The Bluff (NL)

I see alot of players making some really bad bluffs lately, and its starting to be a rather profitable thing for me, reading those bluffs and calling with weaker hands to take it down. Here's my thoughts on how you should bluff, as apposed to the way most people do.

As a poker player bluffing is one of the tools at your disposal with which you can decimate a table of less experienced players. But if you don’t know how to use this strategy correctly it may well be something that is costing you a lot more than it makes you.

What is the purpose of the bluff? –
When you make a bluff you trying to convince the other players in the hand that you have them beat and therefore make them fold.

To pull this off consistently takes some skill. Experienced players are able to spot bluffs easily when they are incorrectly executed. This does not mean that it will be called down but it means any profit made from that bluff may well be lost in a later hand when the bluff is called down.

So how does one correctly execute a bluff?

Here is a couple of ways I like to bluff –
1.– This bluff starts preflop. It is never made from EP, rarely from MP. For this to work you need to have good position, it is vitally important to see how players react to the flop because this may involve a continuation bet on the turn. If someone is still in at the river and I haven’t caught anything then its time to let it go. Unless you can put them on a draw that has missed.

You start with a pre-flop raise(4/5BB), you want a rag flop because you probably wont have been called by rags, possible hands to call your raise are probably highcards or pp. If the flop comes out Axx then you need to be careful, or most any flop with J or higher on it. If there was more than one caller preflop then someone is probably on TPTK/TPGK and you would have to go AI to throw them of it, and generally I find that the average player finds it difficult to lay down TPTK even to an AI bet. If someone shows aggression then you can lay it down, no harm done. You absolutely definitely don’t want to get committed to following through with bluffs on the river, and sometimes turn. This is where you will lose money. Don’t worry about someone being able to then read that you were bluffing; this isn’t a fight of egos. If the whole table realizes you bluffed it then you can guarantee action in later hands, so just change gears and bet only solid hands.

As a general rule, players won’t take on the preflop raiser unless they have hit something good. Fish are a different matter and you probably shouldn’t bluff them too often as they find the call button very attractive.

2. – The “I just hit” steal.

I usually make this move when I’ve limped in on drawing hands and missed, Ax suited, low pp or suited connectors. It is usually made on the turn, again from late position. This works great against players who are sensitive to their hand becoming weaker.

You want a raggy flop and someone has hit TPTK with Ax. Say its 438 on the flop, and our guy has A8. he makes a bet you call with junk. The turn is Q. he either checks or makes a small bet. He is weak to the overcard of his pair. Raise right there. He’s now easily putting you on KQ, QJ, AQ. And has very few outs to win against you. If you’ve picked the right player then you’ll take it down.

3. – Paying attention to weakness.

There are some people who have no idea on bluffing. He’s an example from the other day.

NL .1/.2
I have AQ, I raised, one caller
Pot $1.40
He bets min bet $0.20
I had a flush draw so I called. (I could have raised and taken it there, I had 15 outs 54% to hit by the river)
The turn doesn’t improve things for me.
He checks.
Its like there’s a sign round his neck saying “STEAL THIS POT”
I bet the pot, he’d clicked the check/fold button and instantly folded.



So there’s a few things to think about. Keep in mind that a big factor in how and when to bluff is based on the players. If the whole table is in the hand don’t bluff. Someone will call. You want to bluff the Tight aggressive… and even better weak tights. Bluffing should be kept safe away from the table until you have a good feel for the players and can make your move very confidently. Bluffing the wrong person is what will cost you money.

Basic rules for bluffing

Make sure you have position
Don’t bluff the “calling station fish”
Don’t bluff someone who is on tilt.
If you get played back at show some respect and fold.
Don’t bluff shortstacks.

Before you make a bluff, think about the whole hand and how it’s played, what would other players be thinking you have.

I like to ask myself this…
Based on the bet I am about to make and previous bets in this hand... If I were him and holding something of value would I call? If I can read myself as being on a bluff then I leave it and move on.
The main thing is to be convincing, the other player(s) must truly believe you have the hand. You cant bet out on the flop representing AA if you didn’t play it like AA pre flop.

AI bluffs: Are almost always the wrong thing to do. An All in is representing a monster hand and generally monster hands don’t go all in (Making this move an easy read to put you on having nothing). A smaller bet will often achieve the same result, and risk less money incase your opponent does have a strong hand.

And that’s about all I have to say about that right now.

All I can say is: good post!

You're just referring to stonecold bluffs right? Because semi-bluffs are a whole different business and sometimes do go all-in and ridicously overbet the pot...

-spino

You're just referring to stonecold bluffs right? Because semi-bluffs are a whole different business and sometimes do go all-in and ridicously overbet the pot...

Yes i'm refering mostly to having utter crap in your hand. Though the first one is very similar to continuation bets with AK as overs, and i often do the exact same thing in that position.

Semi bluffs are a whole different thing and its important that the two dont get confused. So..

THIS THREAD DOES NOT REFER TO SEMI BLUFFS

bluffing from early position can be just as effective as bluffing from late. you are the preflop raiser and you are first to act after the flop, usually an easy takedown. you cant only bluff from late position, late position bluffs are so obvious

I agree with bair, but if you're on a loose/fishy table, forget it. You need to know that your average hand doesn't go to showdown, for sure.

The best thing about bluffs is that you have the freedom to play like you have the nuts at all times. You can even slowplay (with caution). It's wonderfully liberating knowing that at any given betting round, you are unbeatable - and making other players damn well realise this.

Originally Posted by bair

bluffing from early position can be just as effective as bluffing from late. you are the preflop raiser and you are first to act after the flop, usually an easy takedown. you cant only bluff from late position, late position bluffs are so obvious

Yeh fair enough, it depends alot on the table. Most times where i'm playing I need LP, the players will call with junkier hands.. and very rarely set traps on me so its much safer for me to bluff late when i can be more sure they havent caught anything. Where as if i were to bluff from EP i cant garentee i wont be called by Ax Kx that has top pair.

But like you say, the early posistion bluff can be just as effective if your up against the right players.

I like this post.

I play 6max these days and I'd like to add the following..

Against a typical low blinds table with your usual assortment of plrs, my bluff rate is very low. I may bluff fewer than 1 in 20 hands where I see the flop (keep in mind, with 6max you see alot of flops). Even then it is usually a semibluff on a missed board with some overs. On these types of tables, I found that I can sometimes bump up my bluff rate once I've established a tight image. Even then, when a new plr shows up I have to give him way and avoid bluffs, especially if he's in the hand. I like to play tight tables where people turn over lots of good cards. Most plrs usually take a few orbits to adjust their play to this type of table (tightening up themselves) so I will avoid bluffing while they make the adjustment.

I find that bluffing from out of position is sometimes more effective than bluffing from position. A bet from the button that's been checked to is very typical. But a pot sized bet form the big-blind will get most tight plrs to fold their overs to a rags board. The button is still the overall best place to be but I try and avoid a pattern of betting/raising from the button. I try not to be predictable.