all of the money not to end up in the middle?
Wallace: It’s all about ranges and what you think the other player has. There is no way to get away from a set of 10s on the flop unless you knew your opponent really well. It’d have to be a player who you knew has a flush and who will fold his flush if the board pairs. You have a ton of outs.
The set of 10s are a 2:1 underdog. When the $16,000 bet by Dwan goes in, the pot is $30,000. I’d normally just call the extra $9,000, but with a guy like Durrrr, I’d probably shove. With a board like 10-8-4, the possibility exists that Durrrr is on a hand like 9-J-Q-K. It’s a very favorable Omaha hand and Durrrr could play weaker hands than that. Because two of the 10s are gone, he could have a flush or be on a big wrap straight, but he could likely play a set of fours or eights the same way.
Once you see Durrrr raise to $16,000, you know that you’re probably behind his range, but not by much. With other people, if I could outplay them or they’d pay me off when the board pairs, I’d just call Dwan’s initial bet and wait to see how things go.
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In the next hand we’ll examine, Antonius raised to $1,200 pre-flop, Dwan made it $3,600, and Antonius called to see the first three cards came 10-3-5 rainbow. Dwan checked, Antonius bet $5,200, Dwan raised to $22,800, and Antonius just called. The turn was the three of hearts. Dwan pushed in for $41,597 and Antonius called, revealing Ac-Kd-As-8d, while Dwan had 10s-9d-4d-7s. The river was the four of spades, giving Antonius aces-up and Dwan two pair, tens and fours.
DurrrrChallenge.com: Talk about Antonius slow playing his aces.
Wallace: This is another instance of these guys being overly tricky. When Durrrr re-raises to $3,600 pre-flop, Antonius could make it over $10,000 with his aces. I think I would do that against Durrrr, who might have a junk hand. If you’re being constantly aggressive, you could put in a pre-flop raise with aces just like you would with a worse hand. Antonius just calls pre-flop with aces and I think that’s a weak play. When the flop is that ragged, what do you do? You put yourself in a tough position. Antonius just figures it’s Durrrr and the line on how to beat him is make a pair and hold onto it.
Because the flop is so ragged, Antonius has to bet. When Durrrr raises, Antonius figures it’s time to get it in, but he wants to see what the turn is first. If the turn is a 2, 4 or 6 that’s not a diamond, Antonius is going to fold. Otherwise, he’s getting his money in. When the 3 falls, he knows he could beat a hand like 10s and 5s, which is similar to what Dwan had.
