exploiting bad beats of other players
This morning, I got to execute a play which I only get the opportunity to do once every few weeks, but is a very nice way to pick up a pot.
There was a player at my live table who sat down and was within 25 hands dealt two horrendous bad beats. The first time, he had raised Ace-King pre-flop, and hit his ace on the flop, bet like mad and was called down by someone who had Queen-2 and hit runner-runner cards to make 2 pair. The second time, he had played JT suited in a multiway flop, made his straight on the river, but got beat by a player who rivered a club flush with 7-2 suited under the gun(!). He was pissed. You could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. And he muttered things like "every time I get a good hand, someone catches something.
A few hands later I had A4 suited in the big blind. In a multi-way pot, the board came up AQT rainbow, turn a 5, river a K. I bet the flop, and 2 calling stations plus Mr. Bad Beat called me. I bet the turn, and again, the 2 calling stations (which had been at the table awhile and who I put on underpairs) called me and Mr. Bad Beat, who seemed like a good player and I figured had an ace with a higher kicker.
On the river, I decided to take a chance and bet again, with the 4 cards to the straight on the board. The 2 calling stations fold, and Mr. Bad Beat folded his Ace-10 (which he showed to the guy next to him).
Why did he fold? Simple human psychology. A few bad beats will condition us to think we are getting sucked out on every time. When that King came up, Mr. Bad Beat figured it happened again and folded to my aggression.
I've executed this bluff probably 6 or 7 times successfully. (Of course, if you get raised, you get the heck out of the hand!) Every time, the conditions are the same. Villain must have suffered at least 2 bad beats, in the recent past, and a board with 4 flush cards or 4 straight cards. If they are muttering things about their luck, even better.
The point of this is you need to watch when other players take bad beats, and not only because every human being loves to look at a car wreck. Try to identify players who might be susceptible to believing their good hands have been sucked out on again. And if the opportunity comes for a well timed bluff, take it. You have to be patient. As I said, this doesn't materialize every day. But it's a great scenario to watch out for, and one of the most profitable bluff scenarios I am aware of.
