The guy bet the limit on the end.
The board had run out Q-9-2-4-3. And after a flop bet, all three of us had checked.
A bearded guy behind the bettor quickly folded. Which left it up to me.
I was in the big blind with A-9: second pair, top kicker.
When you play super tight and aren’t seeing many cards, most of the hands you play are in the blinds. How often do you see A-K or pairs of any kind?
I couldn’t beat a queen or two pair. If the guy had a straight, he had me dead to rights.
I stopped to consider. Most people at the poker table get restless when I stop to consider. They shuffle their feet and rifle their chips and look at their iPhones. The dealer, with a bored expression on her face, fans herself irritably with the cut card.
But I like to take a few second to consider.
I knew a few things about the guy who had made the bet. He was older.He wore glasses. He had a beard. He was wearing a red shirt with a big N and a star on it.
We had tangled heads-up a few times and he was always watching me. Which was ironic since I was always watching him.
Two old farts in a stare-down. Poker is so dramatic.
But then I backed up the hand and quickly replayed it from his perspective. He calls the flop, checks the turns with the rest of us and bets the river.
Maybe he made two pair — guys play weird hands like Q-2 all the time.
But it really didn’t add up.
So I called with my second pair, top kicker.
The old fart promptly turned up A-2. Yep, he had a pair of deuces.
The dealer pushed me the pot and the table relaxed after this riveting showdown. There really wasn’t that much in the pot — barely enough to buy gasoline to wet the tank in a big SUV.
But it felt good to unravel the story and make the correct play.
Use your brain to win the small pots. Then get lucky to win the big ones.
