High Stakes Hand Analysis with Pro Player Melika Razavi

High stakes regular, magician, pageant queen, and CoinPoker ambassador Melika Razavi loves hitting the cash game tables. To give our community some insight into her pot-winning strategies, Melika will walk you through two great hands step-by-step.

94s Heads-Up – Enneye Open to 6000CHP

I defend with 94s. It’s a hand that is too good to fold if the open size is 3x or less, and it’s a hand that is too bad to 3bet since you can’t get a straight with it. A hand I’d much rather 3-bet bluff with is 96s, 97s or 98s.

These hands have higher equity, and in 3bet pots I want to have hands that I can continue barrel with on the turn when I pick up a flush or straight draw.

The Flop

It’s a standard check call since I obviously don’t have AA, QQ or AQ in my calling range pre-flop. Therefore I am careful with check-raising flops where I can’t represent a strong hand.

My opponent won’t believe I am strong and if I, for example. had an Ace, A3 or 33 I would also check-call to protect my check-calling range from being just bluffs and draws.

The Turn

A double flush-draw so I check-raised to represent 45, A3, A2, 33 and 22 for value. I really like this play since I’m blocking my opponent from having 45 by having a 4 in my hand. I also have lots of equity with a straight draw and gutshot, and I can’t really win the pot when I miss the draw after check-calling the turn out of position and river goes check check.

My plan was to bet the river on spades, diamonds and a 5 (straight) since I will make the same play with some of my diamond draws. By doing so, I get my opponent to fold his draws that would beat me in showdown if I give up or check-call the turn.

The River

I also expect my opponent to give up most rivers with one pair and maybe even two pairs when diamonds hit and I bet. If the river is an irrelevant blank card then, depending on what I think about my opponent and the game flow, I may decide to bluff anyway.

If river is an Ace or a king I would definitely give up ,since those cards hit my opponents range better and therefore he is more likely to call.

Keep an eye out for Melika on the CoinPoker cash game tables, and keep an eye on our socials for more live streams and hand analyses coming soon.