how to catch a bluff

PokerStars Game #8104758751: Tournament #41356289, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level X (400/800) - 2007/01/24 - 19:37:14 (ET)
Table '41356289 4' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: Scottishben (12045 in chips)
Seat 2: bubaluigi (42986 in chips)
Seat 3: rubbishaka80 (45405 in chips)
Seat 4: Fangorn (21692 in chips)
Seat 5: damminh (29255 in chips)
Seat 6: GUnit28 (20422 in chips)
Seat 7: pokerpatty20 (20962 in chips) is sitting out
Scottishben: posts the ante 50
bubaluigi: posts the ante 50
rubbishaka80: posts the ante 50
Fangorn: posts the ante 50
damminh: posts the ante 50
GUnit28: posts the ante 50
pokerpatty20: posts the ante 50
pokerpatty20: posts small blind 400
Scottishben: posts big blind 800
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Scottishben [4c 4d]
bubaluigi: folds
rubbishaka80: raises 1200 to 2000
Fangorn: folds
damminh: folds
GUnit28 is disconnected
GUnit28 is connected
GUnit28: folds
pokerpatty20: folds
Scottishben: calls 1200
*** FLOP *** [Th 6d Jd]
Scottishben: checks
rubbishaka80: bets 11200
Scottishben: calls 9995 and is all-in
*** TURN *** [Th 6d Jd] [7d]
*** RIVER *** [Th 6d Jd 7d] [2c]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Scottishben: shows [4c 4d] (a pair of Fours)
rubbishaka80: shows [Ad 7c] (a pair of Sevens)
rubbishaka80 collected 24740 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 24740 | Rake 0
Board [Th 6d Jd 7d 2c]
Seat 1: Scottishben (big blind) showed [4c 4d] and lost with a pair of Fours
Seat 2: bubaluigi folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: rubbishaka80 showed [Ad 7c] and won (24740) with a pair of Sevens
Seat 4: Fangorn folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: damminh folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: GUnit28 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: pokerpatty20 (small blind) folded before Flop

Many of you will notice that i rarely post my big laydowns (they do happen though) but do take some relish in posting my light calls. This guy had been pushing me arround but I had insufficient reads to exploit without needlessly risking my stack.

I sense no real strength from him and feel I can safely call. My reads on him are enough to compensate for him going first. If you are up against someone who always bets then you actually ALWAYS have the advantage of going last if you ar HU with them.

I pause fractionally before checking, just long enough to avoid making the opponent think I have utter trash but not long enough to make them think I have actually thought seriously about betting. I have studied his betting and I think he most likely has ax. He could have a pair etc or have a PP. If I bet then he reraises or folds and I either fold a better hand without knowing it, call when i could be way behind or just dont get max value from the hand.

I do not know the extent to which this guy chases and that also would make the moderate bet tricky if he calls. I would be in a difficult position. He pauses for a while (longer than normal) then goes all in. I know straight off that this is a bluff and that he has nothing other than Ax with at least 1 over card. This is an easy call.

The one problem with this type of play is that when you are right you only get 70% or so to win the hand but when you are wrong it is nearer 0. Still with this kind of situation i am rarely wrong. Bottom pair with an ace was a possible but I still had very comfortable odds (given the remoteness of this possibility) to call.

It didnt work for me but that is irrelevant it was the right play. Some could argue that if I led out then he would have folded and I would still be in it. This is possibly true but given the likelihood of a reraise and the chance he might have had a genuine hand i dont think it was worth the risk.