The Fine Art of Bluffing

HennieP

HennieP

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
May 30, 2017
Total posts
186
Chips
0
Got yourself in a jam because you missed the flop? How well have you been paying attention to your opponents? Would you risk your tournament chances on a bluff?

Well as it happens, I pulled off a nice little bluff with nothing but air earlier today. Can you spot the tells from my opponent that made it possible to be so bold?

https://www.boomplayer.com/24177150_EB91AB7C82

My opponent showed very little strength as he checked called the flop. On the turn he made a blocking bet so I rolled with it, still hoping to improve my hand. He checked again on the river and since I had nothing to show I went for a bluff based on his weakness so far.

So, share your successful or failed bluffs with us and tell us why you think it worked or failed.
 
vinnie

vinnie

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Total posts
1,208
Awards
1
US
Chips
50
It's been a long time since I've seriously studied tournament poker, but isn't this a standard fold pre-flop? Calling 6% of our stack with ATo after an UTG raise and UTG+1 call just seems like burning money. If you know UTG is very loose, and that UTG+1 would normally raise with a great hand, then I might see raising this, maybe. But, I don't like the call.

The flop doesn't really hit your range. Are you really calling with Ace-wheel hands? Or worse, wheel-wheel? Maybe you can represent a set here, but that's about it. Otherwise, this looks like diamonds semi-bluffing. Turn gives you diamonds, and the bet is weak, this is where a nice small reraise would probably win you the pot for cheapest. If you make it 10k there, I think it's hard for him to call without a hand he's committed with. And, you save money if he had the flush.

Edit: At a fullring table ATo would usually be a fold UTG and the GAP theory and sandwich theory from Harrington on Hold'em says we need a stronger hand than UTG+1 who needs a stronger hand than UTG if we are to call/raise here. If we wouldn't open ATo, because it is too weak UTG, then it is way too weak to call after UTG opens and gets called by the person immediately to his left.
 
Last edited:
HennieP

HennieP

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
May 30, 2017
Total posts
186
Chips
0
With 5 minute blind levels it is not always possible to wait for premium hands and at this stage I was on the 20BB border. The UTG raise pre-flop in my opinion was weak and his check on the flop confirmed he either had a weak hand or was afraid of the board.

If he had check-raised me on the flop I would have folded but he didn't. His blocking bet on the turn made me think he's looking to make his hand and I agree I should have bet here.

When he checked the river however I was pretty sure he either missed a draw or had 2 over-cards with no hit on the board.
 
vinnie

vinnie

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Total posts
1,208
Awards
1
US
Chips
50
Your M was about 14. You have plenty of play and are at a spot where you are too short to play hands like this. Shorter stacks and it is an easy push (although I would usually still fold to an UTG open). The middle teens for M values mean tight is right. Sure, the levels are fast, but calling with hands that are dominated won't help. Reraise or fold preflop. And, probably fold. Too many people have expressed interest in this hand with ranges stronger than yours and with ranges that dominate yours. If everyone in the hand had higher stacks (including yourself), then you might have a call for implied odds. Although, you're still dominated by their ranges.

Edit: I am in no way saying you need to wait for premium hands. That would be a mistake. But, if you are not first into the pot, you need to really evaluate the strength of your hand against the strength of your opponent(s)'s range(s). First in the hand, your raise has a lot of fold equity that can compensate for it not being a premium hand. Third into a hand, you need actual best hand value.
 
Last edited:
vitalicharniak

vitalicharniak

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 17, 2015
Total posts
734
Chips
0
Bluff is an indispensable technique that separates a professional poker player from ordinary people.All successful players should be able to bluff at the right time. poker strategy from a professional poker player Daniel Negreanu will help you better understand how and when to use the bluff and not get into a slack.

Bluffing is arguably the most talked about concept of poker, although it is not used as often as people think. However, excluding bluff from poker, to the fact that the game will become uninteresting: if you never bluff, then become too predictable and can not maximize your profit, and even more so, to win in principle.
You are bluffing when you do not have a chance to win the pot or when trying to sweat before all the cards are laid out. In the cache it is possible to calculate whether the bluff will be profitable. To do this, compare, please, the size and size of the sweat, so that the bluff was successful.
Thus, one of the most important skills is the ability to determine the likelihood that your opponent will fold his hand.
 
denisloko

denisloko

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jul 4, 2016
Total posts
154
Chips
0
Got yourself in a jam because you missed the flop? How well have you been paying attention to your opponents? Would you risk your tournament chances on a bluff?

