Tips On Bluffing

Poker Strategy
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Hi everyone!

As Poker players we all know that there are two ways to win a hand. Either by having the best hand at showdown or of course bluffing!

How do we go about bluffing? When is the proper time to bluff?

Let me start off by answering when is the best time to bluff? When you’ve just arrived at a table I wouldn’t go ahead and just try to bluff every hand especially against unfamiliar players that would be a ridiculous thing to do. Instead just play some legitimate hands at first. This actually helps increase your bluff value. It’s important to watch the other players at the tables. Try to put them on a range of what they could be playing and also note how they bet and any patterns you notice.

When you feel you have enough information on a player you can think about trying to bluff the player. So how do we go about bluffing?

For example lets say you are dealt 9 of clubs and 2 of diamonds at a 6 handed table and are out of position. Lets say the blinds are 50/100 no antes and your opponent limps in and your the big blind and decides to check preflop. Everyone else in the hand folds.

Flop comes A(h) 5(s) J(s)

You are out of position so you have to act first. When your out of position you have to try to gain information. As I like to say Poker is a game of information. How do we gain information? We bet! A lot of the time I see players try to bluff by min raising. NEVER MIN RAISE!!! For one main reason

Your missing out on value!!!

Think of it: If your opponent always calls your min raises you have to think how much of their chip stack is the player willing to call with?

When betting you should always try to make a good, strong bet! In this situation with the blinds at 50/100 I would bet somewhere in the range of 325 - 375 chips. You don’t want to make to big of a bet if you want your opponent to call or you could scare the opponent off their hand and they’ll fold. The only time we want a call when bluffing is if you think your opponent’s hand is weaker than yours or if you think the opponent is trying to bluff also.

We bet the 325 chips on the flop and the opponent calls.

The turn comes 10 of clubs

This is where I like to end a hand while bluffing. If my math is right the pot is at 800 chips now. So at this point I feel as if betting at least half pot to full pot is appropriate since we now want our opponent to fold. So I would bet between 400 - 800 chips. For this example lets say we decide to bet 575 chips. Now the opponent is trying to put us on a range of hands! Could we have a pair of Aces? Or 10’s? Possibly two pair Aces and Jacks? Nope remember we have 9 of clubs and 2 of diamonds however we are representing a much stronger hand which is why the opponent decides to fold and we win the pot!

Being in position while trying to bluff is much easier in my opinion since we have more information.

I hope these tips help you when trying to bluff! If you have tips on bluffing feel free to share them!

Take care

-Marc

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i also have made a list of bluffing once into another thread. i’ll copy/paste it below.
i have also made a few small edits to improve it a bit:

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the best way to explain when you should bluff is to know which kinds of bluffs there are and the basic reasons why you should consider one.

here is a list of the basic reasons to consider when bluffing and why:

  • player amount: this one is important because the lesser players in game the higher chance you can get them to fold
  • position: simply said, the later you can act, the more information you have. and if you have information that your opponent(s) is weak, you can try a bluff.
  • trustworthyness of the bluff: what i mean by this is when you will play against people who know the game, you should always consider what you are representing. this because with any bet you make including bluffing you are telling a story, if the story won’t match with your bets it becomes much more clear you are bluffing, for example: when you checked all the way and the river is a 2s, now you suddenly make a pot sized bet all you are saying is that you have pocket deuces, which just won’t make sense.
  • information: by far the most important thing when considering a bluff. there are 2 kinds of information, the player and the hand info. when looking at the player info, it simply means the tighter the player the more you can bluff. when looking at the hand info, you look how weak you think your opponents hand is, if you think it is weak enough you bluff.
  • to bluff or not: when you considered the 4 things above and expect all your opponents will fold then bluff. if you are unsure and hope they will fold then won’t, only bluff when you have reason to do so.

as i explained earlier, there are many kinds of bluffs, and every kind of bluff needs an another reason to do. so i’ll make my ultimate bluffing guide, i will write all types of bluffs i can think of, what they mean, the reason why to use it, the reasons why not to use it, and example to understand when/why you can perform such a bluff. however keep in mind that every situation is different, so always consider the actual situation first before jumping to the example i gave. ok here the guide:

