Obviously I’m against angling until an opportunity presents itself and I bit:

2-2-5 PLO4 at Chasers NH the other day...

Dealt 8622 I’m slightly tilted and stuck ; villain is young
White kid seems new to plo.

I bluff a 3 club flop when checked to... just a call which usually caps range to two p sets and lower fluses.

Flop 1075ccc

Turn 9c

Villain checks I check

8c

Villain checks I pot for like 3 on a bluff trying to get villain off higher straights and chops and maybe even a baby flush.

—-

Here’s where the angle begins...

Villain says “I have a set of 10”

..

I show my 22 and flash my 86 kinda high so he sees a non club. I was being all loosey goosey trying to act strong as though I was bluffing.
Then I held my hand high like I was going to muck it. Thinking in my head come on fold reverse reverse.

Villain calls and I table 86 for scoop.

Kinda felt bad. We were wearing masks. So I don’t even know who villain is..Do I owe villain a beer ? A blunt? a put in? Nothing?

Did I angle or was it fair game?

I define an angle as one of the following

1. An ambiguous action designed to give players the ability to change their action in the light of an opponents response (for example, tossing in a non-playing 'lucky' chip when facing action, then claiming you did not call when the next card does not improve your hand)

2. Misinformation provided outside of the context of the game (for example, going all in because you claim you got a text about a family emergency and have to leave)

3. Using nuances of the rules to misrepresent action in order to gain information (for example, pump faking)

I consider #1 to be the most severe angle, #2 and #3 to be borderline. For example, a common example of #2 is 'accidentally' throwing in raising chips, then declaring 'call' and acting upset when you realize you threw in an large denomination chip. Some people consider this an angle some don't.

Reviewing your action, I fail to see what the angle was. Misrepresenting your hand strength with a false tell, flashing cards to provide incomplete information all seem to me to be within the context of the game.

Your response was to a guy who essentially was showing you his hand so he could get a read. Once he does that it is now up to you to either not give him the tell he is looking for or more creatively to give him a false tell. And of course it is up to you as to whether or not you believe that he has a set.

My definition of an angle is doing something unethical but technically within the rules. Usually an angle will require a ruling by a dealer or Floor that will force the rules to be upheld.

The only angle I know that is not technically within the rules is when a player exposes their hand in a tournament facing a penalty (which is meted out after the hand and is almost always sitting out some hands) and pretending to make a call without saying the word "call".

There is nothing that you did that would require a ruling.

So what is left to think about is, do you think that what you did is unethical?

Personally I think what you did was deceptive - which is part of the game. Its not like you threw your cards forward as if you were facing a bet and then grabbed them back saying "oh you didn't raise?"

I don't lie in order to get folds or calls. That is where I draw the line. What you did wasn't lying. If I was playing you, I fold because why would you be basically trying to convince me that you were losing by showing me your hand? Whenever somebody tells me that they don't have a hand that would essentially win, I know they have a different hand that will win. But Villain was looking for a tell and was so full of himself that he didn't realize he was getting a false tell. Nice hand.

Thanks for the responses.. I guess it wasn’t technically an angle.

Nothing to see here as long as table talk is allowed HU. GL

#2 is in no way an angle.
#3 is only an angle if there is a hard betting line and people put their chips up to but not over it. (This is why betting lines suck.)

While you technically didn't do anything that is illegal or a total angle, it could easily be argued that you are making a poor choice by engaging in such behavior. As you said, this is a player new to PLO. How will he feel about this move that you did to get an extra $300 out of him? Does he stop playing poker and take his money to blackjack? Does he stop playing PLO? Does he stop playing versus you?

These are all things that could cost you much more money in the long term than you made in that instance. As Mike says in Rounders, "You can shear a sheep many times, but skin him only once."

#2 (misinformation outside of the context of the game) is definitely a grey area. The more common version of this is the misclick, or the language mistake. Some people think it is absolutely fair game to throw in a small and large denomination chip, then act like you threw in the wrong chip and say it was a mistake. Others consider that to be inappropriate deception outside the context of normal game play. I tend to think of it as a mild angle.

You're both bad for the game but not bad enough for punishment. If either of you get a reputation for doing this expect your action to go away.