Re: Luring tells
There is nothing an opp can ask you that you must do other than open your hands/arms up so your chips can be seen. I won't allow an opp to get me to talk, answer a question, or do anything. It's the dealers job to answer his count question. I never respond regardless if I'm bluffing, marginal, or have the nuts.
If I'm doing something prior to the start of the hand, I'll sometimes stop. If I don't stop preflop, I continue throughout the hand doing what I was doing. Eating a sandwich, punching BR data into my PDA, in a conversation, whatever. I don't want to give the opp anything if I can help it.
I was in a tough spot for most of my chips with a good hand against a good but aggressive player on my left (he had pos on the hand). We both had deep stacks. I had called his probably big pair/two big card raise (1-3NL live) with a gapped connector, the flop came giving me a straight but there were two clubs. I bet about 70% of the pot, he raised, I called and was still reading I was ahead. I'm not afraid to let another card come off often. Another club came on 4th. Not being a mouse, I bet 3/4 pot again. He called, (remember this guy was agressive), I felt he might be setting me up for bluff on the next street and I was worried just a little about the flush, I must be honest. River card was a blank, I think the effective chip stacks were around $300 remaining. I couldn't give this guy anything here but a top pair hand. I bet $100, he moved in. I thought about it for some time. I looked at him and asked if he would show the hand if I folded. He answered quickly I had to "pay to see". I insta called. I had decided before I asked that I was calling for sure if he answered thusly and if he did anything else I still had a tough decision because I respected him as one of the best players at the table yet I felt good about my read that I was ahead. He turned over a K of clubs and said "I have a flush." NEVER let go of your hand before your shown for certain your beat. I was showing my straight, I counted to about 3 mentally then chirped to the dealer SHIP IT! As I knew he was beat. He flipped up the other K (sympathy show)got up and left. The whole table dicussed the hand for some time and the angle he used to try to get me to muck. I consider this a cheating incident certainly. The point is I did ask the question to illicit a tell. I had been playing with him for 4 to 6 hours, he had shown a number of hands at the end, bluffs included. He had been avoiding playing pots with me so I feel he respected my game. We had been having a friendly and pleasant conversation for some time. I felt he'd certainly have no problem showing me a winner but wouldn't want to show "me" a big bluff on this very big hand. This was my reasoning for deciding to test him with a question. This was the biggest pot of the session and made for a nice night.
In retrospect, I wouldn't insta call if I used something like this again. I'd wait a bit and maybe do something to try to camoflauge why I made the decision. That same question now against any one of those players might not be effective now or might be used effectively against me.
Dave
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