> To control an opponent, you have to figure out what level they think at, and think one level above. At that point, you'll be playing in a higher realm of existence. At that point, you'll be their god.

Joey occupied his seat as a leopard would position in the thicket, anticipating the approach of gazelles. 'Don't let anything anyone says affect your mind. Stay cool. Focus on what you need to do,' he reminded himself.

The game marched on, to the rhythm of one drum. Marco bullied the table, splashing chips left and right with unbridled arrogance. He was up big now, with over 3000 in front of him, enough to subdue anyone else twice over. Joey glimpsed down at his 1000 in chips. He also bought in relatively large because he had his own plans.

In a zero-sum game, one may routinely observe the birthing of fraternal twins; the rise of each new winner must correspond with the fall of a new loser. That's the merciless edge of this double-sided blade known as poker. The rest of the players were now merely attempting to claw back up to even ground. They were meek, beasts with fangs removed, and Marco devoured them. This table was an open buffet and Joey was also a starving wolf.

As if alternating currents, Marco and Joey took turns shredding off pieces of the remaining players. Marco outright bullied them with significant betting pressure, while Joey used a more tactical approach. Joey had studied these players long enough to know precisely where to find their soft spots.

Marco was sitting to Joey's right and acted first. When Marco raised, Joey stayed out unless he had good cards. Against Marco, he had to wait for the right opportunity. Thankfully, Marco didn't play every hand. When Marco passed, it was Joey's time to feed. Once he felt the players to his left were vulnerable, he would raise and usually win the blinds, often with garbage. He was stealing!

Each steal was only 7 dollars at a time, but over time, 10 times, 20, Joey was steadily building his stack. Still, he wasn't reckless enough to steal every hand. These players weren't fools. They knew what he was doing, but their courage was already too dampened to put up any daring resistance. Despite that, they weren't helpless. They told themselves they would patiently wait for a good hand. Once one arrived, they would punish Joey! Unfortunately for them, fortune favors the bold.

Joey was well aware of their countermeasure, so he dug underneath their minefields. If he felt they had a good hand, he wouldn't steal, he would just fold. When everyone obtained their cards, Joey would wait and take his time, allowing the players to his left to first peek at their cards and radiate their intentions.

One player would lift his cards and stare extra long at them when weak. When he was strong, his glances were quick and his lift reminiscent of a flick, as if they were a buried treasure and he feared others would notice his unearthing. Instinctually, he acted as if they were nothing much to look at, but Joey saw through him!

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Another player would peep at his cards and then pull them towards himself when strong, as if drawing a child towards his chest, protecting it tightly.

Another would outright pick up his cards and wind them up in a tossing motion, overtly signaling that he was going to throw them away!

All Joey needed to do was stay patient and collect these opportunities. Over the course of the night, he safely expanded his stack to 1500, and Marco his to 3500. At this point, the other players had either already been bled dry, or were just completely hopeless and escaped. Surviving, only Joey and Marco.

"Hey fish, you dare to keep playing me heads up?" Marco incited with elevated chin

Joey's eyes relaxed. He knew his opportunity arrived. "Have you ever heard of the reef stonefish?" 

Marco frowned. "...What's that?"

"It's a small fish that sits at the bottom of coral reefs. It looks just like a piece of the reef, a harmless rock...It's only once you try to step on it, that you discover it's the deadliest fish in the sea, bearing the most powerful venom. Of course, by that time...it's too late."

"Baby, I don't like this kid's tone..." Marco's woman complained.

Snort. "Yea, let's see if your skills are as big as your mouth. Deal!"

The heads up match started. By now, from looking back at games he played before, Joey knew that in heads up games, the button still alternates between the two players. The only difference is now, the button also acts as the small blind. On the first round of betting, the button acts first. On every subsequent round, the button acts last just like when there are more players.

On the first hand, Joey was the button, he posted 2 dollars for the small blind, and Marco 5 for the big blind. They each received 2 down-cards and Joey acted first. He raised to 30 and Marco folded. The first few hands rotated this way until an interesting hand brewed.

Marco raised to 30, then Joey reraised to 100, and Marco reraised again to 300. Joey called. There was 600 in the pot. The dealer dealt three up cards. Marco bet 200 and Joey called. There was 1000 in the pot and Joey only had 1000 more chips behind. On the next card, both players checked. The last card was a blank and Joey checked again. Marco thinking for a while, decided to put Joey all in, he made a huge bet of 1000!

Joey chewed his top lip. 'I have a pair of 8s. It's not terrible but I can really only beat a bluff here. I'm not getting any particular read from his emotions either...Ok...let's go back and look at the action of the hand.'

'His reraise to 300 early was very strong. Then he bet again which continued to demonstrate strength. Then he checked back...If I was him, would I check back there if I was strong?'

'He's good enough to think at the level where he's considering my thoughts. He's aware I've been watching him play very loose-aggressively all night...my image of him is that he's wild...and he knows it. So even if he had bet earlier, I wouldn't necessarily respect him as having a strong hand....which means, there was little reason for him to slowplay by checking back...'

'If he had a strong hand...he wouldn't have checked in that spot! In addition, he's surely thinking I'm fairly weak by checking twice in a row on the end, making it a good time for a bluff.  My image in his head...is probably of some rookie kid. He'd never estimate I could rationalize all of this. Big mistake."

"Call!" Joey exclaimed.