BLUFF QUESTION

Hello cc members, first of all MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you !!!
I have got a doubt regarding bluffing...
I want to ask u guys that if bluffing can be done with any 2 cards or is it advisable to bluff with few selected hands only. if so, pls explain it to me...
Thank you.

When deciding whether to bluff, your cards are the last thing you should be thinking about.

Only thing to keep in mind is don't go turning made hands into bluffs. If you make bets that will force out hands you beat, yet get called by hands that beat you, it's going to crush you.

From memory, you're a tournament player, in which case the cards you choose to bluff with are of high importance unless you're expecting to fold to a raise. I'm not a tournament player though so I'll leave the ideal hands for someone else to cover (because I don't know, although my guess is you just want to avoid hands that are likely to be dominated).

However in any situation of low blinds (i.e. cash game), your cards still matter a great deal.
When you're bluffing you're relying on your fold equity but you always add your hand equity directly on to your fold equity to determine if you have enough equity to justify the bet/raise.

Figuring out the chances of your opponent folding can be very opponent/situation specific.

Bluffing is making a bet at a pot that you believe you can only win if your opponent(s) fold. It's about your reads on the other players, position, stack sizes, # of people left in the tourney relative to the bulbble or if already in the money, relative to the payout for busting, your table image, fold equity, & such stuff. Getting caught in a bluff that doesn't cripple you can be quite beneficial later in the tourney. Your cards are relevant, only in that, if you in fact have the best hand you ain't bluffin.

If we are talking about MTT late stage its very important to bluff, the cards are less important then the position, and offcourse its important to play right the flop. continuesion bet are nessecery, you need to choose what kind of hand you are representing, I know it probably sounds wierd but for explain if you got XX cards, and you make the 3BB and the flop is : A-2-10, you should represent a strong Ace by good raise, player might think that you trying to make other fold for not hitting a str8. so in this case its really doesn't metter what cards you have, But the most important thing is to choose which players you can bluff and which you cannot.

Its a lot easier for your bluff to be profitable if you have a draw to go with it. Practice semi-bluffing first, then once you get good at that, go for the balls out "omfg if I'm called I'm toast" bluffs.

For example:

You have A♠ 4♠ and call a raise on the button from a predictable tag, flop comes 3♠ 5♣ Q♦. He c-bets, we raise. Even when we get called, we can often spike an ace or a duck on the turn/river. And our draw is pretty non-obvious, so villain will likely put us on one of the two sets out there, or AQ/KQ. You could also float the flop, but against a TAG who isn't going to think "oh, he doesn't have many hands in his range he can raise" then you can just go ahead and raise 3x for a more effective bluff.

I think bluffing is the thing that separates the decent players from the ones that actually beat the rake. I still have lots of trouble knowing when to pick my spots.
I also feel like I get too much of my money in at the wrong times. When are the best situations to fire a bluff?

When your opponent doesn't have much.

This is true to a degree, but on occasions semi bluff's are valuable...ie bluff on the turn with a chance of still catching something on the river.

When you have strong feel for the villain. You weight in the chances of him folding, and the risk your taking. You have to think back on how you played your hand, and what he thinks you have. Also you must pay attention to how he played his hand. If he showed signs of non-intentional weakness, then it's your chance to fire that bluff. I tend to Semi-Bluff. In case things don't go my way, I still have outs.

At super micro stakes I never bluff. That's just my rule to myself. : )

The semi-bluff (as outlined by c9h...) is a great play as it gives you plenty of options, especially with a nut flush draw. If you get the c-bet to fold then all is well, if you hit an A or your smaller card you could well be ahead and get to showdown cheaply or take the pot with a turn bet, if your flush card comes then you can act scared of it induce a bluff or value bet.

Regarding bluffing proper, the key things I remember are:
1. DON'T BLUFF A CALLING STATION - it is amazing how some players can call serious bets to showdown holding a small pair with straights and flushes all over the board.
2. TELL A GOOD STORY - don't represent a hand that is inconsistent with betting in previous rounds.
3. SIZE THE BET - sometimes a small bet can be more effective than a larger one as it looks like you are trying to draw them in.
4. DON'T OVERDO IT - you'll get rumbled.
5. ATC WILL DO - a bluff requires a fold to win, if there is a chance of a showdown I am semi bluffing.
6. WHEN I GET FOUND OUT then I consider the image I have presented and how this may affect future hands.

Scare card comes out.

Your opponent has been raising with every A he's dealt. An A on the flop, you don't think your opponent has it because he just limped. An A comes on the turn, now would be a good time.

Also when a straight or flush making card comes out, you can bet/raise. Some people bet to build the pot. Some people bet to get information. Raising is information.

well technically you are not bluffing if you do have some outs. that is called semi bluffing. a true bluff comes from you being just about positive that you lost the hand. plus if you have two really horrible cards to begin with, i am not sure that it is worth playing unless you are the big blind and no one called. i guess technically you can bluff if your opponents are very tight with 7-2 off suit and no pairs hit from the community cards, but i would not do it unless i was heads up and was pretty sure that my opponent would fold.

Bluffing has nothing to do with your cards, it's the situation, your image, and your opponents that matter. If you're incredibly loose, then people will be more willing to call you; similarily, if your opponent calls almost every bet regardless of the board or his cards, he will most likely not be fooled by your bluff. However, if you manage to cultivate a tight image, people will be more inclined to lay down their cards to your bet. Also, you must take into account how much is in the pot, and how much your opponent has invested, as well as how many chips they have behind. If your opponent has bet a LOT and the pot is BIG, they will be less inclined to fold - plus, they most likely have a decent hand. However, you still may be able to bet them out if they have invested a small portion of their chips, and you can force them to put their whole stack on the line. This is even truer if it is deep in a big tournament. Conversely, if it is a small (or large pot), but the opponent has already put most of their stack into the pot, they will probably not fold - unless it is the bubble, which is why that particular time is a great time to take advatange of people. In conclusion, when bluffing, pay attention to circumstance and image, not cards.