Most poker players understand that they want to maximize the return on investment they input into hands. Typically, this involves playing hands in a manner that increases winnings and minimizes losses incurred. However, there are sometimes considerations to be made in a game that go beyond what will make the most profit given the immediate hand played. A major contributor to a player’s long-term success is maintaining access to great games and having others give action despite being a regular winner in a game. This is often achieved by how one conducts themselves rather than the decisions they make in the gameplay of hands.
One example of this came up in a hand of fixed limit $30/$60 mix I played. In this hand, we played the triple draw variant known as badeucey, and my opponent was a player who lost the majority of the time. Without getting into too much detail, my opponent effectively tabled their hand early when there was still 1 draw available to both of us. From seeing his hand face-up, I quickly surmised that I was guaranteed half the pot and had a 10% chance to scoop the entire pot if I drew 2 good cards to complete my hand.
Immediately my opponent complained and raised his voice as he said “Hey, this isn’t fair, I didn’t realize there was still 1 draw left!” My immediate reaction was to consider long term implications with this opponent rather than how I could maximize every dollar available at that moment. First, he was obviously checking the river since his hand was face-up and I was second to act. Next, it was up to me how I wanted to respond and handle the situation. I was 10% to scoop, and by betting the river I could win an extra $60. Therefore, my equity on the 2-card draw was $6. As such, if I declined my bet on the river, I would only be sacrificing $6 of value. All things considered, the equity of keeping this opponent happy in the long run and being excited to play with me far outweighed the $6 equity I could gain by betting and winning in this spot.
Ultimately, I looked up at my opponent and said “No worries, I am going to draw two cards, and I will check river no matter what I get.” This made him happy and deescalated the situation. I ended up bricking the draw, but even if I had made my hand, I would have been fine with the chop since I would have kept an opponent who regularly donates happy.
Wrong Game? No Problem. Refund!
Another similar example came up in a hand of $8/$16 mix that I played. In mixed games, it is much more common for players to misread hands than in other variants, often including their own holdings. This is especially true for players who are new to mixed games and aren’t familiar with all the different game variants in play, or who may not be paying attention when the game changes.
In this case, my opponent missed that the game changed to 2-7 Drawmaha, a 5 Card Omaha variant where half the pot is awarded to the best traditional Omaha hand while the other half goes to the lowest hand in a player’s hole cards. For the hole card portion, the lowest possible hand would be 23457 (comprising a 7-low and no straight). In the hand played, my opponent did not realize that the game was being played for low in their hand, and instead played for high in their hand. He called down my bets as I fired every street, and on the river tabled 77554 for two pair in their hand without any reasonable connection to the board. As such, I easily scooped the pot, and my opponent was disappointed that they had just given away all those bets playing the wrong game.
Now, I have no obligation to give my opponent anything in this spot, but once again I thought about the long-term implications. This player was new to mixed games, and if the taste he walked away with would be “this game is too complicated and the players are unforgiving,” he may be unlikely to play again. On the other hand, if I gave him back his last bet, he may remember that “mixed game players are the type he wants to play poker with” (even if he isn’t good at the game yet). As such, I told him to take his last bet back and saved him $16. That was an investment I was making in him returning action to me in the future, and I’d make the same decision again for him or somebody else in a similar spot.
Conclusion
Players often talk about how they want to maximize equity for best long-term profit. What can sometimes get overlooked is that being “good for a game” can also yield great value in the long run. It can also serve to keep good action in the game, as well as to encourage opponents to keep playing regardless of their results. Furthermore, it has the added value of increasing the likelihood that you’ll be granted access to home games that may be juicier than games available at a local casino. At the end of the day, you’ll end up gaining a reputation of being a nice guy while simultaneously increasing your long-term EV.
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