A Brief study of balancing play theory

You reveive a pocket pair once every 17 hands.
Of those pocket pairs you receive they will improve to a set 1 in 8 times on the flop.
That means that live you will receive a set once every 3.5 hours. How should you play pairs that do not improve to disguise your actions when you do improve?

People are capable of bluffing you off of your hand, are you bluffing enough to steal your opponents pots to compensate?

Are you playing AK with balance in mind from late positions?

Bill

Bill,

I read an earlier thread/post of yours where you mentioned bluffing once in every 17 hands as the optimal bluff strategy. I have been using this lately and I must say it works really well. I have been able to pick up many more pots and have gained more insight into the art of bluffing as a result. This strategy is also great for your table image. I play a pretty tight game so that complements my occassional bluffs. However, getting caught bluffing also has its advantages because sometimes players will pay to look you up when you have the goods.

I think giving a general answer as to how to maximise play to maximise profit when you set up is very difficult. I find it very situational. If I make a set but the board offers flush or straight draws I'll play it pretty fast and try to take down the pot, or make my opponents pay dearly to draw. The quality of your opponent is also a major consideration. Some should be slow played, others shouldn't.

Then the pairs themselves should be divided into premium (AA,KK), good (QQ, JJ maybe 10/10) and then mid to low.

I'll continue later gotta run.

Actually cool, Im glad to hear the bluff frequency (situation appropriate of course) is working.
The discussion Im try to start here is about balancing play. Let me try this angle.

Your the Big Blind and are perceived as tight aggressive.
You peer down to see AA and raise. everyone folds as you just raised you BB option. They all fold saying Aces he? nice hand.

How do you play to get action on big hands out of position.
Raise your big blind into 5+ limpers only with hands so bad you dont even want to see a flop with.
9 2 off for example. Many times you will steal the limped blinds, and if not folks will check almost all the way with you. Then you turn that garbage face up. Next time you get a hand and raise out o position you will get action that far exceeds what you lost on that first play.

By balancing these things add proit for your play.

Im wondering if others can share ways that they balance their play.

Cool
Bill

Two ways, for me:

* Playing junk out of the big blind when stealers try to pick it up. Once in awhile, I get to showdown, and it gets noticed.
* 3-betting hands that should probably have been folded preflop, like medium pocket pairs and sometimes stuff like JTs. Can't presume that my opposition notices too many things, but sometimes they do. And they especially do when they're so sure that they have me beat but are wrong. "How could you 3-bet pocket sevens preflop?!"