  • normal bluff
  • when you think your opponent(s) are weak enough to fold
  • when you are not sure enough it will work
  • you have 10sJs on the button, you raise 3bb’s and get 1 caller. flop is 3c 5d Qh. your opponent checks and so do you, turn is As, opponent checks again. because he checked twice he has shown a lot of weakness, so you bet, representing the A and he folds.
  • double barreling bluff
  • when you failed to bluff him out on the flop and try again on the turn
  • when you put the opponent on a draw, when you think he did’nt believed you the first time, when a possible scare card comes
  • when you even consider he slowplays, when a scare card for you comes.
  • you have 8h8d, you raise in on the co 4bb’s, the bb calls. flop is 9h 3d 10d. the bb checks, you cbet with half pot, he thinks 2 seconds and he calls. the turn is Qc, now he bets 30% of the pot. you think the most likely is a queen or a draw, but you expect a queen will likely bet bigger and that this is probably a blockbet. you make a big raise and he folds.
  • triple barreling bluff
  • when you failed to bluff him out of the flop and turn and try it again
  • same reasons as with the double barreling but will rarely be still the case when 3barrel, the only logical reason is when an even bigger scare card comes
  • almost always, this is a very risky kind of bluff and should only be used when you really know what you are doing
  • you have Qh10s, the mp make a raise of 3bb. and you call in lp. flop is 6c 8d Kc. the mp bets 40% of the pot, you did’nt trusted it and thinks he is just cbet bluffing, and you raise. he quickly calls. you know now you misread him. turn Ac, mp now quickly checks. you make another bet of 50% of the pot, he thinks a few seconds and calls, you think he did’nt liked that ace or club. river 4c, he checks again, you bet 50% of the pot again and he insta folds. now you know for sure he had no club.
  • Cbet bluff
  • betting with air on the flop after you were the last aggressor preflop
  • one of the few bluffs that IS good to use most of the time
  • when specific cards came that likely have hit your opponent(s), when you will likely not be believed when doing.
  • instead of an example when to use it, i give now an example when NOT to use it: you have 9s9c, you raise utg with 3 bb’s, you get 2 callers. flop is Ah Kh Jc. because you had 2 callers it is very likely they (or at least 1) has a big card (especcialy an ace), and you have 3 overcards to your nines. so you check, 1 player bets, second calls, and you fold. (however consider that big cards may be a good thing when cbetting, but just in the right situations)
  • information bluff
  • make a small bet to see if they are weak enough to 2barrel with a stronger bet
  • when you think you can win with a bluff but just are’nt sure enough to actually do it.
  • every situation except explained above
  • you have Kh Js, utg a person raises 3bb’s, you call in mp, in lp another person also calls. flop is 7s Qs 7d. utg checks, you know nothing about the lp and the utg have shown weakness (which may even mean a slowplay), also the board is paired which means lesser possible outs for your opponents, you think you can get away with a bluff but just won’t be sure enough, so you make an information bluff of 35% of the pot, the lp thinks a few seconds and call, the utg insta folds. now you think a queen with at least a decent kicker would raise here, so the only thing that’s dangerous here is an 7 (which would be quite unlikely) or a draw. so any non spade J or lower will very likely win when you second barrel with a strong bluff.
  • semi bluff
  • bluffing on a drawing hand, which work as a blockbet most of the time, gives you fold equity with a unmade hand, and grants you a big pot if they call and you made your hand
  • often when in early or middle position.
  • in late position without any bet placed yet (because you throw away a free card), when a very aggressive player is involved however when you think the odds of folding are good this is just as good as any position.
  • you have 10sJs. ep raises 3bb’s, you in mp calls, the co and dealer also call. flop As 4c 9s, the ep bets half pot, you semi bluff raise it 2,5 times that bet, co and button folds, ep calls. if the turn hits then you can try extracting a lot of money, if it won’t hit you can consider another semi bluff.
  • bullying bluff
  • bluffing because you know they can’t afford a call
  • attacking a short stack or sometimes a medium stack with a wide range of hands, when got information they are weak
