Not a bad suck-out. I’m not really used to being on the giving end of those, so the feeling has a certain novelty to it. In my defense, I’d like to believe my reasoning was correct, given the information I had in every step of the way. Let’s have a look.

SB posts the small blind of $0.50
FPaulsson posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FPaulsson [2d 4d]
UTG calls $1
Everyone else folds
SB calls $0.50
FPaulsson checks
*** FLOP *** [4s 3c Td]

Comment: I flopped second pair, bottom kicker. Not too much to get excited about, but with the weak limpers around, I figured I might be ahead. I’d been playing tight up until this point, so if I bet, chances are they’d just fold.

SB checks
FPaulsson bets $1
UTG raises to $2

Comment: What? Okay, he limped preflop, and now he all of a sudden comes alive? What does this bet here mean, exactly? A-10? Hardly a limping hand, and he had been raising preflop a lot. He either had a low set, or he was on a draw and wanted to gain control. I felt pretty sure. Because I figured that I knew what he had, I also figured I could outplay him.

SB folds
FPaulsson calls $1

*** TURN *** [4s 3c Td] [Kd]

The turn suddenly gave me 9 more outs. Not bad. And if my read on him was right, this king didn’t help him. Time to take advantage of that. If he has a 10, a checkraise will fight him off, and if he has a set, he’ll reraise.

FPaulsson checks
UTG bets $2
FPaulsson raises to $4
UTG raises to $6

Comment: Interesting. Now I’m sure he has a set. I still have outs, though, and my implied odds aren’t bad at all. If he has a set, he’s going to pay me off when the last diamond falls. I should have check/folded on the flop, but I didn’t, and folding now is not going to repent that mistake. In fact, folding now would be a mistake. My checkraise was my way of finding out what he had. I’m pretty sure he would have folded a pair of tens here.

FPaulsson calls $2
*** RIVER *** [4s 3c Td Kd] [Jd]

Comment: Lucky bastard me. I hit my flush, and since I had been aggressive since the flop, my opponent is not likely to believe I have it. No slowplaying here on the river, let’s go to war.

FPaulsson bets $2
UTG raises to $4

Comment: Yeah, either he has a set, or he somehow picked up the same flush draw I did, and I’m actually behind. Scary thought. But I made my read, and I’m sticking to hit - I have the best hand here.

FPaulsson raises to $6
UTG raises to $8
FPaulsson calls $2
*** SHOW DOWN ***
UTG shows [Kh Ks] (three of a kind, Kings)
FPaulsson shows [2d 4d] (a flush, King high)
FPaulsson wins the pot ($34) with a flush, King high

Comment: Okay, my read was a little off, but the principle was right. He had a set, he just didn’t make it until the turn. He slowplayed kings from an early position. The betting pattern, barring preflop, makes perfect sense now. Later in the session, I noticed that he limped all of his really big hands (including AKo, which I just can’t agree with). I got a few chances to use that knowledge against him. Here, I played my hand ultra-aggressively, got ridiculously lucky and paid off. Make no mistake, I got lucky here.

One important note I wanted to make regarding this hand, though, is this: I called his reraise on the turn, knowing - or at least very strongly suspecting - that I was up against a set, which meant I was drawing only to a diamond, my other outs (the deuces and fours) were no good. But that’s what made it worth it: Had he not had a set, my turn action would have been unprofitable; He would only pay me off the amount I needed if he actually did have a monster. My checkraise would (probably) have picked off a hand like a pair of tens, making it profitable.

The bottomline? I got lucky, and although I’m happy with my play from the turn and forward, I had no business betting and calling on the flop. But I’m still enjoying the novelty of being the suck-outor, rather than the suck-outee.