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Posts Tagged ‘bluffing’

Bluffing: Part 2

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

In my opinion a LAG player has more opportunities to bluff.

If you present yourself to the table as someone who can play all different types of hands in all different positions you will find that a bluff will work in a couple different ways. First of all, since your range of hands is a lot higher than the average player, the potential for hitting a flop with a rag board would seem to be higher. Be careful that the players you are sitting with are the type that can lay down an over pair to a raise and a re-raise, some just can’t do it and you have to pick your spots, making the same play can pay dividends against one player, and break you against another.

Imagine a late position raise for a tighter player (you put them on AK) and you calling from the small blind with 35 offsuit, flop comes down 35K and you check to the raise who fires at the pot, you pot it a bet and they re-raise, you pop it another bet and they? what? are they going to push here? lay down? you are a 7-3 favourite here and don’t mind the push, but for the future you need to know what he is going to do here. Do they just call and hope to see and Ace come down also? Another K?

How about on a K33 board? do they think two pair with top kicker is a pushing hand or are they worried about the 3? If they are the pushing type, use your implied odds on these flops and get paid, instead of bluffing at them when you hold JQ or AJ.

I wrote before that I think many people play AK too strong, after the flop all you have when you miss is a pair draw really. Getting people to lay down AK can be tough, but putting them on the hard and firing at every flop that misses it with a LAG image can pick you up a lot of pots.

The advantage to making some bluffs on these hands, try it on small pots that won’t kill you to get looked up on, is in the future, you can make the play on hands with the goods and get paid off, but in order to make money long term when bluffing you have to know that the player is the type that can make a tougher lay down.

Bluffing: Part 1

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

Probably the two biggest mistakes that beginner poker players make is playing too many hands, and bluffing too much.

Bluffing correctly can be the difference between having a profitable night and going into your pocket, at the same time, bluffing incorrectly will be the difference between going into your pocket and emptying it out.

Many times new players get caught with a very simple tell, strong is weak and weak is strong. Bluffing on a flop or a river with an amount that just doesn’t make sense will get picked off sooner or later by a decent player, more so when the amount of the bet doesn’t warrant the hand. You may have to pay off a bet or two in order to figure this out, but after that you can set traps and wait for them to stumble.

There are a few different types of bluffs and combined with your table image they can work for you or against you. For instance:

A TAG will get respect for having a hand, so when they raise, it is expected that they have the goods, this would allow them to bluff the pot sometimes on hands that they totally whiff on, but a continuation bet from them represents a big pocket pair, or when an Ace or a King flops and they fire representing AK and everyone else folds unless they hit their two pair on the flop. A TAG has to be careful they don’t go to this well too many times or their image just won’t match up with their play and they will start getting looked up. They also have to watch how people play against them as they run the risk of getting trapped by a set or a goofy straight sometimes.

A semi bluff can be played a couple of different ways. You can bet into a flush or a straight draw representing a top or a big pair, this can sometimes give you a free card on the turn, you need to pay careful attention to where your position is to make this, and who you are playing against. An aggressive player may re-raise you ruining your play, preferably you want to make this in position so they will check the next card to you if you miss and then you get to see the river for free, or keep betting and possibly take it down.

A total bluff should be made against only certain players, some are incapable of laying down a hand and it is no sense bluffing them if you know they are going to look you up. Watch new players in this case as they may not be able to see what you are trying to represent. Watch bluffs against LAGS as they may certainly have actually made the full house you are trying to represent on the 44K28 board. The amount you bluff has to make sense here too, would you actually bet that much if you had the nuts? Would you lead out or would you check raise? A smart player is going to evaluate your play against what they know of you and if you check raised them with the nuts last time, leading out with a bluff may get you looked up this time.