Did I run into an expert?

[Lapper]

I was just playing a single table tournament, $200 buy in and something happened that makes me question everything I know about poker.

I was second chip leader at the table with 2060 chips. The chip leader had about 2600. The blinds at this point were $25 - $50. The chip leader is two off the button and I am the big blind. The player under the gun limps in and so does the chip leader and everybody else folds. I check with 10 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], the Doyle Brunson hand. So, there is $150 in the pot. The flop comes 9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 10 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], giving me two pair and a backdoor flush draw. Since everybody limped in I figured that was a decent hand, but I was afarid of the flush draws so I bet the pot $150 figuring I'd make it expensive for the flush draws. The player directly to my left folded but the chip leader called. So, there is now $450 in the pot. The turn comes A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] giving me my flush draw along with my two pair, but since it is an A there is a possibility of a better two pair or even trips, if he was slow playing AA. He could also have had a better flush draw than me with the hearts or even with the spades. The one thing I didn't put him on was 99, because if I had 99 and the flop gave me trips but there was a flush draw, I would raise, or even go all-in to try to get the flush draws to fold, or at least make it so expensive for them that if they did suck it out, I could give them credit for having guts. So, I bet again, this time $450 and again he just called. By him calling I definitely put him on the flush draw.

The river comes 2 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], giving me twos full of tens, which I naturally thought was the best hand, so I put in a small bet, thinking if he did have A9, or A with a big kicker and he raised me, I'd reraise all in. That is exactly what happened and he turns over 99, giving him a better full house.

My question to all of you out there is this, did I run into someone who really made an expert play on me and my analysis is flawed, so I need to go back to the drawing board and study some more? Or, was he just afraid the I had pocket Aces when the turn came with the A? I can't believe that would be true. If that is such an expert play that I need to rethink my own playing strategies, tell me what would he have done had the third heart or third spade come and I went all in? Would he then fold his 99? It seems to me that the aggressive play that I am used to, where you play trips aggressively, is a better play over the long run than trying to slow play them, especially with flush draws on the board, but maybe I haven't been playing long enough to know that.

Also, let me say, this play was made online and I am certain I never played with this guy before, so there is no way he could have had some kind of read on me, unless he got some information from one of those Web tracking sites.

Anyway, I would be interested in answers from some of you real poker experts out there.