How are you going to win the hand?

I really don't know why some people play poker. If you just want to gamble take your chance at blackjack or play red or black on the roulette wheel – it's the nearest thing you'll get to a 50:50 bet and your money will probably last longer if you're smart. Which you're not. Because you're playing poker badly, raising then triple barrelling with any 2 cards hoping you can bluff someone off a decent sized pot. Which works for a bit until you get worked out or run your 8-4 off into a decent hand and lose a buy in. Then you rebuy and repeat until you're broke. I told you that you weren't smart earlier on didn't I?

But I like these halfwits at the table – they add action and as long as you're prepared to wait for a decent hand and have the stomach to get outdrawn a few times they're good for the bankroll. I'm pretty patient at the table and if I'm card dead I get involved in the best activity known to man – beer! Lots and lots of beer!

Which is where this story begins. I've been sat down for an hour or so and I've barely seen a flop. There's a complete tool at the table raising, 3 or 4 betting preflop then jamming the flop with air. His variance is high and he's on his 3rd or 4th buy in and is sat on about $600 whilst I've still got about $275 of my initial buy in. Unfortunately I'm card dead and even worse this tool is directly on my left so I've not limped at all, knowing that this guy is raising 80% of the time. He also likes to button straddle then raise. I've noticed that he often raises without looking at his cards as well, although I don't think anyone else has noticed this. He also likes to berate an opponent when he's won a pot – usually by bluffing and turning over the aforementioned 8-4 and proclaiming himself to be the best poker player because he's winning most of the pots (a different halfwit actually used that line here https://ayecarambapoker.blogspot.com/2018/11/i-only-need-to-win-one-hand.html?m=1). Essentially he's a tool and most of the table are gunning for him. But I've been getting a few beers in me so I'm prepared to sit and wait for a decent hand.

So aforementioned tool is on the button and straddles. There's a few limps in and I look down at A-K suited. Now this is the 1st decent hand I've picked up for a while but given I've got Mr Raisey behind me I over-limp. Tool raises to $30 and I've noticed 2 things. He's not looked at his card, I know this because I've kept an eye on him and I say card because he's only been dealt 1 and he's not looked at it. If he'd looked even this twit would have worked out he's missing more than just some marbles. It folds round to me and I have a decision to make – if I raise he might check his card (at this point he'll probably ask for another 1) then I can get stacks in knowing I'm probably ahead or, at worst, in a flip. Or I can be sneaky. I've seen this on a couple of occasions and some casinos allow you to showdown 1 card (only in the event of being dealt 1 card though, if you have 2 then 2 must be shown) but most (including this one) say that both cards need to be face up to win a hand and a hand is dead if you can't showdown 2. 

So I'm going to be sneaky (for clarification I wouldn't do this if he hadn't acted like a tool, he'd constantly berated individuals at the table and he wasn't a nice individual. Players can play any way they like and I don't mind but his behaviour at the table towards other players made me decide to do this). So I call $30 and the flop comes out. I'm not interested in it as I know I'm winning so I check, tool bets about $100 and I call. Turn is an ace which I check, tool bets $100, I shove my last $140 and tool thinks for a bit. It's an obvious snap call to anyone not paying attention but I think that tool has realised what's happened. But I don't know if he realises that I know what's happened.

He glares at me and looks mightily pissed off. I smile back at him with a look on my face that can effectively be read as "How are you going to win the hand?". Now I think he knows that I know. If he wants anything resembling respect he should quietly fold then he can go back to playing like an idiot. He doesn't. He whines. Like a little girl. 

"I've only got 1 card" he now pipes up. "The hand should be a misdeal". He explains this to the dealer and the floor is called. Details are relayed accurately and the player is told his hand is dead and any chips in the pot are gone. He keeps whining like a little girl. He asks me to agree to him getting another card and I just say it's the floor's decision. Even if it's up to me I don't want to risk him sucking out to win an extra $40 with a $500 downside – my thoughts on that further down.

I'm pushed the pot and he's still whining whilst half of the table is laughing – he loses all his remaining chips over the next few hands then storms off. 

Looking back I know I've not been overly ethical during the hand but I've effectively done nothing wrong. It's a player's responsibility to protect their own hand and this guy should have requested the missing card before raising preflop and at the very latest, after I'd called. I'm sure he was trying to look smart by raising and then would have been smug showing he can win a pot with only 1 card but his plan has hideously backfired. Then he's tried to dig his way out of a hole by digging, then kept digging until he's in too deep. Should I have raised this with the dealer and would anyone have done this differently?

When he asked if I was agreeable to him receiving another card here were my thoughts (albeit the floor had said his hand was dead) and I don't think I should have agreed to it if it were up to me: I think the board was A-10-9-2 maybe with 2 of 1 suit but not of any help to me. 

Let's say he's got a pair – obviously this is the best hand he can have with only 1 card and I'm ahead with TPTK. So he's got 2 outs to make a set (or trips if the river is kind) so that's 8.4%. There are 10 cards for him to be dealt that give him 2 pair (21.3%) before even getting to the river so even if he misses 2 pair he's then got another 3 outs (6.5%)

Or he could have J or 8 then be looking for a straight draw which whilst unlikely gives him more outs – around 5%ish I think.

By my reckoning there's not a lot of absolute air hands that can't get there so he's anywhere from 2% (holding Q or 5 and needing runner, runner) to nearly 35% (holding a pair) so agreeing to risk $500ish to win $40 would not have been in my favour.