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  Poker players have a lot of tricks up their sleeves so it isn't too surprising to see them try out their tricks on the hit NBC poker show, Poker After Dark. It was during that show's third season when Phil Hellmuth and Shawn Sheikhan wound up in heads-up play during Hecklers' Week that we got to see what each player was made of.



  They had faced off in previous shows, including season two's Heckers' Week, which Shawn won. For all his bluster Shawn is a smart guy, and he knew that Phil was worried he would lose again, and that his ego wouldn't stand for it. So, Shawn turned up the pressure, raising and winning every pot during heads up play to this hand.



  Phil opened things up with a raise to $2,000 pre flop while holding:






... Why would he raise with such a miserable hand? Because he was guessing that Shawn had been putting on the pressure with nothing, and that he couldn't keep it up. Phil was trying to turn the tide by taking action and going on the offensive.



  Unfortunately for Phil, Shawn really was getting cards. He picked up:






... and decided to re-pop it up to $11,600. Phil had no choice but to fold. One of the biggest factors in poker is making the right decision at right time, regardless of the rightness or wrongness of the previous decision. The raise wasn't the best play, but getting out now was, so Phil gets kudos for that at least.