New Player, Odd Plays

A few hands of note from last night's PCS. With 19 entrants, I finished 14th. I busted out when I reraised all-in from the small blind with AQo against Paul's button-raise. I thought he was stealing. Not stealing, so much as stacking my chips with his pocket tens.

The most puzzling hand also involves Paul. This was his first PCS tourney, and I had him on my immediate right for the whole thing. The first two hours was pretty normal. He seemed like he knew what he was doing. Neither overly tight nor loose.

With the blinds at $3/$6, Paul had just lost a big pot and was under the gun for the next hand. He pushed all-in for $62, under the gun. And here I am, UTG+1, with pocket tens and $54. I'm moderately short-stacked, and I have six more people to act after me.

I can't figure out if I'm way ahead, or way behind. I could see him doing this with pocket aces or kings, begging for a call. Or he could be doing it with AK-suited or pocket 4's, overbetting like a moron to pick up the blinds.

I folded, and everyone else followed suit.

This was the first of Paul's "moves". As play progressed, we got the idea that he liked to play a hand here and there in an unpredictable manner.

His second unpredictable hand was in my $6 big blind. Black Widow min-raised UTG, and Paul called in the small blind. I called with A5-spades. The flop was 7s, 5h, 3h. Paul min-bet into me and Black Widow. A $6 bet into a $36 pot? Isn't he begging for a big raise here? Isn't he concerned with the flush draw if he does have a hand? I was suspicious of Paul's bet, and concerned about Black Widow acting behind me, so I folded. The turn and river were blanks, and they both checked it down. Black Widow showed KT offsuit, proclaiming a blind steal. Paul showed pocket rockets.

My curiosity is piqued. I'm going to be keeping an eye on Paul at future PCS tourneys.