Bet Sizing Tells

[jasonv12]

So in a deepstacked tournament, I just had a hand with 910c, 8 handed, blinds at 20/40, from utg +3. I have around 6k so I'm super deep stacked. I decide to make a raise to 100 to narrow the field as I would with any hand I'd open with probably. The player utg +5 decides to 3bet me to 250. This player was a good player, high winnings according to OFP, but he was also super aggressive (LAG). So, action folds back around to me and I decide to flat to see a flop.

The flop comes Q76 rainbow, with no club. I check to him and he cbets for about 2/3 the pot. Now, I decide to float here because he has been playing so aggressively. I of course can hit my 8, and that just adds to my hand, but the reason I call, has nothing to do with this, it has to do with my opponent who will be cbetting on almost any flop and since we are so deep stacked I decided he doesn't have a Q way more often than he does. Plus, if he did have a Q, I thought he'd opt more towards betting small, say like half the pot, since the board is so dry, so I might call him with a weak pocket pair, 7x, 6x, etc. So his large bet feels rather fishy. Of course, I don't want to suffer from "fancy play syndrome" and I have to be weary of making plays like that cautiously, but that felt like the best play to me at the time.

After I float, the turn is a 9, meaning I now have a pair of 9's. The pot is around 1400 chips, so the pot is still relatively small as compared to my stack size. My hand just became a lot stronger, but it isn't strong enough to bet for value because most other 9's, any pair bigger than 9, two pair, any Q, etc. beat me. So all this in mind, I check to him. He checks behind. With the 976 on board, this proves he never has a Q because he'd protect it if he did.

The river card appeared to be a scare card. It peeled an A. The pot is around 1400. I check to him. He bets out for 1025. My first thought against a LAG fish would be, okay, he hit the ace, however this player is a better player. He thinks that I have a Q and that bet size looked just like him trying to get me off of it. If he knows my range is comprised of most Qx, medium pairs, 7x, and 6x, if he actually hit the A, wouldn't he bet like 1/3 pot to get value? He would. And him betting 2/3 pot gives away he is most likely stealing. I call him with my pair of 9's and he has K10 and I scoop the pot.

Now, if he had given me credit to deduce all that and he'd have bet a 1/3 the pot, I'd have had to given him credit for rivering me and would have (begrudgingly) folded even though it is for a better price, but he didn't give me enough credit. My ego is roaring. Sucks to be him. Now gimme my chips! ;D