Tuesday, September 12, 2006
2 bluff attempts - one that worked
So I have 2 bluff attempts to share with you and discuss why 1 worked and why one failed.
The failed bluff Attempt:
The situation: It was a home game. $1/$2 no limit Hold'Em. Many of the players had just busted out of a tournament and were eager to get some action quickly. The game was new. Most players bought in for the max $100. It looked like almost everyone was prepared to make several buyins in needed. The table was made up of about 1/2 strong/solid players and about 1/2 somewhat weaker players.
I was dealt AJo in the cuttoff. It's folded around to me. I raise to $12 (standard) and get called by the button and a blind. The flop comes 8 9 10 giving me an open ender. The blind opens for around $15. This player will make bluff attempts when it is still cheap - on the flop, but tends to pull back a little on the turn/river. I called hoping the button would not blast us off the hand. The button smooth called. The turn brings a king. The blind checks. Now I start considering my options. First, I hate multiway posts on the turn/river. It makes hold'em a whole lot harder when you have 2 oponents to worry about. I start putting the blind on the following range (a straight draw-7 or J, a weak A, or even a gut shot 6). I was worried about the button - a player who has shown a willingness to move his chips into the pot. I decided to take one off and check and hope to catch gold on the river. The button checked behind. Whew! The river is a brick. The pot has around $80. The blind checks. I'm sure he has a busted draw. I'm postive he has no ability to call any bets. Plus, I'm pretty sure that I can't win this pot without a bet with just A high and an overcall from the button on the flop. I put the button on a 10 (K10 or Q10) and I figured he might fold with the King on the board. So I muster up some nerve and bluff bet $50 into this $80 pot. As hoped, the button folds. I've mentally began to stakc the chips in this pot when, the blind calls and shows 9J and collects a nice pot. He had middle pair and a gut shot when he opend the pot on the flop - not bad. He really didn't like getting called in 2 spots. The King scared him so he backed off on the turn & river.
Why this bluff didn't work? The main reason that the bluff didn't work was that I didn't paint a consistent picture. I called on the flop. If I wanted my opponents to put me on a 10, I needed to bluff the turn. When I checked the turn, the blind got suspicious. When I bet $50 into an $80 pot on the river, the blind, recogonizing a betting pattern, read this as a naked bluff. The only hands he could beat were a naked bluff as any 10, K, or 9 better kicker, would win the pot. This was also a lesson in picking your victims. There are players that just can't lay down a hand. The correct strategy is to value bet the living shit out of these players and just pass on bluffing. I've learned the lesson here.
The successful bluff attempt:
The situation: Late into the evening, same game, mostly a different cast of players. The table is much tougher now, but the decision quality is going down a little. I open the pot for a standard raise in middle position with Q10. It's folded around to a blind, who calls. The flop comes A J x. The blind bets about $15 into a $30 pot. I call. The blind is a tough player. He had recently ran his stack from 100 up to about 300. I had about 350. I had the feeling he'd wouldn't mind putting some money in this pot at this point. I didn't memorize my cards too well and I refused to re-peak when the flop hit. I knew I had a gut shot and figured I could take a large portion of his stack with hitting my gut shot. Or, with position, I might be able to win the pot if a scare card comes. The turn brings a Q. The board reads A Q J x. I can't remember my hole cards precisely, but I really think I just connected on my gut shot. It's checked to me. I check but just can't bring myself to repeak at my hole cards. I'm pretty sure I have the nuts. The river is a 3. It's checked to me. I'm pretty sure I have the nuts - but not 100% sure. In any case, I have a pretty scary board and position and it was checked twice. I pause for a few seconds and push out $60 into a $60 pot and declare that I do not have an Ace. After a few moments of deliberation, the blind's cards hit the muck face up and reveal an Ace. I hear some grumbling about 2 pair. I immediately check my hole cards. Oh Shit! I had second pair - weak.
Why this bluff worked? I convinced myself I had the hand I was representing. Every action I took was consistent with the hand I was representing. And I bluffed into a player that is capable of making a good decsions. Actually, this doesn't really count as a bluff since I had misread my hand, but there is an excellent lesson here. Don't you think?
