Ill advised bluff

Played a session two nights ago that took a drastic turn for the worst when I decided to do my best Bill Gates impression and donate a lot of money.

I pulled off the classic bluff-gone-wrong: the right move against the wrong player at the wrong time.

Everyone at the table 100% believed that I had the best hand. Everyone except the guy that I was in the hand with. Actually, I'm pretty sure he even thought I had him beat but he was incapable of laying down his hand. Dick.

Here's the scenario:

I've been playing tight for four hours, however very early on I showed two terrible hands that both won to pre-flop raises: J-6 and 9-3. Both times the same guy raised with air and I hit the jack on him and then two nines. He didn't have shit either time but was still tilted by the fact that I called his raises with those hands (hey, they were suited). I made it a point to tighten up from there on out.

After that, he started calling all of my raises. The only difference was that I was raising with real hands and he was never able to call my flop bets (which sucked, because I hit a set when we were head's up).

Anyways, we have the two big stacks. I have about $1k and he has about $1300 after just losing a hand where he had QQ, the flop came 5-6-7 and he went all-in, only to be called by a guy (who had about $200) with 10-5 and the river was another 5.

So now he's on tilt.

He raises his button to $30 like he does every time.

I decide that I want to take advantage of his tilt and I re-raise from middle position to $80 with 2c4c. Basically this is a re-raise that 95% of the time is a pocket pair of 10's or higher and the other 5% is AK/AQ.

He calls quickly and we're head's up to the flop, which comes 5-6-9, rainbow. I immediately fire $130. He calls.

Hmm. Now I'm wondering what he has. He could possibly have the 9 or maybe a hand like A-5 or A-6 suited. He didn't re-re-raise pre-flop so I can't put him on AA, KK or QQ. At the same time, I'm hoping that he is still putting me on a big pair.

The turn is another nine. Now if he has the nine, my bluff will no longer work but for some reason I don't feel like he has the nine so I bet $300. He thinks briefly and calls the $300. Uh oh. However, the way he called was one of those "I'm not folding my hand" calls, not really a "I'm trapping your ass" call.

The river is a 7, putting a one-card straight on the board of 5-6-7-9-9. Now I'm in trouble because if he has the 8, I can't get him to fold and if he has the 9, he's not folding. However, I have 4 high and the pot is about $1k at this point.

I go all-in for about $460 more.

He quickly sighs like he knows he's beat and has to give up. He asks for a count on my chips and then starts worrying.

This is great news to me as I feel like someone has to fold here unless they have a straight, a 9 or a boat, which he obviously doesn't have.

He thinks for a long time and finally does a "fuck it I'm in too deep" call and throws his chips in the middle.

I tell him I have nothing and he shows pocket tens.

F*ck.

There is no real hand at all that he can beat except a bluff. If I have a pair under him, I have a straight, boat or quads. If I have a pair over him, I have him beat.

Unfortunately for me I had four high. lol.

It was a classic case of me getting too tricky for my own good against a player who wasn't going to fold. Agasint a better player I could have pulled it off but I just picked the wrong guy to make this move against, especially since he'd been dying to crack me or have a hand he could call me with all night. 100% mistake on my part.

The entire table was in shock. Two guys that were my age were asking me (as I folded my cards face down) "You serious? I know you have that beat!"

Then a guy in seat five says "You fucked me! I would have flopped the nuts if you didn't re-raise," as if I really give a fuck if he flopped the nuts after I just lost $1k on a 4-high bluff where the guy called me with basically nothing.

So I told him "I fucked you? I think I just fucked myself a lot harder than I fucked you."

Session 1 (4.4.08): +$2405
Session 2 (4.5.08): -$700
Session 3 (4.6.08): -$505
Session 4 (4.7.08): +$118
Session 5 (4.8.08): +$640
Session 6 (4.10.08): -$733
Session 7 (4.11.08): -$1100
Session 8 (4.15.08): +$741
Session 9 (4.16.08): +$1731
Session 10: (4.18.08): +$116
Session 11 (4.19.08): +$429
Session 12 (4.20.08): +$510
Session 13 (4.21.08): -$700
Session 14 (4.23.08): +150
Session 15 MGM (4.26.08): +24
Session 16 (4.30.08): -500
BR: $2626 (+ initial $200)

---