I had been playing $1/$2 no-limit hold 'em for about an hour at a table with a fair number of experienced players. I think I had established myself as a "ABC" player - a guy who doesn't try a lot of tricky or fancy plays but is straight forward and predictable. I have talked about table image before and have recommended trying to establish yourself as a "lucky maniac" so that you will get action when you have strong hands - but this strategy only works if you bring enough money to lose a fair bit off the top in the hopes of getting back more later. When you bring only $100 to a $1/$2 game you have to be more cautious. The point is that I knew my opponents were observant enough to have me pegged as a "by the book" type.
I was in late position with 8d 9d - a sneaky hand that can improve in different ways. A guy in early position raised to $17 and there was one caller before it was my turn to act. With only $115 in front of me I probably shouldn't be gambling on speculative hands, but I felt that the potential upside was great. I called and so did the Big Blind, so the four of us saw the flop:
Board after the flop: 9h 9s 6h
I really couldn't ask for a better flop! It will be very difficult for my opponents to put me on a nine. Remember, I have been playing both tight and "by the book" so my $17 pre-flop call means I should be holding something like AQ. What makes this hand particularly good for me is that I am last to act. I know that I still don't grasp the full importance of position, but this is certainly a situation where being last to act is a clear advantage - anyone who hit will probably bet to protect their hand from the flush draw in hearts and I can trap them! Everyone checks it to me, which tells me that they all probably have over-cards; hands like AJ or KQ. I decide to play it like I'm on the flush draw myself and make a bet small enough not to scare the over-cards away. The pot is $69 so I throw a measly $15 in.
What happens next is a surprise: the big blind raises it to $30. The other two fold. What would a guy be holding to make a move like this? He could have all sorts of hands, but I think the most likely big pocket pairs or Ah xh. I am very scared of A9 and 66, which are also possible, but I am ahead of the majority of hands in his range.
So, should I re-raise or just call? What do you think?
A re-raise might get more of my opponents money into a pot that I probably will win,
but it will also tell him that I'm holding a very strong hand and I'd rather keep looking weak. A call is consistent with the story I'm trying to sell - that I'm on a draw. Another con to the re-raise is that if I do it and he goes all-in, then I have a tough choice to make. But if I just call and another heart comes on the turn, I will have an even more difficult decision to make! What to do? I call, but I think a re-raise would not have been a bad move either.
Board after the turn: 9h 9s 6h Qc
So now we can add QQ to the hands that have me beat. Q9 and Q6 also beat me, but he would not have called a $17 pre-flop bet with those even at the big blind discount...I hope. He checks. Now what to do? Checking and giving him a free card seems dumb, but if I am trying to sell the story that I'm on the heart draw then that's what I should do. To be honest his check really has confused me. Did he hit the Queen and is trying to trap me? Looking back on it now, I should have raised but I checked.
Board after the river: 9h 9s 6h Qc 4c
The pot is $129. I have $68 left in front of me and my opponent has a little more than that. He bets $40. I go all-in, which is just a $28 raise. With such a small raise into such a big pot he is certainly going to call me, but I can see he is completely baffled by my play. In fact he asks "What could you be holding?" in a genuinely confused tone. He calls, of course. I show my three-of-a-kind and he throws his hand in the muck. "There was no way I could you on a nine," he said.
Why couldn't he put me on a nine? Because I had been playing tight. Calling a $17 bet pre-flop made him think I had high cards, holding a nine would have been inconsistent with my style of play. The when I put out a baby bet after the flop, he knew I didn't have nine. An ABC player, like I had shown myself to be, wouldn't slow play a big hand but would bet big to protect against the flush. A nine in my hand would have seemed very unlikely to him. If he had any doubts at all, my check on the river would have erased them. My all-in on the river was inconsistent with my story and therefore probably seemed like a desperate bluff. Not that he would have folded at that point anyway.
Establishing a certain table image then "shifting gears" is often a good way to set yourself up for winning a big pot!
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