  • attacking a too short stacked person (one which has that low amount that it makes you committed when they push), attacking another big stack, attacking anyone without proper information, doing so just because you can afford it.
  • you have Qc Jc, lp (has 20 bb’s) raises to 3bb’s, you (has 95 bb’s) call. flop 2h 3d 9c, the lp short stack checks, if you bet now it won’t make much sense because they only valuable hands are overpairs, sets, two pair and 9X, overpairs would have raised pf, 2 pairs would’nt have called at all, a set may be possible but wold very likely be slowplayed here, so only A9, 910s or maybe K9 make sense here, so a bet will be very likely seen as a bluff, but just because he can’t afford a call you can make a bullying bluff and you bet full pot, he insta folds.
  • strong hand bluff
  • when you got a powerful hand, which is likely to got beaten afterwards but a scare card comes for an even bigger hand
  • to a strong opponent that’s capable of making big laydowns (because having a strong hand beat means he have an even stronger one)
  • when the scare card isn’t too scary for the opponent, when you do it because you think your “strong hand” is still valuable
  • you have 10d10s, the mp raises to 3bb’s, you are co and raises to 8 bb’s, the mp calls. flop is 10c Qs 7s, the mp checks, you bet a half pot, the mp thinks for a while and calls, turn Jd, he checks again, you bet a half pot again, now he waits a few seconds check-raises that bet 2,5 times, now you think for a while and you put him on a straight, but you still call because you may get a full-house, and your trips may even be good. the river 6s, he bets 40% of the pot, now you think for a while and remembered that your bets also could be like a flushdraw, now you bluff with a huge raise, he thinks for a while and folds, he shows AK (the nut straight).
  • check-raise bluffing
  • exactly like the name said
  • when you get a good read the better is bluffing, knowing really well what you are doing because failing this one will cost you a lot of chips. you also need a deep stack to do this (unless you are prepared to go all-in for this, but you need a very good read for that)
  • all other reasons
  • you have 7d 7s, ep raises 3bb’s, u call, lp and the dealer call too. flop 5h 9h Jc, ep checks, u check, co check, and the dealer bets the pot, ep folds, you know 3 people checked and if he actually had a hand almost all of the times he should bet a lot less to get callers from a checked pot, also you are representing a set this way, you check-raise bluff from 12 to 30 bb’s, the co insta folds, and the dealer folds too.
  • meta game bluff
  • making a bad bluff on purpose expecting it will pay off in later rounds. because they will use cheaper tricks on you because you are the fish in their eyes, also your good hands will be paid off more often.
  • know very well what you are doing (this one will just cost money if you wont have a very good reason), do only to strong opponents who will recognise what your bluff represents (or not represents actually).
  • use this too often or too less, use this to opponents that already know you, bluff too high amounts.
  • you have 6c 6h, you are ep and bet 3bb’s, the mp and button call, flop 4d Qs Kc, you check, mp checks, the dealer bets half pot, you call and so does the mp, turn 2c, now you bet 40%, the mp folds and the dealer feels this is fishy to bet a deuce and quickly calls, river Jd, you bet 40% again, the dealer thinks a few seconds and calls, you show your sixes, he shows KJ.
  • all-in bluff
  • use all your chips as a bluff
  • when you are short stacked (only when very short stacked on the dealer or co, in all other cases you need at least some equity to do this) , when there is a huge pot to get (when using the second as a reason you should know very good what you are doing because this is the ultimate risk)
  • almost always
  • you have Ac As, ep (175bb’s) raises to 3bb’s, you in mp (120 bb’s) reraises to 8bb’s, dealer (140bb’s) calls, and so does the ep, flop Kh 9d 10h, ep checks, you bet (12bb’s), dealer calls, ep calls, turn is Js, ep checks, you check, dealer bets 35 bb’s, ep insta folds, you think about it for a while and the only logical bet is a queen or bluff, it can be a bluff because he did after 2 people checked, so after thinking you make the call, river is 9h, now you can check and hope he checks back because of a bluff, or you bluff all-in, it’s quite likely he has a queen, but the way you have played you can have a set or flushdraw for as far as he knows, and the flushdraw will be a flush now and the set a full house, and both will beat the straight, you bluff all-in, he thinks for a while and folds, he shows KdQd.

