Never Bluff a Calling Station... Especially When They Think They Are Beat

The immortal words of Mike Caro were ringing in my head yesterday. Never bluff a calling station. Never bluff a calling station. Whatever you do, I hope you're not thinking about bluffing a calling station.

I was in a cash game last night and was revisited by Caro's wisdom as I faced off against an opponent in a heads up moment. I had raised preflop with A,K suited and got one caller. Let me tell you about him. He is probably in his sixties. I have played against him before. Nice guy. He loves to see flops. Getting the picture?

The flop came down 7,7,J with two diamonds. The fun thing about my hand was that they happened to be both diamonds. Now I should tell you, I love this situation. I had position on my friend. He checked and I bet out. He called without hesitation. The turn brought a 4 of spades. I put in a large bet. He thought about it for a little bit and then he called. At this point I put him on some kind of ridiculous draw or he had a piece and was refusing to let it go.

The river brought a Q hearts. I began to hear Mike's voice in my head. Don't do it. He isn't going anywhere. He wants to call. I figured I had to put in a decent sized bet to win or else he was going to take it if he had any of it. I was starting to believe he did and it wasn't a draw. Then came Mike's voice. It won't make a difference, he said, don't do it. I did it anyway, and he called and showed down his pocket threes. Here is the kicker. He says to me after, "I was positive you had me beat." I asked why he calls on the river and he responds that he had to see it.

Even when they believe they are beat, those dang calling stations will still call. Unbelievable! Caro is a genius and I am stubborn, sometimes. Let me know what you would have done.