[ShawnHoo]

I was sitting in an ok/decent $40/$80 limit hold'em game. One of the toughest players was a 50-something white woman named Kat. She's apparently been playing a very long time and she used to run a poker class for women every week at Hollywood Park for several years. A buddy of mine was at a car wash in the Valley a couple of weeks ago browsing through the gift shop and found a poker book written by her. (I swear I am not making this up.) Anyway, she seemed like a classic grinder, tight and aggressive, probably makes a decent living through the game. She seemed to understand the dynamics of the table and also seemed to know everyone else at the table except me.

She had been raising my blind *everytime* she was on the button, sometimes with hands like 6-5 sooted. I decided I had enough of this nonsense and would use my tight image to my benefit against her soon enough.

It's her button again and, sure enough, she raises once it's folded to her. The small blind, a regular donator, 3-bets and has very few chips left. I look down at Ace-Jack offsuit and cap it up. Kat looks confused and calls, the small blind calls and is all-in.

Flop: JT8r

I bet, Kat folds. I turn over my hand and small blind shows KQ. My hand holds up and the small blind rebuys. Whatever, this isn't an exciting hand and I thought my play was very, very standard.

Kat starts freaking out! She turns to another player and says "CAN YOU BELIEVE HE 4-BET ME WITH ACE JACK! THAT'S RIDICULOUS!" She goes on and on about it to the players at her side of the table for a good orbit or so. 20 minutes later, a new player sits down near her and I see her pointing in my direction. "3-bet..... cap.... Ace-Jack offsuit!" It is clear that my play has completely blown her mind and might be the most maniacal thing she's seen in 25 YEARS AS A POKER PRO OMG WTF.

An hour or so later, a couple of the weaker players have busted and we're playing 5-handed. The button, a young white dude who's a poker/sports betting pro/degen, raises. He seems good and aggressive, which means he has two cards here. Kat is in the small blind and 3-bets it. I am in the big blind. I have King-Queen offsuit. I know the button is full of it, and I know Kat knows the button is full of it. So I cap. The button looks all sheepish and calls. Kat looks at me with alarm/surprise and calls. Three of us.

Flop: A83r

Kat checks, I bet. The button folds. Kat shoots me a strange look; I am doing my best to look as bored as possible. She calls. I put her on a small pair or perhaps even a hand like mine.

Turn: 6

Kat checks again. The pot is big and I would like to win it, so I bet. I have no intention of putting more chips in the pot. She looks at me again, then flashes her cards to the button and mucks. I win the pot and quietly muck my cards as I toss the dealer a blue chip. I'm a little annoyed that the button guy got to see what she folded and I didn't, but I don't want to draw attention to what just happened, so I let it go.

Kat (to the button): Would you have laid that down?
Button (looking at me): I don't like your laydown.
Kat: Well, he might have bluffed me.

30 minutes go by. All of a sudden, Kat yells (yes, yells), "I KNOW YOU BLUFFED ME OUT OF THAT POT!"

Me (trying to look dumb): Huh?
Guy who was on the button: Did you have the ace?
Me (starting to realize the magnitude of what went down): What did you lay down there?
Guy and Kat: Pocket Kings!
Me (making a cringy face): You wouldn't believe what I had.
Kat: I KNEW IT!!!

10 minutes later, I 3-bet preflop with Ace Jack (my favorite new hand, obv) and win a huge pot when I flop a Jack vs the Guy who was on the button's TT and turn trips. As I rake in said pot, the weakest player at the table busts and it's down to me, Guy who was on the button, Kat, and another good player. I decide to be like George Costanza and make a timely exit. As I start to rack up, I see Guy who was on the button and Kat looking as annoyed as I've ever seen two winning players look.

Kat says to the Guy who was on the button, "Don't worry. He'll be back. They always come back."

Well, at least she read me right that time.