Saturday at Ho-Chunk Poker room. As usual half of the table are tight players, with two bigger stacks about $800. I'm getting no cards, and I decided to play slow. I won two pots with 9,6 my favorite hand. Once flop came 9,6,6 and I also made a flush with suited 9,6. When 8/16 limit table broke up one of the players came to our table. Night before he was hitting every hand, and every river and he cashed out over $2000. He set in the empty seat on my left with $750 but he could play only table max $300. He's one of those that like to talk to everyone at the table at once. We learned fast that he is from Chicago, and the big limit games he plays. Usually he plays limit 20/40, and .... "underground games", and… I asked him is underground game when they play in someone’s basement.
He started with a few raises by just throwing a bunch of red chips in a pot. Once we saw him showing pocket pair of eight and he made preflop raise $40. He kept repeating that he is a "limit" player. I see players like that every day, and they can't last because they depend on thy lucky card on the river. that river card was working for him last night. Can it be two nights in a row?
Than came a hand a I made a two pair on the flop, aces and eights. I checked and the big stack made a bet. When I made a bet on the river, the big shot from Chicago started to move his chips. He made a stack of about $150 and after some time mucked his hand. Looks like he thought to bluff me based on me check on the flop and the turn. The big stack paid me off with his ace.
Next hand I had A.J off suit on the button and raised $17 preflop, and got three calls. Flop was good and I made another bet $40, and only big Chicago mouth called. He checked the turn card, and I didn't want to risk betting into straight. river card was the worst possible. It made to possible straights, and the flush. Chicago guy was first to act i he fast made it $100. I start thinking about my bad luck and wondering why is this happening to me. He was leaning back in his chair, with his hands crossed on his chest. I started to recall what I red about tells from the books by Joe Navarro, and Mike Caro. Suddenly my opponent turned left and started to talk to a kid on his left. I saw a big banner "Strong is weak". Than I remembered that when I bluff, I always look a side and talk without any reason, trying to look cool, and I have to correct that.
I realized he is bluffing. I was sure he wanted to bluff previous hand, but he didn't and he can not stop himself twice in a row. Well, he may have a nine, but his body was screaming bluff. He called a time on me, and kept talking to a guy on his left. I took another ten seconds, and said All-In. He mucked his hand and said "you have better kicker". But I didn't show you my hand, how do you know? He replied "this was just probing bet. Really, with $100? He kept talking about his plays from the limit games. I said you are a "limited" player and I don't think you know what are you talking about. About 30 minutes later I got him in another hand with pocket aces. When I left he was on his fifth rebuy and $1500 down.
Action on the table was good all night. We got a new player. I didn't know him and he was wery quiet. He didn't talk at all, and with any cards he was pshing chips in the pot. I changed the seat and he was in my old seat so I sterted to think I made a bad seat change. I didn't have good cards but when I got again 9,6 of diamonds I told to a guy next to me "this pot is mine". I raised $10 preflop, called a $75 raise on the turn and rivered a flush. A new guy at the table paid me off. A few hands later I was UTG and raised suited preflop. The big blind and the quiet guy called. I floped two pair and try to trap someone. Big blind made a bet on the flop and two of us just called. The river was scary. Big blind made a $25 bet. I was just thinking about runner-runner ... when quiet guy pushed $100 out of turn. He was sitting across the table and my cards were visible. I didn't understand his move. Is he suited and hit the flush, or he is happy with 5,6 off suit? Also I couldn't put big blind on a hand. I decided just to call and see what will quiet guy do next. He just pushed his $100 back into pot. The big blind folded and it was on me to decide. $75 was not much. I had pot odds but I was not sure was he on the flush draw or he is just playing bad. Something was wrong. I don't se why woud he stay in the hand after the flop bet. I said a few time "you can't have six". I lost so many hands when I hit the flop so one more doesn't make a difference. I fliped my cards and said "I call". He just quietly mucked his hand.