Favourite Bluff Plays

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kmart99

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Curious to see what are some favourite plays by ppl in here. I'll start by listing a few of my favourites. These are all plays I've stolen from various Twitch streamers, but man are they effective. Caveat: stack sizes need to be deep all around for most of these to work.

1) Calling with nothing

In position when UTG or early position raises preflop between 2-3x, I love calling really wide here if I can get in heads up. If the flop comes ragged and UTG c-bets, I don't raise or fold. I just flat call regardless of having a piece of the board. My percieved range will hit a ragged board far more often than villain's so Ill lead the turn with a 65% pot bet, provided it isn't an Ace. Ace high will fold very often, and sometimes pocket pairs under 77 will fold as well if there is an over card.

Great play, fairly common , but seems to work often enough to be profitable.

2)bluff raising a small bet at a scary board OOP

This is a pretty specific scenario, but it comes up often enough and I really like this move.

UTG/Early position raises 2.5-3x, Late position hero calls a wide range.

Board comes KsJc4s

UTG bets 55-60% pot.

Hero calls

Turn comes ... KsJs4Qs

Villain bets <50% pot

I check raise then smash all brick rivers.

In this spot, Villain almost never has two pair, straight, or flush. Especially with a tiny bet like 50% pot on the turn. Most of villain's flush cards are blocked by the board, and none of the two pair or straight combinations are in villain's range. I LOVE putting in a big raise or bet here. I feel like this play has a success rate of close to 90%. I'm sure AK, AQ, and AJ have all folded to this move countless times.


3) Holding Blockers

Having the Ace of a suit when three are on board and the flush is the nuts.

I often hammer players on the River with nothing if their bet size looks like a defensive bet and I know they don't have the nut flush because I have e the nut blocker. This play seems to be just barely profitable, and the circumstances need to be just right, but I enjoy it anyway.



Bluffs I HATE:

1)Pretending to chase a flush with zero blockers, then hammering the turn or river when it hits. This is total garbage. Cost me lots of money in my early days.

2)The ragged squeeze.

When a pot has a bunch of Limpers or a bunch of callers to a minraise, often the big blind will go 4-8x the original bet with garbage to just take it right there knowing that likely the original raiser is the only person they need to get by. This is not very profitable long term. Especially since everyone is aware of the popularity of this play. I will randomly limp or flat call with AA or KK when I see this developing because I want to exploit the BB players that think this play is smart.

It needs to work like 66% of the time to be profitable. Which means you can really only do it 2-3 times in an 8 hour session with the same players there the whole time. Any more than that and others will catch on to your nonsense.


Anywho... What are some plays that you guys like to make ?
 
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Broon1234

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I've decided to ... stop bluffing, although I'll still semibluff. My profit seems to be increasing but I'm just at the micros so apparently I was picking bad spots. I do love to triple barrel though which is terrible. Squeeze play is sometimes profitable and can be fun vs the right people.
 
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MinhANguyen

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Floating/bluffing with little to no equity is kind of spewy. Don't call with "nothing." At least have a gutshot, overcard + backdoor draw, overcard to second pair + bdfd, etc.

My favorite bluff is the delayed float. Doesn't occur often, but it feels really good to pull it off.
 
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partz

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I kinda choose only to semi-bluff, especially in bigger tornaments, not to say cash games - there is only about serious hands.
 
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MaxMx2

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kmart99, good thread and thanks for sharing these bluff patterns. Do you play cash? What limits?
I'm also currently exploring options for bluffing trying to find efficient spots. At micros where I play bluff is difficult to apply, especially such as your No.1. People will often call till showdown with any pair or even just Ace high. So it's better to have at least some showdown equity.
 
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kmart99

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kmart99, good thread and thanks for sharing these bluff patterns. Do you play cash? What limits?
I'm also currently exploring options for bluffing trying to find efficient spots. At micros where I play bluff is difficult to apply, especially such as your No.1. People will often call till showdown with any pair or even just Ace high. So it's better to have at least some showdown equity.


I play 10c-25c ZOOM, and 10c-25c Ring 6 tables.
My winrate is 2.4bb/100 so not great, but still profitable.

I promise you that the 'Calling/Floating with nothing' bluff is profitable even at .01c-.02c if the flop texture is right.

Circumstances need to be as follows:

It needs to be a heads up situation.
I really prefer to be in position, but it isn't a must.
Original raiser opens with 3bbs or less.
Flop has at most 1 card above a 9, no ace
Original raiser HAS to c-bet.
Original raiser c bets the flop for 60% pot or less.
Original raiser checks the turn.

If any of these are not true, then abort mission and play straight forward.

If villain ends up check-calling my turn bet, THEN checks the river, they are likely bluff catching or trapping with overpair, or maybe have a flush draw. I just abort mission and check it back.
If they called me with just ace high and no draws, I make note of it as these players are rare. Checking down the river and seeing a turn call with a-high and no draws happens far less than 10% of the time. Probably closer to 1/20.


I promise you villain will almost always only call a 60-70% pot bet on the turn if they opened with a pocket pair or hit a good flush draw. UTG range will have pockets less than 25% of the time. So this play will fail when they have over pair, redraw, or have caught on to your play. Roughly 75% success rate.
That is still not enough to make it a profitable play.

Strategic bluffs are a massive part of the game and if you aren't doing it, you'll never escape the 5c-10c game IMO.
 
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kmart99

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What's this? Could you please explain how it works? Thanks.

