A Mouse bites the Jackal

You won't see a mousy player like Mike Sexton do this kind of play too often - at least without a VERY strong hand. Matusow actually didn't make any mistakes on this hand and was just being assertive on the turn and river. When you are profiling online, use this as an example of a really good read though - and if you are up against a Jackal like Matusow (gambler in tournament indicator profile grid) then there WILL be a percentage of times when your opponent has absolutely nothing. This was one of those times.

This is pretty deep in a WSOP tournament and the big blind is 10,000 so there is quite a bit of money in every pot before the cards are even dealt.  Matusow is on the button and limps in with K2h.  Negreanu fills in the small blind with his (bust'em hand) offsuit connectors 78 and we all know Daniel loves playing these.  Mike Sexton in the BB checks his option and he should as it’s only 73o in his hand.

Flop is 9Q3 giving the Mike Matusow a flush draw and WPT announcer Mike Sexton bottom pair, however a free turn card results as all players just check.  The turn is an Ace and the blinds check to Matusow in position on the button bets out 20,000 into a 30,000 pot.  This is equivelant to a min raise at 2 times  the big blind so it could be considered as a weak stab bet at an orphan pot.  It also looks like a feeler bet that says “I have a Q, do you have the Ace to come back over me?”  It works as the stab bet as Negreanu folds but Sexton stops and thinks for a bit.

The ONLY thing Sexton can think is that Matusow has nothing but is bluffing at the pot or on a draw.  If he had an ace he raises preflop and if he had anything in the flop he puts out his feeler there.  The river is a J and looks like it may have given out a straight to someone.  Matusow fires off another bullet of 60k into a pot of 70k.  It’s 60k to Sexton for 130k now in the middle.  Incredibly, Sexton makes the call reading the Mouths bluff as a bluff because basically the ONLY thing his paired 3 CAN beat is a bluff.  As Daniel said, Sexton pwned Matusow!

This was incredible reading skills on the part of Mike Sexton. He seemed to have pieced it together quite rightly, and called it rather quick, given the stakes. We see it online as the donks getting lucky and playing stupid.  Well, usually that is the case.  Here however take a look, Matusow LIMPED ON from the button!!!  We call this the BB special online.  Granted, Sexton really took some big risks playing post flop making his calls.  But as in online poker, Mike made the mistake of not raising from the blind.  Either FOLD that junk weak suited King or raise and steal the blinds.  Sexton HAD to be thinking the same thing, he is SO weak, he can’t even try to steal my blind and they are so huge?  Matusow should not have been in this hand and then trying to steal it post, yes, that was played right.  But Sexton read it as weakness without any preflop action.

So bet it or fold it in this situation next time and you will lose less often to the BB special.  That cheap flop can cost you your stack!