Hardly anything has been left unsaid about the final hand since Rounders' release some 18 years ago. Whether we like Mike's play or not, one thing is certain: the script made things all too easy for him, with a tilting opponent and the absolute nuts throughout the hand.
So let' try something different in this round of our Rounders discussion:
Hand summary after Mike's 2BB bet of $200 and KGB's call pre-flop:
Flop: .6♦7♠10♥ Pot $400
Mike checks. KGB bets $2,000. Mike calls.
Turn: 7♣ Pot $4,400
Though our friend @Advoghado is of a different opinion ;), most of us would agree with @Jordan Hooper and @Socius that 'Mike played the hand perfectly' in light of what he knew about his opponent (and the absolute nuts secured by the script). But what about Teddy KGB's play? Why did he bet the way he did and what was his final hand?
Teddy KGB's undisclosed two starting cards and final hand have been the object of much speculation ranging from a set, through two pair, to pure air. And in one of the latest analyses to appear (2015), poker pro and coach @Jonathan Little put him on J-8:
"The way Teddy reacts after Mike’s call with the nuts leads me to believe he was bluffing instead of over valuing a worse made hand. If I was forced to put Teddy on an exact hand, it would be Jx-8x, likely with a backdoor flush draw. This is because J-8 has a draw to the nuts yet it still loses to almost all of Mike’s range. He also has an 8 blocker, making it a bit more difficult for Mike to have the nuts. Of course, his river bluffing range is certainly wider than only J-8, but J-8 (and J-9) are prime semi-bluffing candidates due to having blockers and also having a draw to the nuts."
By modern heads-up rules, the dealer gets to act first pre-flop and then last for the rest of the hand. But in this case, we see Mike acting first throughout. Was it simply a matter of different rules, a mistake on the part of the filmmakers, or did Teddy KGB limp pre-flop? If he only called the big blind, what does that imply about his hand?
Did Teddy KGB really put Mike on a draw? If he thought he was facing a missed draw, was the all-in on the river the best move?
And, of course, the ultimate question:
Grab some Oreos for inspiration and share your thoughts with the two hashtags #RKHstrategy and #Rounders1 or in the comments section below! Now over to you, @Startling Grope :)
has almost nothing wrong, the only risk in controlling the opponent is giving him a chance of making a full
Greatest film on poker. I learned not to overestimate never two pair
Rounders is probably the best-liked poker movie of all time and part of the 'initiation' of every ambitious poker beginner and fan.
The final hand between Teddy KGB and Mike McDermott comes up time and again in poker forums and groups so let's uphold the tradition and bring it into the RankingHero spotlight in our turn :)
Hand summary after Mike's 2BB bet of $200 and KGB's call pre-flop:
Flop: .6♦7♠10♥ Pot $400
Mike checks. KGB bets $2,000. Mike calls.
Turn: 2♣ Pot $4,400
Mike checks. KGB bets $4,400. Mike calls.
River: A♠ Pot $13,200
Mike checks. KGB moves all-in. Mike calls.
It’s been a long time since we talked strategy on RankingHero and we’d like to start a discussion on a very famous hand featuring a flopped straight. Starting this Thursday, we’ll be asking a series of questions about it but first we challenge you to identify it!
If you DO know the hand, please feel free to suggest topics of discussion that you think would be interesting for the community. Send a private message to @Ina Rkh or @Annie RKH with your proposed question about the hand!
Every answer gets 1 point!
Every correct answer gets 5 points!
Every suggested topic of discussion/question about the hand gets 5 points!
Don’t forget the RKH team has a special surprise in store for you (to be revealed after the end of this mission) so make sure you join in today and start scoring those points ;)
Skilful 19 Jan 2016
Nice one, looks like fun!
Pokerfisk 19 Jan 2016
the final hand from rounders
Annie RKH 21 Jan 2016