First, hello everyone. I'm new here. I also played in my first live tourney tonight. Granted, I've been playing poker since I was a little kid (about 30 years), so it hasn't been that hard for me to start playing Texas Hold 'Em (5 card draw was the game when I was a kid, but we played lotsa stuff). I don't play online, I lose my advantage online.

Anyway, I thought I'd let you all know how I set up a player tonight. This is the guy, we've all seen before ... that wants to win the first hand. He wants to muscle everyone around from the start, and it often works ... at first. This guy, always wants to maintain that chip lead, and when push comes to shove .... the muscle might not be so tough.

So, the blinds are 25/50 ... he's sitting directly to my right. I've got 2 dimes in the hole, and 2 on the board (I LOVE the Flush ... I'm like a moth to a flame), and he says, "I gotta bet with my pocket 7's" and bets 200. I call, and the river is a club. It's down to me and him, and he checks, I bet 3 grand (all my black chips). He says, "That's a big bet." and I respond, "Yeah, it is ... you gonna call it?" and he folds. That's all good and fine, but that's just the start. After I gathered my chips I asked, "Did you really have pocket 7's?" and he said, "I dunno, what did you have?" and I said, "Nothing. Missed my flush so I bluffed."

Now, I'm sure a bunch of you are thinking why are you telling him the truth? I think he really did have pocket 7's, but that doesn't matter. Some of you know where I am going with this. I wasn't risking half my stack to win 200 chips. I was gonna win 3,000.

A couple hands later, I have Ace/Ten of spades, get 1 spade on the flop, but low cards, no pair. I call. 4th street is another low spade, I'm hoping for an Ace or a spade on the river, and I bet, just a little, everyone folds but this same guy, and then I got my spade on the river, for the high flush.

What do you think I bet? Yep. 3 grand again. And what do you think he did this time? Yep, he called me.

It's called a "set up", and man do I love it when it works!





P.S. While I did far outlast that player, when the blinds got to 500/1000, I kinda choked.

Hi - good post..

let this be a lesson to you all... you get someone who overbets on flushes.. take them down with top pair.. From the turn you'll win 2/3 times.. these guys bluff on potential flushes so be prepared to hold on when three cards of the same suit land (ofetn they havn't got it).

Watch out for the failed flush... flush bluffers often try to buy on the river with a fishy large bet...

Flush bluffer.. ignore the flush... nail with top pair.... you'll lose big but win bigger

i gotta say when it comes to flush bluffers the overbet on the end could be the hardest call you ever make with top pair or even with a small flush

i had the at a live game with the 4th jeart on the river (BB special, had trip jacks on the flop) and this guy bets way way too much, like 5-6 times the pot... i think for a long time and call with the lowest possible flush, and win... sometimes you gotta trust the instincts and call the overbet when you suspect a bluff