I'm seated and a new game is beginning. I love when this happens because we all start with the same amount of chips.. despite Commerce's terrible rule of a max buy in capped at 20x the big blind in mid to low stakes.
Early on, I'm in a small pot where I'm leading out betting a bit above the min. I have 6-2 off. The flop is K-3-4.. turn..6.. river 5. Seat 5 is smooth calling me until the river. He reraises me.. Something is telling me my 2 is no good and he made a higher straight.. he totally has a 7. For some reason I just can't call here.. when that 5 came out, I knew. I fold showing the 2 face up. Seat 5 does a double take and wide-eyed he shows his 7 and collects the pot. "Good fold.." he says.. I can't explain how I really knew his reraise was genuine.. my gut knew. We had just sat and this was an early hand so I didn't have much info on his body language but there must have been something familiar about his reaction to that 5 and following it up with a bet.
Another hand I found really interesting was when I got inside my opponent's head.. so much so that after the hand there was a physical release by way of a sigh and fall of the shoulders and back by my opponent. I call a min raise with A-J off in the small blind. We are heads up in the pot and I check blind. The flop is Q-10-3 with 2 diamonds. He bets the min again. I quickly call and check blind again. The turn is a meaningless 7. He bets 4 after a little thought and I call. The river is a 5 of diamonds. I go right for my chips and look at his.. he picks his up as if he's ready to instantly call my bet or go all in.. he doesn't have that much left but enough that it'd be a decent bet into the pot. I know this is a defensive move.. he is trying to intimidate me by giving false information.. that he'd insta-call my bet or as if his chips are going in the pot and that's that.. It almost always means he's really weak or scared.. and by his bets on each street.. I know he has no confidence in his hand. I ask, "How much do you have left?". He lifts his hands upward showing everything remaining in both hands.. I estimate and bet out about what he has.. He insta-folds JJ face up... sighs.. and his body collapses back into his chair. I just knew I could out play him in this hand.. He never bet his hand with any confidence.. he must really hate Jacks (don't we all?).
UTG, I look down at AA. I bet out my standard raise for this game. I am called by a newcomer to the table. He is still waiting for his chips.. joined the table with a gentlemen he knew next to him.. and is chatty. Seat 5 (another new guy) calls on the button.. the blinds fold. The flop 8-7-3 rainbow. New guy in seat 7 bets out a little more than pot.. seat 5 goes all in. I struggle with a decision.. right after seat 7 bets out.. he shows his cards to his friend next to him.. at this moment I know for sure he has 8-7. There's every reason for him to be in this pot with that hand.. and seat 5.. he could easily have flopped trip 3's.. What to do... well, because I ignored the voice that won't shut up.. I go all in. Seat 7 calls.. and shows 8-7.. seat 5.. shows 4-5. Turn.. is a 6. Seat 5 hits his gut shot straight and wins the whole pot. Uh!! Why didn't I listen to myself.. Why do I hold AA so high when the flop comes out.. it's just a pair at this point..
Well.. I took my last wrinkled up sad looking bill out of my pocket.. handed it to the dealer and asked to buy back in short.. for my big come back. The table laughed.. but I needed a come back. I played so well and then ignored my gut. The next hand I tripled up with 6-6.. the next hand after that, I won a big pot with K-K. I made the come back and was back.. I played for 6 hours yesterday.. my brain was done. I was so tired... so I came home and played a quick tournament online. lost (when will I learn?)... and crashed.
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