When Instinct Takes Over

Its really simple. What are alot of people raising with from early position? AK, AQ, AJ, AT, QJ, KJ, TT etc. I knew the player in the first hand wasnt raising with AA KK QQ JJ, cause i'd seen him limp with those hands from early postion only to re-raise. So why did I call with trash? Number one, I had a monster stack. Number 2, I knew if he bet again on the flop, he probably didnt hit the flop and wanted me out. Number three, I had creted a very tight table image, (Every time it has come to showdown ive had very strong hands.)Number four. I knew if he bet again on the flop and I re-raised, he would probably lay it down, (as he knew that if I re-raised him, I would probably holding a strong hand). This is all about studying and knowing the player you are playing against. This doesnt necarilly mean paying strong attention to everything he does, but rather being able to recall certain hands and how he played them. For example, when he made that raise from early postion, I recalled several situations where he had raised the exact same amount and his holdings were not as amazing as he made them out to be. (Usually a middle pair or A with a decent kicker) Unfortunatly, he had a good enough hand to stick around with on the flop i.e. AT of spades, A9, A8, maybe even a hand like 67 suited. So the turn came, he checked, I took another shot and won. Its pure aggression that works very often based on whether or not the King on the flop helped his hand. So I made a move and it worked, fine. But imagine how crazy it would've been if I flopped two pair and he flopped top pair...it happens more often than you think and if you're in the right situation, with the right stack against the right player, there is no problem with making plays like this.

p.s. I didnt say that I would "outflop" him. I said that I would "outplay him on the flop". i.e. I would hit absolutly nothing but would still be able to take the pot down.

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