Always look left... always!

Last session, I switched tables more often than any other prior session.  I think I jumped to no less than 4 tables within an 8 hour session.  I wanted to get away from decent regulars, and ensure that my table had a good stock of fish to beat out of their money.  I wound up chasing an arrogant fish around, but I could not catch him regardless my efforts.  He was the type that so long as you strap in and prepare for the variance, you could get your money in as a decent favorite against him.  It was only a matter of time that his mistakes would catch up with him and the best preflop hand would hold.

Anyway, I raise with JJ to $20 after his limp and get a call from an $100 stack across the table, as well as my aggro fish sitting on around $70 effective.  We go to the flop with $80 & $50 stacks effective and see a K T 3 flop.  Decent flop for JJ; obviously not the nuts, but a good flop against my aggro donk.  As expected, aggro fish leads for a shove of $50.  Ordinarily this is a snap call fist pump; if he caught a K, good game sir, but he's going to be showing up with smaller pocket pairs and Tx hands quite frequently.  However, I measure the $80 effective stack from across the table, and he looks as though he is so ready and anxious to snap off a call.  It is at that point that I realize that even though I have my fish crushed, I cannot make the call because the other guy has me beat.  To the title of this post, always look left.

I correctly fold and see the other guy flip over AKhh for the winner versus the fish's QT.  AK holds - easy game.  Unfortunately, I lost $20 in the hand, but saved myself another $80.

At this point, I mutter "nice fold," not realizing I said it loud enough for the fish to hear.  He starts giving me crap about my comments and I say that I was talking to myself about my hand - and apologize.  He starts to get irate - tells me he had me beat and that I can never beat him.  He's always going to have the winning hand against me.  Wow.  Tough talk.  He proceeds to get up from my table and move to another table, rebuying in the process.

I follow him over to the new table and we get into another hand: I raise in EP with AQo to $15 and he calls along with one or two other players.  He has $35 effective after the call.  Flop comes K Q T ss.  Checks to me, and I lead for $35 -- folds to the fish who snaps me off with what else but J 9 for the bottom end of the straight.  Easy game sir.  Now the fish really jaws it up, emboldened by his masterful play.  Ug.  I never get the chance to catch him, but talking to the dealers, apparently he's been a regular over the past 2 or 3 weeks - yippee!  Hopefully, I'll catch him next week.