One Minute Mystery: The Case of Playing the Cosenza
We're in Level 1 of a five-table tournament, with blinds of 100/200 and starting chip stacks of 5,000.
The players aren't great, but aren't terrible.
We raise to 500 with Ad-10d, and the button and big blind call.
We check the rainbow flop of Q-10-3, the button checks and the big blind leads out for 400. We call, the button call.
The turn is a Jack, and we check again. So does the button, and big blind again bets 400. We now check-raise to 900, and the big blind calls.
The river is a 10.
What does our opponent have, and what do we do?
Times file photo
Christopher Cosenza is co-host of the longest running poker podcast on the planet, Ante Up! He started playing poker seriously in 2003 and his favorite players are Phil Ivey and Kenna James, though he tends to act like Phil Hellmuth if you make a bad play against him.
Scott Long, Ante Up!'s other co-host, is the author of the monthly Bet on It column in tbt*. He began gambling way too young (don't tell the fuzz!) and in the seventh grade, named his state "Gambleland" for a school project (State Animal? Loan shark, of course).
I'm confused...why is the BB always acting last?
Posted by: OhCaptain | October 26, 2007 at 05:27 PM
You're not the only one confused OhCaptain. Maybe it's part of the mystery.
Posted by: Scott Long | October 26, 2007 at 05:44 PM
I thought the Cosenza was A-10 off not sooooooted.............
Suited it becomes so much more powerful! ;-)
Posted by: Michael Paul | October 26, 2007 at 06:45 PM
BB has AQ and we move all in
Posted by: | October 27, 2007 at 09:01 AM
BB has AK, fold to his straight
Posted by: | October 27, 2007 at 11:33 AM
While I wait for the tournament director to come over and straighten out this order problem, I'd assume that BB has AQ. Raising from position (acting last) would not require a monster hand. You probably wouldn't raise with it out of position...but then again...the BB seems to be in position...I'm still really confused how to play this hand...
Posted by: OhCaptain | October 28, 2007 at 12:58 AM
Hmm, was I calling the button the BB? I will take a look!!!
Posted by: columbo | October 29, 2007 at 03:51 PM
i think the second bet is a continuation to the first one and that we are ahead in this hand. Since half my money is already in the pot i'm moving all in, altough i might only get called if i'm behind. If i am, well, too bad!
Posted by: guikalil from brazil | October 30, 2007 at 12:37 PM
You might get called by AQ, KQ, QJ. He's played this too weakly to have QT. Yeah, I have to think you're ahead and might get called by a worse hand with an all-in bet.
Posted by: Godard | November 01, 2007 at 11:33 PM