When Great Reads Go Bad

By Sherry Nixon

Not long ago, when the WPT was in Atlantic City for a televised event, the amateurs were out in full force.  Trying to prove themselves to the pros, they postured this way and that, giving their chips away hand over fist.  For those of you who don’t know, cash tables can be very lucrative when the WPT televised events are in town.  A good pro, ready to take advantage of the show of testosterone, can really do well for themselves.  This has been so lucrative for me that in the last six months I have followed the WPT exclusively, never playing a tournament, but waiting for the players to bust out and redeem themselves by attacking the cash games. 

This month was no different than last, hosting a selection of young hot shots ready to whip out the cash and shove it in all of our faces.  Sometimes they do win for a while, but one bad beat or spill of milk and they all reach deeper in to their pocket to show us their strength.  It can be too easy at times.  I have felt guilty, but not on this one occasion.

I was playing in a high limit NL cash game at the Taj Mahal.  On my right was Phil Ivey and on my left was the Rock.  Phil busted a young kid in the two seat and his twin was quickly escorted to the seat.  Not metaphorically his twin, but his exact twin, DNA and all.  Now twins may be identical in many ways, but opposite in nature.  His busted brother was flamboyant, quick to anger, and very flashy with his cash, a “something to prove” kind of persona.   But his brother, wearing a baseball cap that said “Skipper” took his seat calmly, focused and took care in stacking his chips.

Two hands into his play, I picked up J 10 hearts in the small blind.  Everyone folded to skipper in seat 2 where he called 100.  Everyone folded to me, where I called and the Rock (BB) checked.  No raise you say?  Well occasionally with J10 suited I like to see a flop hoping to hit big and slow play from the blinds.  My favorite mistake to make, hoping to trap for a huge pot. 

The flop read 9 8 4 of clubs.  I’m first to act.  Wrong color for me but I bet out 200 believing no one had hit, and hey I’m open ended.  The BB folds to Skipper, he reluctantly calls.  I would have felt better with a raise or a quicker call, but his reluctance screamed “ACTING!” 

The turn brought a Jack and I liked that card.  Still hated the clubs, but I needed information given my feelings about his call so I checked.  Skipper reluctantly checks and looks directly at me. 

I pride myself on reading people.  He looked at me.  Weakness or Strength?  Could be either, it is a matter of how they look at you.  Are they looking for information, or are they looking like “a dear in the headlights?”  I saw weakness.  It was a quick glance of concern.  The question in his eyes was “what are you doing?”  The pot was now over $1,200.  The river was a 10. 

His brother would have bet heavy here on a bluff sensing weakness from my checked turn.  So I checked.  Yes I’m hoping for a bet here.  My eyes never left him for a second.  He leans back a bit from the table and announces nervously, “All-in. ” 

Now Skipper, why are you over betting the pot?  Any bet here is enough to take the pot away from me.  But what interested me what his movement back away from his chips, the table and his cards.  He leaned back and looked up and away from the board and then completely froze.   That means weak to me.  Any motion away from the situation is a subliminal move indicating that he needs to disconnect from the bluff he is executing. 

I studied him for a bit and he was nervous, not strong, not steady in any way.  He was weak, I thought!

I called.   He turned over two clubs. And began to sweat and shake.

He had to get up from the table to walk a bit, wipe his hands on his pants.  Then, he extended his hand to his brother walking up behind him.  “Look at than man, I’m trembling.  That was amazing!  I can’t believe she called.”  His brother patted him on the back, “For a first timer you’re getting the job done.” 

A first timer - there it was.  If he was bluffing as an experienced player, my reads would have been correct.  But this was his first big game and he was just nervous because it was a big hand. 

It happens on occasion.  You just brush it off.  You go home, get a good nights sleep and try it all over again the next day.  Next time I will watch a little longer before I call an all in bet from someone I have only seen play one hand.  But all in all, excuse the pun, I can’t blame myself for the read, it was a good read, it was just a good read gone bad.