Tommy Angelo
11-04-2003, 03:43 PM
An OGRE (odd guy raising emphatically) sat on my right. He did not trust me. I knew so because of a hand we played that came down to headsup on the river. He had checked, I had bet, and as he called, he said, "I don't trust you," with his cards poised over the muck, where they fell.
This hand was not long after. $20-40, full game. I had the button. Two players limped and the ogre raised with a snort. He turned to me. I began to look at my cards. He watched me closely and obviously. I watched back at him. Then I took the slightest thumb-tip corner-peak at my cards, barely breaking eye-contact with him. I had a black ace and a black king. I'd check the suits later if it mattered. I reraised while our embrace held.
No one rereraised and four of us saw this flop: 8-4-2, two hearts, one club. The first two players checked. The ogre checked too, eventually, after a pause that felt like he was trying to resume the eye-dance. But I had already left the floor, bill down.
He barked a check and I tapped a pinky.
The turn was the queen of hearts. Again the first two players checked. Again the ogre eventually checked. This time I bet. The next player called, the next player folded, and now the ogre quickly raised. I put the straggler on a struggle and the ogre on no-pair, so I made it three. The other guy folded, and now it was headsup. The ogre made it four bets. My ground was no longer steady enough to move forward, to raise, or to move backwards, to fold, so I called, anchored, not minding one bit if we were to right now throw in an extra $40 each and run'em out and see who wins. If that willing $40 happened to go in on the river with me as the caller, then fine. As the bettor, even better.
The river was a black seven. When it hit the table, he extended a hand holding $40 in chips, cupping it up as he came to a stop. Then he gestured a check, knuckles down. Meanwhile, I had $40 in chips in hand too, poised in a way that implied I would call if he bet, and I would have, fast.
But he checked, and my bluff-catching chips turned instantly into value-betting chips. In they went, just after his first knuckle tap, before the second. He kept on tapping, then he turned over the ace of hearts, and it felt like he was looking at the top of my hat bill when he eventually called, and said, "Okay, let's see what you got."
I turned over my hand. And it was good.
Tommy
This hand was not long after. $20-40, full game. I had the button. Two players limped and the ogre raised with a snort. He turned to me. I began to look at my cards. He watched me closely and obviously. I watched back at him. Then I took the slightest thumb-tip corner-peak at my cards, barely breaking eye-contact with him. I had a black ace and a black king. I'd check the suits later if it mattered. I reraised while our embrace held.
No one rereraised and four of us saw this flop: 8-4-2, two hearts, one club. The first two players checked. The ogre checked too, eventually, after a pause that felt like he was trying to resume the eye-dance. But I had already left the floor, bill down.
He barked a check and I tapped a pinky.
The turn was the queen of hearts. Again the first two players checked. Again the ogre eventually checked. This time I bet. The next player called, the next player folded, and now the ogre quickly raised. I put the straggler on a struggle and the ogre on no-pair, so I made it three. The other guy folded, and now it was headsup. The ogre made it four bets. My ground was no longer steady enough to move forward, to raise, or to move backwards, to fold, so I called, anchored, not minding one bit if we were to right now throw in an extra $40 each and run'em out and see who wins. If that willing $40 happened to go in on the river with me as the caller, then fine. As the bettor, even better.
The river was a black seven. When it hit the table, he extended a hand holding $40 in chips, cupping it up as he came to a stop. Then he gestured a check, knuckles down. Meanwhile, I had $40 in chips in hand too, poised in a way that implied I would call if he bet, and I would have, fast.
But he checked, and my bluff-catching chips turned instantly into value-betting chips. In they went, just after his first knuckle tap, before the second. He kept on tapping, then he turned over the ace of hearts, and it felt like he was looking at the top of my hat bill when he eventually called, and said, "Okay, let's see what you got."
I turned over my hand. And it was good.
Tommy