The Wrong Man to Bluff

Back in the day, about 1988 or so, I discovered a $2-$4 limit game in a little bar on the east side of Madison, Wisconsin. By this time, I had been playing poker professionally for about two years, and my game was far superior to the games of those who played there. Every Saturday, this game would start at noon and go until bar closing time (about 1 a.m.). Even though the game was only $2-$4 limit, I found myself winning about $300 every Saturday, which at the time came in very handy. I really enjoyed playing in that game, because of the people and the atmosphere – and, of course, it didn't hurt that I won every week. Imagine playing poker at a bar table, crammed in next to a pool table, with the jukebox blasting all night long. Sounds too loud and too cramped to you? Maybe it was, but I sure had a good time.

The brothers who owned the bar, Mark and Al, were two of the locals who played every Saturday. They both played well. Mark even won a Four Queens tournament a few years back. One night we introduced no-limit poker to the game, and the following scenario came up between Al and me. We were playing no-limit Omaha with a $1 blind. I got involved with a hand in which I had no pair, no draw, and just a stone-cold bluff going for me (kind of like Daniel Negreanu or Huck Seed might try to do to you). Al bet out $25 with one card to come, and I decided that I would call his bet just to bluff him out on the end – there was a straight draw and a flush draw on board. Sure enough, the flush card came off, and I fired out Al's last $42. He was very suspicious of my bet and studied me for a moment. Finally, he folded, and then asked to see my hand. Naturally, I couldn't resist showing my bluff, because I figured that it would get me a lot of extra action later on when I had the goods. I proceeded to turn my hand faceup, but Al didn't react like I thought he would.

The next thing I knew, I was lying flat on my back on the pool table with Al's hands firmly around my throat! I've heard John Bonetti say many times, "I had him by the throat," but Bono never meant it quite like this. So, there I was, flat on my back on the pool table (Al had my arms covered by his arms, and my legs were hanging off the edge of the table) with Al's strong hands wrapped around my throat, starting to lose some of my oxygen, and feeling totally helpless. Talk about bluffing the wrong guy! Everyone else at the table was trying to get Al off me, and I was thinking, "Is this really happening?" I mean, it happened so fast. One second I was smiling and showing off my bluff, and the next second I was lying defenseless on the pool table. Despite the fact that Al wouldn't immediately let go of my throat, I was never really all that worried about my safety. However, I did realize for the first time how delicate my throat was, and how easy it would have been for me to really get hurt. Within a minute, we were all back playing poker, and I made a point of sitting next to Al the rest of the night. I just never bluffed him again – ever!

I hope that you enjoyed this Hand of the Week. Good luck playing your hands this week.

Editor's note: Phil Hellmuth can often be found playing poker online at UltimateBet. Go to www.ultimatebet.com to sign up to play no-limit hold'em against Phil heads up for "fun money" or to ask him questions about poker.