I'm guessing the OP mis-typed and that he's talking about the player on his left, not his right. He did say that he's a new player.

Or, more likely, the guy checked to him?

Probably it's not as black and white as this, but I consider angles in general as trying to create a situation to take advantage of, whereas you were taking advantage of a situation that already existed, hence no angle

This is how I interpreted the OP.

Thank you for the feedback everyone.

There are two classifications of angleshooting that I frequently see.
1. Misdirection or miscommunication designed to hide your true intent. Examples of this are the old 'I meant to call, but I accidentally threw out the wrong chip' move.
2. Ambiguous action designed to get free action or information they are not entitled to. Examples of this are the player who, facing an all-in bet on the river, says 'OK', then claims that OK is not a call when the other player tables the nuts.

I am of the opinion that the 1st class really isn't angling. Misdirection is part of poker. Some people argue that there is misdirection that is within the normal game flow, and misdirection that is outside the normal game flow, and that the latter is angling. Others feel that any misdirection is fair game.

Your case is part of the first group.

Trying to look like the flop hit me hard is not similar to looking like I might want to bet? Interesting.

If they're heads-up, it doesn't matter if the OP is on the right and first to act, or on the left and acting after villain checks. In either case, he is not pump-faking a bet, but reaching towards his chips, not yet touching them. If villain acts before OP can move any further, not an angle at all, no matter what was in the mind of the OP.

I recall a similar spot years ago in a limit holdem tourney. I raise pre with AQ, villain calls from big blind. Flop is dry but King hi, villain checks, and I start to reach towards my stack, intending to c-bet. Before I can touch my chips, villain throws out a check-raise. I stop short of touching my chips, and check. Villain calls for floor, who is correctly told what happened, and looks at villain, saying "Are you serious? You want me to force him to bet, because he was going to do so, but then didn't because you acted out of turn?" Ruling was no bet, flop is checked, through, deal the turn.

Could I somehow be guilty of angling because I wouldn't oblige the idiot villain by betting after he check-raised out of turn? If yes, then the rules are really ****ed up.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

To answer the main question everyone is asking, I was directly to his left, so he checked to me first.

Trying to look like anything is not the same as pretending to take a valid action that you have no intention of taking.

While I respect Greg's opinion, his example is also not the same, because he intended to bet. Intention matters. In fact, in determining if something is an angle or not, it is basically all that matters.

OP unphased by the legend Greg Raymer answering his question

Pretty sure this answers the thread question by itself

Huh?
Because he clarified who acted first?

Lol no

That was the only thing the OP did since Greg gave his input.

I can only conclude that in our respective mind's eye's we are seeing something different happen in the OP. To me, "slowly moved my hands to my chips" isn't pretending to take a valid action.

When he does it with the intent to get villain to fold because he thinks hero is betting he is.

If OP's action without forward motion is an angle, then if positions and chip actions are switched, wouldn't someone acting after like he's about to call my bet without moving his chips forward also be an angle?

Btw, without forward motion, I don't think either is an angle.

Yes, if someone has bet and you pretend like you're going to call in the hopes of getting him to expose his hand without actually risking your chips, that is an angle. There have been lots of threads about things like that.

I guess I have a loose interpretation of angling and lean more toward protecting your hand.

I don't understand what it has to do with protecting your hand.

I'm not sure I'm envisioning the same action here as some others. If someone bets, tons of players will move their hands to the chips, cut out the call amount, think about it, restack, recut, , shuffle chips, etc. i don't think anybody considers any of that an angleshoot or pretending to call to get a player to expose his hand. Unless the guy tries to feign somehow forward motion, or moves his chips up to, but short of a betting line, it's just normal action.

OP said he moves his hands towards his chips. He didn't even say that he actually touched them. How can tha be in angle? Lots of people also cut out chips when they are not facing a bet, while deciding whether to bet or not. Absent an attempt to pump fake, that's not an angle, even if they know they are going to check, but want to make it seem like he has a tough decision. If a player observes that and folds it's not because he was the victim of an angle, it was because he is a beginner and doesn't recognize common table actions.

It's like you guys aren't even reading the same OP. He admitted he wasn't even thinking about betting, he was just trying to trick the other guy into mucking.

OP: "slowly moved my hands to my chips to see if he'd just fold again"

I have no idea why anyone thinks it is only an angle if he does a pump fake or forward motion. An angle is about the intention. Of course doing what OP did doesn't break any rules. If it broke rules, it would be outright cheating, not angling. When someone accuses you of angling, the answer can never be "but I didn't break any rules".

If there is a betting line that is in play, doing what OP did is just as angly as the pump fake: it's pretending you're going to bet but not betting.

If the rule is forward motion, then what the OP did is an angle, and the pump-fake is not an angle, because it is a bet. If someone tries to take back a bet, it is cheating.

Sometimes, in a tournament, I'm not thinking about betting but would like to disguise the strength of my hand. I'll look thoughtful, count out some chips that look like an amount I might bet, consider how much I have left, and then after a few moments I will check. I do this with the hope that my opponent checks behind. Am I angling?

I don't think what OP did is an angle. Poker is a game of deception and it was deceptive.

My definition of an angle is doing something that is technically legal but violates the spirit of the rules. I don't think reaching for chips violates the spirit of the rules.

I can't tell you how many times I am at a table and somebody says "if you had just breathed on your chips I would have folded". So I started breathing on my chips more.

And when I see somebody reach for chips, count them out, and then not bet I almost always suspect that they are either trying to get me to fold or trying to get me to not bet myself (if I haven't already checked).

In the end I think what OP did is not very different than bluffing. Its just cheaper.

This is not even unethical. It's an ages old poker move to confuse or decieve your opponent about your hand strength and your likely intentions. If you are weak and it induces a fold , it's just a ploy that worked. Most players with some experience recognize this old trick. It is not cheating/unethical to be deceptive within the rules. Often it is how you actually win hands in the end.