Are you Korean? Of course, I call! ☎️

The South Koreans are my favorite Asians to play against. They are capable of making big moves and big calls or turn up with some amazing hands at the showdown. The lucky guys always wake up with a monster on their own straddle and squeeze over 4 people. I need to ask them which Gods they pray to and start doing the same.

Resorts World Casino, 1-2 blinds, 9-handed

It’s folded to a South Korean on a big stack, a bluff candidate face in a neat suit, who makes 6x from CO.

 I understand that he opens 5 or 6x with all of his range, unless he limps, so his sizing does not necessarily mean a premium holding, which would be the case for many other players. He is not playing to many hands, I saw him openlimp in position, so when he’s actually raising, I expect him to have pocket pairs, suited aces, broadways. I have not seen this player at a showdown yet, so it’s my assumption based on the amount of the hands he have been raising, limping/overlimping with.

I have 90 bb behind and look at A♦️J♦️ on the button. 

Due to my stack size and his opening size 3-betting would be awkward and give me less space to manoever; I had two tight-passive guys on the blinds, who would not squeeze or come along with a call too often anyways, so min 3-betting would not change much. Flatting and playing smaller pot with a bigger SPR is the best idea here.

Flop comes K❤️J♣️3❤️, my opponent bets 9bb and all I can do is call. 

Either he smashed this board or has an underpair and gives up on the turn.

Turn is a Q♦️, he checks.

It’s either AQ/AJ/Q10 or giving up with an underpair, because lots of his one-pair hands have improved or picked up some equity and would continue betting (KQ, JQ, AK would not check, sets and straights either). 

I check behind. Betting makes no sense, because the only worse hands that would call are maybe K/Q/J-10 and the flush draws, but most of his flush draws would have a gutshot to a straight or a made straight, in both cases he could put me all-in, which would be nasty.

Turn is a 7❤️, my opponent bets the pot, polarizing his hand into a flush or a bluff and I feel my third pair is good here too often. The most likely suited aces he has are AQ and A-10 and I expect him to bet the turn with them. My guess is he would be more likely to openlimp with a smaller suited ace, or even if he did open 6x with these hands, he might have bet the the turn and be willing to get it in, given my stack size. I might be wrong here, but, firstly, he is South Korean and, secondly, his smile looks genuinely uncomfortable as I make my “I smell bullshit, it makes no sense” speech.

Had it been a local reg, I would have folded quick enough (they never overbet bluff), but against this particular guy I must oblige.

“Ok, if you have Ace-rag of hearts, congratulations, it’s a call”.

The Villain proudly flips over the pocket fours 🤡

The turn was definitely too bad for him to continue bluffing, because I could have lots of draws that wouldn’t fold and some likely two pair combos. 

When I check back the river, that excludes the strongest hands, so I am left with one pair or a flush draw, which gets there on the river. AK/AQ would have more likely 3-bet pre, which leaves me with occasional smaller suited kings, AJ and smaller suited jacks.

If he bet smaller, it would at least resemble a thin valuebet with a K (but what kind of king, that opens 6x would check the turn?), when he bets big, he looks fishy, because, again, why would a flush draw and a gutshot check the turn? The best idea would have been to give up. You can’t win every hand you play.

CONCLUSION 

It helps to notice your opponents’ preflop betting patterns.

Nationality patterns are legit.