Cooler
PokerStars 2/4 No Limit Hold’em – 4 players
Hero (CO): $400.00
BTN: $406.56
SB: $190.90
BB: $511.23
Pre Flop: ($6.00) Hero is CO with A K
Hero raises to $12, 2 folds, BB raises to $28, Hero calls $16
(I raise to 3x the BB and my opponent makes a small re-raise. I can either 4-bet here or just call. Normally, I will go the 4-bet route, but sometimes I like to just smooth call to disguise the strength of my hand and to mix up my play.)
Flop: ($58) A K 3 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks
(I flop a big hand, top two pair. When the BB checks to me, my first instinct is that he has a hand like KQ or maybe a pocket pair below a K, like QQ-TT. I decide to check behind because I don’t want to blow my opponent off his hand.)
Turn: ($58) 7 (2 players)
BB bets $30, Hero calls $30
(The turn is a blank. My opponent now leads out on the turn for just over half the pot. I interpret this as a feeler bet with his pocket pair or lone K to try and get a feel of where he stands in the hand. I could check-raise here but that just shows extreme strength and would likely blow him off his hand. I decide to just call.)
River: ($118) K (2 players)
BB bets $75, Hero raises to $175, BB raises to $378.23 and is all-in, Hero calls $167 and is all-in
(My two pair turns into a full house on the river and my only thought is that I now hope my opponent has a K in his hand and we can get all the money in the pot.)
Final Pot: $802
BB shows A A
BB wins $799
(Rake: $3.00)
Well my wish came true and all the money went in the pot on the river. Unfortunately, my opponent held the only hand that could be me. This is what is called a cooler in the poker world. There was absolutely no way that I was not going to go broke on this hand.











