Salter’s Mind Games
Jack Salter is always a gregarious presence at the tables. He had been talking to the other players trying to persuade them, half-jokingly, to each chose a card from the deck to bet on if it comes up on the flop, reasoning that if they all did it for even a small amount it would be worth it. He frequently uses his friendly table talk and image to get into the minds of recreational players without them even realising it, as one player was about to find out.
Paul Rimmer, a PokerStars qualifier from the UK, opened for 2,600 and Salter three bet him to 6,300. The blinds folded and Rimmer made the call. Salter leaned over from the one seat and said to Rimmer, “Good luck. Forty behind?” His opponent confirmed that was what he had and was probably thinking about the implications to his stack before a card had been dealt. The flop came 
and both players checked. The turn was the 
and RImmer made a bet of 7,200 which Salter called. The river was 
. Rimmer now checked and Salter thought for a while before dropping a bet of 8,100 on to the felt. Rimmer shook his head, thought he must be being bluffed and made the call. Salter showed 
and won the pot when Rimmer mucked his cards, unsure just quite what happened there.