www.coralpoker.co.uk – I was just thinking back to a hand that took place almost a year ago at my local live game, and it got me thinking about how much a player can sense danger from their opponent, if so, how? I have never been one to truly believe in any form of unintended telepathy of feelings or emotions, and so I would find it difficult to believe that we could latch onto anything other than small indications in play itself.

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The hand that came back to me was a very memorable one in which I was dealt (Q,Q) in the third or fourth hand of the tournament. After a raise and a single call, the flop came down (3,3,3). I made a small raise (with my loose table image I feel this was reasonable) and my opponent stared at the board for a few seconds. She then took a lengthy look at her cards and slowly called. Immediately I knew something didn’t feel right as she checked her cards again as the turn was being dealt. I began trying to convince myself she had the four of a kind. My instincts knew it, but I had to present my rational mind with enough concrete evidence to force myself to fold first. That cost me another slightly larger bet on the turn (J) in the hope she would reraise so I could fold. Then finally the big reraise came on the river and I folded, showing the (Q,Q). Of course I wanted her to show too, and she did, having (A,3) for quads.

it would have been an excellent play to check it down and fold to any bet from the moment I sensed the danger after the call on the flop. However, the logical side of my thoughts meant I felt compelled to try and induce a raise to make it acceptable to have convinced myself she had quads.
With this in mind, you could perhaps argue, that logic can sometimes cost you chips in poker, but then it would be difficult to sit down and play solely on gut feeling alone.

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