Card Player Pro

I play high-stakes online tournaments and provide exclusive coaching videos for Card Player Pro, powered by PokerSavvy Plus. My columns will center on hands taken from my videos and will explore many different tournament concepts. As a Card Player reader, you'll have access to clips of these hands and others. In addition to the columns, you can watch videos on CardPlayer.com for a more in-depth learning experience. In this column, I will discuss taking an unusual line against a bluffy and aggressive opponent.

Game	$500+$30 Sunday tournament on PokerStars
Opponent	FaceStealer; tough, bluffy, and aggressive
Stacks	26,420 (me) vs. 15,705
Blinds	200-400
My Position	Big blind
My Cards	10 8

This hand took place about two hours into the tournament. My opponent's image was fairly loose-aggressive, while my image was more tight-aggressive. We did not have much history against each other in the tournament before this hand, but we have played with each other a fair amount and recognize each other as a good, tough opponent. I had acquired my stack with coolers against two people in fairly standard spots, while he had chipped up slowly. The original starting stack was 10,000.

Everyone folded to my opponent in the small blind, and he called 200 more. I was dealt the 10 8 in the big blind, and elected to check. Raising is certainly a viable option, but against a tricky opponent who might limp with some stronger hands, I think checking is best.

The flop came 10 10 3.

Obviously, this was a very good flop for me, and I was looking to win as many chips as possible. FaceStealer checked. I decided to bet 600 into the pot of 800, because with this board texture, FaceStealer will often play back at me, not putting me on a 10. FaceStealer min-raised to 1,200. This was a weird line from him. I expected him to make a larger check-raise or call if he was going to continue with his hand. Knowing my opponent, I instantly did not think he had much of a hand. I elected to reraise the minimum amount to 1,800. The reason I did this was because I was very sure that he did not have anything, and I wanted him to continue with his bluff. He knows I am a thinking player, and my reraise on the flop is actually very weak. Had this reraise come from a weak player, I am sure that he would put that player on a big hand, but from me, it looks like I'm trying to rebluff him. FaceStealer called. I was not too surprised with his flat-call, because I had made my reraise so small on the flop; I thought there was a very good chance that he would continue with his air, and of course with his strong hands.

The turn was the 2.

This was an interesting turn card, as it completed a flush. My opponent checked, and after some thought, I checked behind. My main reason for doing so was that after the flush got there, I did not think he would continue with his bluffs if I bet the turn. He would need a ridiculously good read to make a bluff-raise on the turn profitable. I knew he was a little crazy and aggressive, but not enough to risk all of his chips on a crazy bluff in a limped pot against a regular.

The river was the 9.

This was an even more interesting card; it put a four-card flush on the board. This was a bad card for me, even though it improved my absolute hand strength. FaceStealer bet 2,200. Although it wasn't a great river card for my hand, it was an easy bluff card for FaceStealer. Had he actually had a 10, he would not have bet the river unless he had a big heart or a full house. This was a relatively easy river call for me. I called 2,200, and he showed the Q 7 for a total bluff. As suspected, he floated my flop three-bet and bluffed the river. Against tough opponents whom you play with often, it's imperative to take weird lines with both your bluffs and strong hands, in order not to become predictable and easy to play against. The line I took in this hand was very unusual, and something that I almost never do, and because of that, it confused my opponent into bluffing off chips to me. When playing against good players, it is important to play more than your cards and the board. You might hear this a lot, but playing the player is so important. Against tight, straightforward players, I would have played this hand very differently. That's the beauty of no-limit hold'em.

To watch Christian Harder comment on and play this hand, point your browser to Card Player Pro, the complete online poker training site, at www.CardPlayer.com/link/charder-1.