Five Shovels and a Grave

AQ in middle position with a $5 limper. I make it $25 and get two callers behind.

The flop is 945, all spades. We check to the middle position caller who doesn’t hesitate and bets $201. It’s folded back around to me.

The bettor is a old Asian man with his wife sweating him. I have him pegged as a gambler already. He bet very quickly, forcefully even. Everything about him is showing strength, and that’s intentional. This is classic bluff behavior.

At the same time he’s bet $200 into a $75 pot. That’s a lot of money to risk on a bluff. But why would he bet so much if he wanted a call?

I’m convinced he doesn’t want anyone to call. Even if I’m wrong, and he has a hand, say a set of nines, I’ve got the aces of spades, so I have lots of outs.

I call. The turn is a 3s and I make the flush. The river is a Js, just to rub it it.

The Asian man looks at his cards for a second before turning them over. 2s6. He has a straight flush.