Double/Delayed Float

Negreanu does it here against Schlomi in the 4th hand of this video

https://youtu.be/WEK20zFtSkY

Keep in mind you absolutely HAVE to have an excellent read on how tight your opponent is, and how likely they are to fold. Also, the board texture needs to hit YOUR percieved range. It's a good move, but happens rarely. I might use it once every 20 hours of play, maybe even less.
 
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MaxMx2

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Circumstances need to be as follows:

It needs to be a heads up situation.
I really prefer to be in position, but it isn't a must.
Original raiser opens with 3bbs or less.
Flop has at most 1 card above a 9, no ace
Original raiser HAS to c-bet.
Original raiser c bets the flop for 60% pot or less.
Original raiser checks the turn.

Funny, but I suddenly recognized myself being such a raiser. I make c-bets quite often at the flop with K or Q high and check turn if opp calls my c-bet. And I guess I fold tons of times to the bluff bet on the turn.
And yep, I play 1/2c limits, so it means this bluff works)
 
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kmart99

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Funny, but I can recognize myself being such a raiser. I do c-bets quite often at the flop with K or Q high and check turn if opp calls my c-bet. And I guess I fold tons of times to the bluff bet on the turn.

I don't know how many other players at the micros are making this play, but I fold to it all the time even though i know about it. Unless I think my opponent is capable of making that move, or ive seen them do it a little too often.

The fact is, it is really hard to call that turn bet with just Ace-high when rags will hit the player in position's range way more often than they'll hit yours.
 
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BabkovAA

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I prefer to deliberately show his bluff with the best hand, as it were, a double bleff
 
dragunovich

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I prefer to deliberately show his bluff with a terrible hand
 
vinnie

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I don't know how many other players at the micros are making this play, but I fold to it all the time even though i know about it. Unless I think my opponent is capable of making that move, or ive seen them do it a little too often.

The fact is, it is really hard to call that turn bet with just Ace-high when rags will hit the player in position's range way more often than they'll hit yours.

I will also make this bluff in this spot, and still fold when I am in that spot myself. I consider it one of those advantages of position. And, it's just too costly to call down even if you suspect foul play.
 
vinnie

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LOL !!
Rodney Dangerfield??

lol, long story but he was the inspiration. Shortest version I can make it would be that I was in a two table tournament (live) and had moved all-in with a marginal hand. As soon as I said, "all in," I heard a quick. "I call!" Which killed me, because the person I was against would almost certainly have me beat if he called.

But, it slowly dawned on me that he hadn't called. The voice wasn't right. I turn around and my step-brother is turned around in his chair, directly behind me at the other table. He's the one who called.

Anyway, later in the game some people were complaining about others not "respecting their raises" and I responded, "You think you get no respect? I get no respect. When I move all-in, the people on the other table call." I had been watching a lot of Rodney movies at the time. After that, it stuck for me.
 
dragunovich

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your image in the field is what allows you to do or not a bluff i think
 
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AcesDJD

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I like three betting with suited connectors or suited one gappers like J9. I generally make the bet three times the raise, so I have a good chance of talking the pot down there. If it gets to the flop and I flop a straight, a flush or even two pair I have a good chance of stacking the villain if he has anything. If I flop nothing a pot sized continuation bet will take down most flops, but if he raises of course I give it up.
 
bitowl

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I like floating the flop with a weak pair, turning a flush draw to go with it so choosing to peel the turn bet, then jamming over the third barrel when you don't improve. Only really works with a tight image vs a reg good enough to fold an overpair and valuebet thin. I only pull the trigger when running good because getting picked off by aces or some weird rivered 2 pair is tilting.
 
ARMYNAC

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donk move honestly but...

3bb Raise LATE (Any 2 cards) - 1/2 pot bet on Flop - Turn Bet again (IF RRAised Fold) - River ALL IN! - You should win it

BLUFF BABY!!!!! thats what u can tell em... only do this once evry 30 mins
 
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thomasmarie14

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i love when i play a tournment late at night. Than i get physically to tried, thats the best time to bluff. I try to get out of tournments and than I keep winning. The other night I had 1000 chips and I try getting out by the end of the first hour i had 25k and had to stay up and play lol. Bluffing just because your tired is the best
 
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Broon1234

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Double barreling gets expensive without a good read. I do like to bluff at a pot if I just recently played a hand very similarly and showed down a good hand
 
George Lewis

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I would first say that I never pure bluff unless I have a good table image and I am winning. Once I have a good image, I look for every chance I can to bluff. Semi bluffing is far better of course than pure bluffing, but if you are card dead or haven't played or won a hand in a while look for a chance to make a pure bluff. I do this often with a predetermined hand like 28 and make a big raise preflop when the situation warrants it. For example one player bets 3 times the blind and is called by 2 players. I am on the button and throw in a big raise. With a good image, I will often win the hand right there and smirk to myself after winning. If someone raises and is re raised I will just fold and not get too cute with the bluff. One standard situation to look for is if you are heads up and the flop is 2 suited but the pre flop raiser doesn't bet. Just bluff at it and unless he has a flush draw or a monster he will often fold. By not betting at the flop here the pre flop raiser is declining to protect against a flush draw and could likely have missed and is ready to fold.
 
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jerohit

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Bluffing in online is much dificult coz we can not see opponent .. Once i bluffed with 3 2 .. i preflop rerased and let the opponent think of pockets aces or kings.. flop have nothing itersting a c bet on flop .. he calls.. a big bet on turn he calls that too.. and an pot size bet on river he folds..
 
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Aces74

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If I am playing tight I bluff 2-3 times an hour.
If I am playing super agro 5-6 times an hour.
I show a 2 9 for a sick river bluff after smooth calling ...
he said I could get shot 4 that after tanking for 2-3 minutes and folding;)....lol
 
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