Great Reads
Is She Bluffing?

By Crystal Osgood-Gray

You may get but one opportunity in a tournament to win that one important pot that determines your place at the final table.  Effectively reading your opponent’s cues can give you the edge you need to make the right call, especially in key situations.

I was in the middle stages of the second event of the two-day Ladies Dream Weekend at Commerce Casino.  I had built a substantial stack slowly over a period of six hours; but I was still vulnerable.  I was just beginning to make calculated moves on big pots when two new players joined our table.

One woman sat down to my left and immediately began raising the pot, one hand after another.  She quickly began to run the table.  Demonstrating a reckless-aggressive style of play, I was certain she wasn’t getting good cards every time.   When I picked up AK-h and raised four times the blind to $2,000, she quickly re-raised me to $5,000 and I called.  The flop came A-K-Q rainbow.  I bet out $10,000 and she called.  The turn came a 7; I bet and she called again.  With two consecutive calls, she had my attention.  The river came an 8.  I bet, she raised and I called.  She showed me the straight.

After losing over half my chips I couldn’t risk another loss.  I would have to start building my stack all over again.  With her big stack, she began to run over every opponent.  She seemed unstoppable.  I would have to get a tell on her if I was going to play another hand her way.  So I began to watch and wait for a hand. 

She is a good player.  She knew what to do and when to do it.  She was aware of her table image, where she was in a hand, but most importantly, when and how much to bluff at a pot.  But, it wasn’t before too long I noticed something -- a very subtle cue about how she handled her chips. It was something I worked hard to observe; something that I could use to turn it all around.  In one hand, when she raised with an AK she set her chips down lightly.  When she bet out after a flop of Q J $, she pushed her chips forcefully, the stack falling over just a bit.  When called to the river she showed A high and her opponent showed trip Jacks.  Next time when she held A-10, she raised in the cut off and let her chips fall just a little bit forward again.  Again her opponent called to her the river where she turned over two pair and again she showed A high.  And then on another hand she opened with a raise of three times the big blind setting her chips down with care, when called to the river, she turned over her pocket Q’s.

Two hands later I picked up AK and raised 3 times the big blind.  She re-raised me and we went heads up to the flop, 10 K 4, 2 hearts.  I bet, she raised, I called.  The turn brought another heart.  I checked and she pushed her chips all into the pot letting them fall just a little to the center of the pot.  This was it!  I believed that I had her.  I would have to risk all of my chips on this read; trust myself to make the right decision given this ever so slight amount of information.  Maybe she didn’t mean to let them fall. I hadn’t seen her make an all-in move before, and perhaps she was just being clumsy or excited that she made her flush.  I called anyway.  She showed pocket 66’s -- the river was an A. Her stack was cut in half.  Two hands later we battled again, and again I called her slightly sloppy all-in with my top pair.  She showed second pair.

Later, I had JJ in mid position and raised four times the big blind.  She re-raised twice that, setting her chips in gently.  Doubled my bet I thought?  I watched and knew she had a hand, but called hoping to flop a J.  The flop came A K 10, I checked and she bet again, gently setting up her chips.  I threw my hand face up and she proudly showed KK. 

Time after time the tell I had on her was accurate.  Finally, I picked up pocket 10’s and limped in late position.  She raised and we were heads up again.  The flop came 4 10 7 rainbow and I checked, she bet, and I called.  The turn came another 7.  I paused and checked, looking her right in the eye.  She went all-in.  I didn’t need a read this time…. I called and that was the end of her!

Don’t underestimate the importance of reading your opponent.  Such a subtle cue it was for her chips to fall ever so slightly or be placed lightly during a bet.  But, it gave me the advantage I needed to beat her.  This read allowed me to place fifth in the tournament and take home some nice cash.