BIKE POST MORTEM

There were a couple of hands that were important which I forgot to mention. Both came later in the session when I had well over $1k sitting in front of me. There was one player who was amassing chips by making all-in check-raises and huge river bets when you couldn't be sure if he had a made hand or not. I was able to take advantage of his bullying ways on a hand in which I limped in with 8-8. It was his button and he had been using it to repop the field whenever there were limpers. So after limping for $5, I called his raise to $25 and the flop came Jh-9h-4s. I check/called his continuation bet. I didn't figure him for top pair and it was going to cost me a lot of money if I was wrong because I was planning to check/call every street. By calling the flop, I'm representing some sort of Q-T or heart draw, so I was happy to see black bricks on both fourth and fifth street. I check/called a $60 bet on the turn, which was the 2c, and the river was the 7s. I checked again which removed T-8 from the list of hands he was concerned about. He basically had to put me on hearts or Q-T and maybe he couldn't even beat that. I knew that if he bet that card then I had the best hand for sure because he would have surely checked down anything with showdown value against my busted whatever, unless he really did have a big jack or better. There was nothing in his history to make me believe he had a big hand though, so I waited for him to methodically cut out the $140 and push it in. The moment we made eye contact, I said "call" so I could leave him with the impression that I had a read on him. He said "nice call" and mucked, then looked devastated when he saw the eights.

There was another hand less than an hour later against a different opponent who also was overcommitting preflop to thin the field then firing more shells postflop. I figured he was starting with good hands but they all couldn't be improving so I took my chances with 9s-9c and called to go heads-up after he put in a significant preflop raise from the button. The flop came Js-Jc-5s and I checked. He figured I missed the flop and put in a big bet. I called, once again holding a midpair and figuring the preflop raiser does not hold a jack in his hand. The turn was the Ts and I checked again. I was hoping he would play it slow enough to give me a look at the river for free but he peeked at his cards and decided another big bet was in order. The peek followed by a bet told me three things: he doesn't have a full house, he doesn't have a flush, and he likely has a big spade in his hand. It's also unlikely that he has a ten because there's no real value in betting it if he just caught. The worst thing I could be facing would be a jack with a big spade. Every other hand I was doing fine against. I thought his most likely holdings at this juncture were A-K and A-Q with a spade. I was horrified when the Qd hit the river because it just made both of the hands I had him on. I gave up and checked and lucky for me, the queen horrified him in the same manner and he gave up as well and showed 8s-8c.

I dragged a big pot and once again my opponent had question marks around his head, wondering how I played it the way I did. This guy had shown a touch of temper earlier when he began yelling at the dealer over a minor issue and now he was clearly tilting. Just for fun, on the very next hand, I flopped quad sevens and won another pot that he had raised preflop. I didn't make a ton of money with the 7-7-6-6-4 board but he called the river either with an overpair or an ace after checking behind me on the turn. He left the table after that hand and was gone for twenty minutes. Later in the night, I kept feeling the weight of his stare and when I would peek, I always found the same expression on his face as if he was capable of going postal at any moment.

So those two hands were the buildup to my comment that I should have been considered unbluffable but for whatever reason, it became sport for the other guys to try to take pots away from me on later streets and mostly they succeeded since I couldn't imagine why anybody would try to bluff me. I guess at these medium stakes, the players all feel they are good enough that they trust their move-making ability, then I mistake their hubris for confidence in their hand, not their ability. I would have made several hundred additional if I would not have given so much respect to my opponents over the course of the session. One final hand as the best example of this:

I raised preflop with Tc-9c and got a caller on the button. The flop came 7c-5c-4s and I fired at it. He called, the turn came Th, giving me top pair with the flush draw. I fired again and he raised me. Judging by the size of his raise, the size of the pot, and the size of his stack remaining to fire on the river, I just couldn't imagine that he didn't have a set since it was evident that he was milking me. I considered moving him in for his final $70 with my flush draw and I should have, but I merely called, figuring I would get the $70 if a club came and I would save it if he shoves after I check. The river was the 7s and I checked. He immediately shoved his final $70 into a pot with over $200 in it. After I called the turn, is there any way he stacks off with anything less than trips when offered the chance to check it down? I didn't fold instantly. First I said "I can beat the 5-4 now" and he said "so can I". I should have called instantly when he said that but I'm still playing the math more than the people and I just couldn't imagine that he would bet the 5-4 after the seven came. He offered to show me his hand if I folded, which again should have prompted me to move in instantly, but I folded like a donk and he proudly showed A-Q and dragged the pot.