and here some pre-flop bluffs:

  • blind stealing
  • use your late position to raise with a very wide range of hands to win the pot right now. same can be done in blind vs blind preflop
  • most of the time
  • when you have loose agressive players after you, early rounds in a tournament, when you or your opponent(s) are too short stacked (about 8bb’s or less), with off suited multi gap low cards (like Jd3c, 5h10d, 2s6c, 9h6s)
  • you have 7d 9d. it’s folded to you on the co, you raise it to 4bb’s and everyone folds.
  • limping bomb
  • when you had a lot of limpers who like to see cheap flops, afterwards you make a huge raise (slightly over the pot size) to steal all the free blinds they used.
  • on a table where at least 4 people limped and no one raised (recommended to do with more then 4) (less can be done too but is also less effective), late position or preferrably in the blinds
  • on a table with smarter players that may limp to trap you, or smart players that see what you are trying to do, being too scared or short to perform a c-bet after someone may called, anything less then a mediocre hand (all suited cards, connectors, small pairs, all hands with an queen or king, a hand with an ace can be done too because it’s a blocker (however the flip side is that you are more likely to be dominated) are playable.
  • you have 5s6s, the utg, mp1, mp2, hijack and co all limped in (you have most of them all see it do much more times before) you are on the button and raise it to 8bb´s, and it´s folded to you by everyone and you get a free 6,5 bb’s, just because they all limped.
  • squeeze play
  • a lag (loose aggressive) player have raised as he often does, in late position there was a caller which is probably aware of his loose play, you are in position of them and make a 3-bet with a wide range of hands to push them both out of the way because the raiser raised with a too weak hand and the caller probably would have reraised himself if he was strong enough
  • as mentioned above, use about 4-5 times the raise to raise them both away
  • with maniacs after you, with small aces (A2s-A5s is possible) or unplayable hands, with a stack of the size that commits you to the pot (all-in to do this is ok but you need an even better read on them)
  • you have 10s 9c, a loose agressive player in the mp raises to 3bbs, the co called, you are in the sb and reraise to 12bb´s, they both fold.
  • light 3-betting
  • 3-betting with mediocre hands as a bluff to get them folded of strong hands and to widen your own ranges to get more unpredictable (the squeeze play is actually a form of light 3-betting but it can be done in more situations)
  • in late position against a player that likes to raise a lot but isn´t a maniac, with weak hands that are unlikely to be hold by your opponent but do have some value if you got called
  • using this strategy too much, using this trick with weak aces (if you get called you are very likely dominated by a strong ace) all other situations then mentioned above (this is a difficult trick and can cost you a lot when doing it wrong)
  • you have Qh3h, the person in the hijack raises roughly 30% of his hands and so he does now to 4bb´s, you are on the button and 3bet it to 14bb´s the sb and bb quickly fold, the hijack thinks shortly and folds too, he shows Ks 10c
  • light 4-betting
  • same as light 3betting but instead of a 3bet you perform an 4bet, however this one is even much more difficult and dangerous to use as an light 3bet. the differences are you need to have an good read of the raiser (unless you are the raiser of course) and an even better read of the 3better, and because 3bets are more rare then raises you need very good information that he can 3bet as a bluff or be capable of folding to a 4bet. also light 4bets should probably very rarely (maybe never) be used on replaypoker because this strategy will just even start from mid to high stakes in real money poker, so an 3bet (and even most raises) are meant as valuebet only in these stakes. besides of that the best is to have statistics of the other player in which you can see his 3bet,4bet call and 5 bet ranges which you also don´t have in here (the 3bet ranges need to be high and the 4bet call and 5bet ranges low, or simply said you need decent 4bet-fold stats of him/her), without statistics is possible but you will need a very good read on the opponent to be able for this.
  • as explained above. tighten your range to: suited connectors, suited 1 gappers, suited 2gappers with an high card that isn´t an ace, medium-high connectors, and (low) pocket pairs. make a 4bet of about 3 times the 3bet.
  • any non mentioned situation, using this when not exactly know what you are doing.
  • you have 9d10d and are in the mp and raise it to 3bb´s, the button 3bets you to 12 bb´s, it´s folded to you, lets just say you know that he has a 3bet range of 12% and also he is on the button, which both is a sign he may have a hand you can bluff him off, lets just say he folds 6%, only calls or your 4bet with 4% hands and 5bets with 2%, so you use a 4bet to 34bb´s, he thinks for a while and folds.
  • light 5-bet push bluff
  • first of all you need to know that this is the hardest bluff that exists by far (a normal all-in bluff is childsplay in comparison to this one), so don´t even consider using it when you are anything less then a pro or won´t mind to lose an entire deep stack buy-in. is the same idea as light 4betting but even a lot harder as the light 4bet because of the same reasons light 4betting is also harder as light 3betting, also your read of the 4better should be even better as the read of the 3better. unless you have some insane soul read of your opponent it´s also undoable without range statistics. the strategy itself is all about knowing the fold range of the 4better is high enough to compare to the equity you have when he may call and at the same counts for the other raisers, simply said EV, but it means you mostly go play on your fold equity but because 4bets often mean big strength your will be called most of the time so you need enough equity from a call to get the ev+, simply said your calling and fold equity will probably be too low on their own but when you combine them it will be +ev (if you do it right however) (same idea like a semi bluff), it´s also important that your opponent is loose enough to combine hands like AK (and if possible) AQs in their “value” range (since these hands are better for your small pairs and suited connectors then big pairs are), also the -EV of a fold may be even bigger then the -EV you get when you 5bet against a “wrong” range which also may be a reason to use the light 5bet push bluff (which means your range will be more wide if you were the 3better then the raiser, and wider when you were the raiser then when you still have to act).
  • as explained above, narrow your range to suited connectors of at least 56s and (low) pocket pairs (low pockets are slightly better), be in a deep stacked ring game of at least 100 bb’s (deep stacked tournament is possible too but there are’nt many tournaments where you and your opponent are over 100bb’s in the middle and late stages and because of the icm it is rarely worth it anyway, also almost never use this in the early stages of a tournament since you are’nt even close of being that deperate to use that kind of tricks)
  • always except the super specific situations mentioned above, not going all-in when doing this (because not doing it makes you committed anyway and you unnessecary lose fold equity like that
  • you have 3h 3d, a very loose player in the mp raises to 4bb’s, it’s folded to you and play on the button, you know he is very loose so you reraise him to 15bb’s, the sb quickly folds, but the bb makes a 4bet to 40 bb’s, the mp quickly folds, you think for a while and you saw him call a 5bet with AK before and in his statistics you saw he is capable of folding to a 4bet and does this roughly 35% of the time, you have 118 bb’s in total and the villain slightly more but is practically all-in if he calls you when you push, with all information combined you think pushing is the best option, so you 5bet push it to 118 bb’s, the bb thinks about it for a very long time, but he decides to fold, he showed JJ.