Well as it happens, I pulled off a nice little bluff with nothing but air earlier today. Can you spot the tells from my opponent that made it possible to be so bold?

https://www.boomplayer.com/24177150_EB91AB7C82

My opponent showed very little strength as he checked called the flop. On the turn he made a blocking bet so I rolled with it, still hoping to improve my hand. He checked again on the river and since I had nothing to show I went for a bluff based on his weakness so far.

So, share your successful or failed bluffs with us and tell us why you think it worked or failed.

This for me was not a bluff, you buy the gold or the then and had a quark of A 10 .blef would be 78
 
HennieP

HennieP

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
May 30, 2017
Total posts
186
Chips
0
When it got to the river all I had was AT. No pairs, no nothing. If that's not bluffing then I don't know what is.
 
korneel

korneel

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 28, 2016
Total posts
1,318
Chips
0
If you don't have atleast a pair, you are bluffing, even if you have something like AK.
 
milka1605

milka1605

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Jun 1, 2014
Total posts
2,183
Awards
2
Chips
104
Bluffing on freerolls often becomes unsuccessful. On the cache and tournaments with bain, bluffing can be more successful. I try not to use a bluff for nothing. I use it only in extreme cases. First of all, it can be an extended bet after my raise.
 
Y

Yoo

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Total posts
159
Chips
0
Bluffing is part of game we all do this at some point steeling blinds is a sort of bluff and i think i do this 1 2 times/tournament.
I still have a ask about bluff is good point to show the cards or not after you did 1:))?
 
P

Pinokio_385

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Jun 1, 2017
Total posts
81
Chips
0
I've been exploring techniuques but i'm not successfull..
 
Poker Orifice

Poker Orifice

Fully Tilted
Platinum Level
Joined
Jan 19, 2008
Total posts
25,600
Awards
6
CA
Chips
968
It's been a long time since I've seriously studied tournament poker, but isn't this a standard fold pre-flop? Calling 6% of our stack with ATo after an UTG raise and UTG+1 call just seems like burning money. If you know UTG is very loose, and that UTG+1 would normally raise with a great hand, then I might see raising this, maybe. But, I don't like the call.

The flop doesn't really hit your range. Are you really calling with Ace-wheel hands? Or worse, wheel-wheel? Maybe you can represent a set here, but that's about it. Otherwise, this looks like diamonds semi-bluffing. Turn gives you diamonds, and the bet is weak, this is where a nice small reraise would probably win you the pot for cheapest. If you make it 10k there, I think it's hard for him to call without a hand he's committed with. And, you save money if he had the flush.

Edit: At a fullring table ATo would usually be a fold UTG and the GAP theory and sandwich theory from Harrington on Hold'em says we need a stronger hand than UTG+1 who needs a stronger hand than UTG if we are to call/raise here. If we wouldn't open ATo, because it is too weak UTG, then it is way too weak to call after UTG opens and gets called by the person immediately to his left.

Your M was about 14. You have plenty of play and are at a spot where you are too short to play hands like this. Shorter stacks and it is an easy push (although I would usually still fold to an UTG open). The middle teens for M values mean tight is right. Sure, the levels are fast, but calling with hands that are dominated won't help. Reraise or fold preflop. And, probably fold. Too many people have expressed interest in this hand with ranges stronger than yours and with ranges that dominate yours. If everyone in the hand had higher stacks (including yourself), then you might have a call for implied odds. Although, you're still dominated by their ranges.

Edit: I am in no way saying you need to wait for premium hands. That would be a mistake. But, if you are not first into the pot, you need to really evaluate the strength of your hand against the strength of your opponent(s)'s range(s). First in the hand, your raise has a lot of fold equity that can compensate for it not being a premium hand. Third into a hand, you need actual best hand value.


Great responses here Vinnie!! It'd seem OP isn't that interested in picking up a bunch of great stuff that you've provided them with here (or if they have, they haven't expressed it). I have a feeling they're more interested in hearing about how great their play was instead. Keep on depositing I say!;)
 
BriceNice

BriceNice

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Aug 26, 2016
Total posts
456
Chips
0
dont listen to anybody saying that wasnt a good play or whatever. Regardless of what cards you had, and ranges and equity and all that crap, you saw weakness, you grabbed your nuts and you made a move. Good job I say!
 
wilpinsi

wilpinsi

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
May 11, 2013
Total posts
1,321
Chips
0
I really see players who look like the masters of disguise, they know how to make a bluff like nobody, when I'm playing online poker I see crazier still,Russians they to be more aggressive
When I play poker live the thing changes because I can see the signs it is easier to see if our opponent is practicing a good move or a real bluff.
To be more exact, crazy exists everywhere, at the poker tables would not be different
 
wilpinsi

wilpinsi

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
May 11, 2013
Total posts
1,321
Chips
0
Your M was about 14. You have plenty of play and are at a spot where you are too short to play hands like this. Shorter stacks and it is an easy push (although I would usually still fold to an UTG open). The middle teens for M values mean tight is right. Sure, the levels are fast, but calling with hands that are dominated won't help. Reraise or fold preflop. And, probably fold. Too many people have expressed interest in this hand with ranges stronger than yours and with ranges that dominate yours. If everyone in the hand had higher stacks (including yourself), then you might have a call for implied odds. Although, you're still dominated by their ranges.

