[barongreenback]

It is possible to give a rational argument for why a push here might be seen as a bluff and there is also the game theory line but that isn't why I voted to push.

The reason is that all poker players are irrational, to some degree or other. In particular, people often think of hand strength as absolute rather than relative. That’s why I would never push with bluff here but still expect to get called when I do push. What happens when a hand is discussed on a poker forum and what goes on in a player’s head in the middle of a hand are not the same thing.

Against a good player whether or not to push with an 8 here is interesting. You have to judge the quality of your hand reading.

James