this were all possible kinds of bluffs i could think about, and what you should do with them, and how to do this.

hope this helps. yiazmat.

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@Marc978 Morning Marc. Did I read this on the internet somewhere?

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Not sure Craig. Maybe something like this post? I didn’t copy it from anywhere. I typed this post out around two in the morning.

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Lots of great tips Yiazmat! These tips will help a lot of players! Thanks!

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I think I said it wrong Marc. What I meant, do you belong to any other Poker sites, forums where I could have read this before ?

Looks familiar. 2am ? Hahahaha, I hear ya

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Well I do run my own little Poker blog site but that’s it.

I typed this at 2am because I couldn’t sleep lol.

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Nice !!! I could never think that clearly at 2 am.

Good job Marc !!!

And @yiazmat of course :+1:t2:

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Don’t like bluffing on hands before the cards are dealt. Don’t like someone bluffing in a big game and then not showing their hand. I don’t mind getting joked (bluffed) but bothers me. I know it is part of poker, but it is like lying., I do like that you can put tabs on players that bluff all the time. I do this. Helps me know when to just ignore them and just bet the cards I have (which I do anyway really). So many players bluff all the time and wonder why they are ignored. THAT is why. Once you make note of it…they’ll act so “what me?” then come up with some real cards. Just a petty thing…it is poker…just irritating.

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Tell us how you really feel lol :joy:

I understand what your saying but it is an art form.

There are some great videos posted here on real money bluffing. You should check it out. Losing 100K in play chips is a lot easier on the soul then real money.

Enjoy !

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I find that betting a lot of chips will frequently be successful…

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I have to say, your example seems pretty poor. Let’s assume both you and your opponent are strong, thinking players, and actually look at the action:

–Preflop–

Player limps, you check. Since you have 9-2 off suit this is understandable.

