"When you're in a hand and your opponent does something that makes no sense, there's often a reason for it. Often, that reason is they either have a monster or nothing at all. Figure out which, and you'll have a bunch of new poker chips to make friends with."
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Hand after hand, Richard was grinding down Joey's stack like a demolition crew tearing down a building. Sooner or later, the foundation would become unstable. That's when Joey would enter freefall.
Joey exhaled. 'Even though his technique outmatches me…Even though I don't see a way to win…This game won't be over until I have no chips left. Relax…As long as I play my best, there'll be nothing to regret.' He knew a tournament wasn't over until it was over.
"Raise," Richard announced as he looked at his preflop cards
Joey looked down at [2♠ 2♣] and called.
The flop came [3♦ 7♣ Q♦] and the action was on Joey. He checked.
Richard fire out a c-bet of half the pot.
Joey considered. 'My pair is weak, but any pair in heads-up is often ahead on the flop.' He called.
The turn came [3♦ 7♣ Q♦ 8♠].
'Not a bad card. I'm still weak though,' Joey thought and checked again.
Richard continued his aggression, this time betting 2/3 of the pot.
Joey evaluated the bet. 'His flop c-bet was standard. The turn bet is less standard and shows strength, but there are many draws out there now. Calling would be marginal, but if I don't take advantage of marginal spots, he's going to whittle me down anyways.' Joey called again.
As the dealer prepared to bring out the river, Joey's eyes twitched. He noticed something. Yet, he wasn't sure what it meant.
The river came [3♦ 7♣ Q♦ 8♠ A♥]. It was a terrible card for Joey!
With Joey's cards, he could only beat a bluff. There was no value in betting himself so he checked again.
When the action came to Richard, he studied the card, then slid out a large stack. It was a pot-sized bet for 70% of Joey's stack!
Joey's face became grave. If he called here and lost, he would then have almost no chance of winning! Against a player like Richard, he couldn't hope for such a comeback. His tournament life was on the line...
Now was the moment that would determine if Joey had what it took to play at this level.
Joey's 2s were pitiful. All he could beat was a bluff. Even if his opponent was bluffing earlier, the ace would have a good chance of pairing him, which would now put him ahead! It was a disastrous card for Joey!
He closed his eyes and recalled something. 'Am I sure that's what I saw?' He replayed in his mind the image he witnessed a few moments ago to confirm he didn't misjudge it. 'I'm sure I saw it…but what does it mean?'
Joey looked at Richard's stoic face and body, which offered no information. Richard showed no tells, no emotions, almost as if he was indifferent to the outcome.
Joey narrowed his eyes, 'Indifferent to the outcome…' He felt like he caught something. '...Indifferent to the outcome!'
After Joey called on the turn, he noticed something peculiar. Richard made a slight movement, sliding two chips off the top of one of his stacks while the dealer was bringing out the river card. Anyone else wouldn't have noticed it. Even if they did, they wouldn't have concluded anything from it. It was a tiny gesture that could mean 100 different things.
Players did various sorts of things with their chips for a multitude of reasons including playing around. Most of the time they meant nothing. It seemed to be the same for Richard. At least, that was the case before he bet that same stack on the river.
Joey understood the significance. 'It wasn't a pointless move to remove those two chips from that stack. He was planning to bet that amount on the river!' Joey studied the board. Then his eyes grew as big as poker chips!
There was a contradiction if Richard decided his river bet on that turn. The board had a flush draw. How would he know what to bet on the river without yet knowing if a flush would come? Even if he had the nuts on the turn, if a flush came on the river, it would change everything. In other words, the flush didn't worry Richard. Yet, there was a problem with this...
There was no hand that could avoid worrying about the flush. That could only mean one thing…Richard's hand…was no hand! He had nothing!
"I call!" Joey announced.
"Hmmm..." Richard shook his head and flipped his cards over: [9♣ T♣]. He picked up an open-ended straight draw on the turn and decided to semi-bluff it.
Joey won the pot with a garbage pair of 2s!
When Richard saw Joey's cards, he blinked 10 times to check he wasn't seeing things. When he was sure, he scrutinized Joey, having to take a proper look at this young man once more. Calling with 2s there was insane! Richard reviewed the hand in his mind, but unlike the last cash game where he figured out how Joey beat him, this time, he didn't find his flaw!
For Richard, that was a problem, a big problem, and it suggested one thing to him--Joey was a worthy adversary!
Although Joey was outmatched in technical skills, he wasn't without his own weapons! Joey's empath ability and calm mind gave him the power of unmatched concentration and observation. The smallest details wouldn't escape his grasp! That was his ace up his sleeve! That was how he would fight!
He would need every advantage because the battle wasn't over. Their stacks were even now. Both competitors knew it would take more than a little luck to win this duel.
The two continued to struggle against each other as the match progressed. Richard used his superior technical ability to edge out Joey in many spots. Yet, Joey would always reverse the situation using keen observations to make his own outrageous bluffs and calls.
If everything kept going this way, this match would last for hours or even days! Yet, if you asked Joey or Richard, they would welcome it! Joey and Richard couldn't hide their smiles! It was too difficult to find such a good opponent to sharpen their skills.
Alas, the beginnings and ends of things weren't up to them. As the minutes passed, the blinds crept up like old age. Before they knew it, the blinds were so huge, that it became impossible to pick their spots with care. It became a matter of choosing to go all-in or folding. Who would catch the better board? Who would destiny side with?
That's when the final hand occurred...the one to decide the ultimate winner!