Lesson #1: Run bluffs at players that think - value bet players that will call on "principal" without thinking through the situation. Lesson #2: Paint a consistent picture on all streets.
The failed bluff Attempt:
The situation: It was a home game. $1/$2 no limit Hold'Em. Many of the players had just busted out of a tournament and were eager to get some action quickly. The game was new. Most players bought in for the max $100. It looked like almost everyone was prepared to make several buyins in needed. The table was made up of about 1/2 strong/solid players and about 1/2 somewhat weaker players.
I was dealt AJo in the cuttoff. It's folded around to me. I raise to $12 (standard) and get called by the button and a blind. The flop comes 8 9 10 giving me an open ender. The blind opens for around $15. This player will make bluff attempts when it is still cheap - on the flop, but tends to pull back a little on the turn/river. I called hoping the button would not blast us off the hand. The button smooth called. The turn brings a king. The blind checks. Now I start considering my options. First, I hate multiway posts on the turn/river. It makes hold'em a whole lot harder when you have 2 oponents to worry about. I start putting the blind on the following range (a straight draw-7 or J, a weak A, or even a gut shot 6). I was worried about the button - a player who has shown a willingness to move his chips into the pot. I decided to take one off and check and hope to catch gold on the river. The button checked behind. Whew! The river is a brick. The pot has around $80. The blind checks. I'm sure he has a busted draw. I'm postive he has no ability to call any bets. Plus, I'm pretty sure that I can't win this pot without a bet with just A high and an overcall from the button on the flop. I put the button on a 10 (K10 or Q10) and I figured he might fold with the King on the board. So I muster up some nerve and bluff bet $50 into this $80 pot. As hoped, the button folds. I've mentally began to stakc the chips in this pot when, the blind calls and shows 9J and collects a nice pot. He had middle pair and a gut shot when he opend the pot on the flop - not bad. He really didn't like getting called in 2 spots. The King scared him so he backed off on the turn & river.
Why this bluff didn't work? The main reason that the bluff didn't work was that I didn't paint a consistent picture. I called on the flop. If I wanted my opponents to put me on a 10, I needed to bluff the turn. When I checked the turn, the blind got suspicious. When I bet $50 into an $80 pot on the river, the blind, recogonizing a betting pattern, read this as a naked bluff. The only hands he could beat were a naked bluff as any 10, K, or 9 better kicker, would win the pot. This was also a lesson in picking your victims. There are players that just can't lay down a hand. The correct strategy is to value bet the living shit out of these players and just pass on bluffing. I've learned the lesson here.
The successful bluff attempt:
The situation: Late into the evening, same game, mostly a different cast of players. The table is much tougher now, but the decision quality is going down a little. I open the pot for a standard raise in middle position with Q10. It's folded around to a blind, who calls. The flop comes A J x. The blind bets about $15 into a $30 pot. I call. The blind is a tough player. He had recently ran his stack from 100 up to about 300. I had about 350. I had the feeling he'd wouldn't mind putting some money in this pot at this point. I didn't memorize my cards too well and I refused to re-peak when the flop hit. I knew I had a gut shot and figured I could take a large portion of his stack with hitting my gut shot. Or, with position, I might be able to win the pot if a scare card comes. The turn brings a Q. The board reads A Q J x. I can't remember my hole cards precisely, but I really think I just connected on my gut shot. It's checked to me. I check but just can't bring myself to repeak at my hole cards. I'm pretty sure I have the nuts. The river is a 3. It's checked to me. I'm pretty sure I have the nuts - but not 100% sure. In any case, I have a pretty scary board and position and it was checked twice. I pause for a few seconds and push out $60 into a $60 pot and declare that I do not have an Ace. After a few moments of deliberation, the blind's cards hit the muck face up and reveal an Ace. I hear some grumbling about 2 pair. I immediately check my hole cards. Oh Shit! I had second pair - weak.
Why this bluff worked? I convinced myself I had the hand I was representing. Every action I took was consistent with the hand I was representing. And I bluffed into a player that is capable of making a good decsions. Actually, this doesn't really count as a bluff since I had misread my hand, but there is an excellent lesson here. Don't you think?
Lesson #1: Run bluffs at players that think - value bet players that will call on "principal" without thinking through the situation. Lesson #2: Paint a consistent picture on all streets.