–Flop–

A(h) 5(s) J(s). Note that at this point the pot is 2 big blinds and 1 small blind, so there are 250 chips in there. You decide to bet 325 chips, this means you are making a bet that is bigger than full pot. Whether or not the total number of chips is very large, this is a big bet relative to the pot size. For your opponent to call your opponent has to have some pretty good equity. So, what are you hoping to get called by? Here are some options:

Pairs:
An A will certainly call you. a J also might, depending on the player (and on your own table rep). a 5 will probably fold. The reason a 5 is likely to fold is obvious if you consider what your own bet represents: I think you are representing one of 3 hands. A pair, a straight draw, or a flush draw. If you have a pair, then a bare 5 is probably losing, and if you have a draw then the 5 is doing a little better, but cannot expect to keep calling when you continue. If I was holding a 5 and you bet into me I would probably fold. If I did not fold, I would instead opt to raise instead of calling. If I raise then at least I might charge the draws. Of course if you get raised then you have to fold because your hand is garbage.

Pocket pairs can usually be treated the same as a bare pair I think. Any pocket pair lower than a J is probably going to fold, and QQ and KK are only barely stronger than a jack is (they are also really unlikely. Remember your opponent limped preflop).

Two pairs and trips: These are certainly never folding. There is a chance that they will raise you to kick out the draws, but they also might call hoping to get more value if you are bluffing or if you have a pair yourself.

Draws: Flush draws and straight draws might call, or also might raise. Raising with a draw gives you a good chance to just win the pot on the spot, and if not then your draw will either strike it big if you hit, or be in a good position to continue bluffing on later streets. It is also possible that a draw will call, especially considering your bet is so big, but this is not certain.

Air: Air will not call. If you had bet smaller you might get called by a float, but since your bet is bigger than the pot then it does not make sense to call with air.

So your opponent calls.

—TURN—

Now a 10c hits and you decide to bluff for 575 chips. Note that the pot is now 1000 chips. This means that although your bet has more chips in it, it is actually smaller than your bet on the flop. This bet is just over half pot, while your flop bet was bigger than the whole pot.

So, what are you representing? If you had trips or two pair, you would either bet bigger, or check. The reason you will not bet half pot is because 10c just came in. This completes a straight draw. If you bet half pot and get raised, you will have to fold your two pair or trips. That sucks! This is actually a very good incentive for your opponent to bluff-raise you here.

If you had one pair, this line makes sense. It is not so painful to fold a one pair hand vs. a raise because your hand does not have that much value. On the other hand, it is very unlikely that you would make this bet with a jack, because your hand just isn’t that strong.

If you hit your straight draw, this line makes sense also. The smaller bet induces your opponent to call or raise you, which is exactly what you want.

If you still have a flush draw, then this line is a smi-bluff and also makes sense.

Hence, if your opponent sees you bet, he will put you on the following range:
a)Aces, b)a straight that just hit with the 10, c)a flush draw, d)air. Option d does not make too much sense, but you are playing this so it must be in your range, and if your opponent has been watching you carefully he should know this. Option b) is also a little bit unusual because it means you checked KQ preflop. Most of your range is really just a pair of aces or a draw.

So, lets remember what your opponent’s range is:

If he had trips or a two pair then he only loses to a straight. You have not made it very expensive, so he will call.

If he had an A he only loses to a straight as well, unless you also have an A and he is outkicked. It is, however, very unlikely that you have an A with a strong kicker because you checked preflop: If you had an A and a good kicker then you would probably have raised.

If he has a J he only beats the bluffs and semi-bluffs. Depending on how often he thinks you make that kind of play, he will either call or fold.

If he had a straight draw, then he either just made a pair of tens or he hit his straight. If he hit the pair of tens he is in the same spot as if he had a J (but also still has a straight draw to go with it, so the likelyhood of calling is a little bit higher). If he made a straight then he has you beat, so he will not fold (he might raise).

If he was on a flush draw, he could do almost anything. Calling, raising and folding are all plausible depending on his style. Calling is based on the plan to bet the river almost no matter what card comes. Raising as a semi-bluff is another interesting plan, the idea being that you either hit the straight or you didn’t. If you do not have the straight you will probably have to fold, and if you do then there is still a chance he will hit the flush on the river and since your hand is so strong you will probably call again, giving him a gigantic pot. Folding also makes sense of course, especially if he thinks you like to call river bets.

So what hands are you going to get to fold? It looks like you will fold out the jacks some of the time, flush draws some of the time, straight draws with tens in them (unlikely, but possible!) and nothing else.

So I would say this is an example of a bad time to bluff, and a bad sizing to do it with. You are only targetting a very small portion of your opponent’s range, and your own value range is pretty thin.

On the other hand, this would actually be a pretty decent example of a good time for your opponent to raise as a bluff. If he makes a big raise here, pretty much the only hand you can call with is a straight. If you call and a spade comes on the river he can even bluff again, especially if he has the ace of spades himself.

Also of note, you said you bet the flop for information, but then you didn’t use the information that you gained when deciding what to do on the turn.

Anyway, your opponent folded and you won the pot. This probably means your opponent had a pair of jacks.

EDIT: Per Sassy_Sarah’s suggestion, I have changed the capitalization of a couple sentences to make it clearer. Also I added a couple sentences about pocket pairs on the flop.

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14

don’t forget the “depends”

15

Depends on ? Or Depends Diapers? Lol

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Or BOTH!?

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Hahahaha, Hahahaha :rofl: Morning :sunny:

18

I may have sithed my pants

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Just cause I had to re-read this like 5 times, before I realized… ohh yeah, he means just 1 pair… ( Spivak, you capitalized “A” twice, that confuzed me … “A J or A 5”… please edit perhaps, and say " a J or a 5 " so we don’t think the A was the other hole card )

Table presence/image , former hands , player tendancies, Chipstacks, starting chips & levels… against the right player I can see such hands as QQ, KK or and pocket pair above 5’s possibly calling that, that you didn’t address in the “Pairs” portion… ( Yessss, totall AIR will not and should not be calling you )

I won’t bet 1/2 the pot ?? Really ?? Way too many ppl use the “1/2 pot” button unconciously when they have a strong hand around here, and many use that as well as thier bluff amount… 575 is fishy cause it had to be typed in manually, as the slider 9 outta 10 times hits another number than 5 on the end… 575 might represent an even stronger hand, than 500…( Heck yeah Spivak, 250 vs 325 is 130% of the pot … versus 1000 vs 575 is 57.5% of the pot. )

Personally here is the classic… Crap I got flat called after I bluff’d the flop… I’m getting no information on thier hand strength and now 1 of the draws hit… Not all is lost here tho, at this point its no longer the card that hit, its WTF has my opponent been playing, and would he switch it up now, just to slo play me… or is he just not believing my darn Flop bet…

For whatever reason, you whiff’d the turn and you fire the 2nd barrel… In your example, you are 1st to act on “the turn” and will be “on the river”… or did he check the turn to you, and thus will have posistion on the river… we don’t know this and its critical ( to me ) , on if I even fire the 2nd barrel…

Again, all the criteria I listed earlier ( Table presence/image , former hands , player tendancies, Chipstacks, starting chips & levels ) are as IMPORTANT as what you actually have, since you obviously have Bluff’d twice… :roll_eyes: Whew, he freak’n folded… 9 like a boss ( is what u think, but DON’T say )

@Craig_Anthony, @MickiFin,
“Depends on ??, Depends Diapers ??” & " Or both " :clap: … :zipper_mouth_face: Hahaha

( Spivak, I hope you noticed I didn’t debunk what you said in any way, I just add’d to it, or tried to just add to it ) I learned my lesson going back & forth with you, and I like your assesment as you described… kudos

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Haha. Glad someone who plays some more poker actually agrees with me. I am much less confident about poker than I am about math. :stuck_out_tongue:

I have edited this post with your captialization suggestion and also added a couple sentences about pocket pairs.

I was pretty sure that that bluff looked fishy as hell though.

The only gripe I have is the thing about whether you clicked the 1/2 pot button. I don’t think this thread is about RPP specifically, but about poker in general. In fact, given that on RPP you only get a few seconds to think about anything, it is very unlikely that you would be able to figure all that out and play it correctly in the time frame anyway. (I certainly couldn’t. Maybe someone much better than me can).

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