Edit: I am in no way saying you need to wait for premium hands. That would be a mistake. But, if you are not first into the pot, you need to really evaluate the strength of your hand against the strength of your opponent(s)'s range(s). First in the hand, your raise has a lot of fold equity that can compensate for it not being a premium hand. Third into a hand, you need actual best hand value.


It Is correct, we should never expect to play only with AA-KK-QQ, we must play hard otherwise always observe the position, there are players who love to see the flop, then say they can never reach ITM, but pay Without anything, just so they will not be watching the game!
Congratulations on your explanation, really does clarify what we should not do when we are at a poker table, whether on-line or live:)
 
vinnie

vinnie

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Total posts
1,208
Awards
1
US
Chips
50
dont listen to anybody saying that wasnt a good play or whatever. Regardless of what cards you had, and ranges and equity and all that crap, you saw weakness, you grabbed your nuts and you made a move. Good job I say!

This is being results orientated. It worked, this time, but it's not a good play. If we played this spot a million times, we're going to lose money on average. Sure, sometimes we will be able to steal. Just like sometimes we will flop quad 10s. But, those times we win will not compensate for those times we lose. More importantly, we won't win very often and tournament chips are very precious. The chips we stand to lose are more valuable than the chips we could gain.

Much like we shouldn't be upset when we make a correct shove from the BTN at a low M and run into AA in the blinds. Yeah, it sucks that we were up against the top of the blinds' ranges, but shoving a wide range from the Button is a profitable move and we shouldn't stop doing it just because we lose sometimes.

It can be hard to see small mistakes which slowly cripple our stack, like this one, because they aren't the hands where we actually bust out. But, these are the mistakes that cause our stack to dwindle enough that we have to take the risks that get us busted out.
 
R

Rational Madman

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Jan 11, 2017
Total posts
2,478
Chips
0
This is being results orientated. It worked, this time, but it's not a good play. If we played this spot a million times, we're going to lose money on average. Sure, sometimes we will be able to steal. Just like sometimes we will flop quad 10s. But, those times we win will not compensate for those times we lose. More importantly, we won't win very often and tournament chips are very precious. The chips we stand to lose are more valuable than the chips we could gain.

Much like we shouldn't be upset when we make a correct shove from the BTN at a low M and run into AA in the blinds. Yeah, it sucks that we were up against the top of the blinds' ranges, but shoving a wide range from the Button is a profitable move and we shouldn't stop doing it just because we lose sometimes.

It can be hard to see small mistakes which slowly cripple our stack, like this one, because they aren't the hands where we actually bust out. But, these are the mistakes that cause our stack to dwindle enough that we have to take the risks that get us busted out.
What do you expect? This is the nature of the tournament poker player, the dumb defeat the smart over and over because of the limited ability one has to wait for genuine strong hands. Bluff left right and center.
 
BriceNice

BriceNice

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Aug 26, 2016
Total posts
456
Chips
0
This is being results orientated. It worked, this time, but it's not a good play. If we played this spot a million times, we're going to lose money on average. Sure, sometimes we will be able to steal. Just like sometimes we will flop quad 10s. But, those times we win will not compensate for those times we lose. More importantly, we won't win very often and tournament chips are very precious. The chips we stand to lose are more valuable than the chips we could gain.

Much like we shouldn't be upset when we make a correct shove from the BTN at a low M and run into AA in the blinds. Yeah, it sucks that we were up against the top of the blinds' ranges, but shoving a wide range from the Button is a profitable move and we shouldn't stop doing it just because we lose sometimes.

It can be hard to see small mistakes which slowly cripple our stack, like this one, because they aren't the hands where we actually bust out. But, these are the mistakes that cause our stack to dwindle enough that we have to take the risks that get us busted out.


The great thing about poker is it isnt all one thing or another. It isnt all bluffing and it isnt all having the nuts. And it certainly isnt all statistically +EV plays. This is about a specific instance and a specific play, with a specific read that was acted upon and rewarded. If you never put a bluff through that you shouldnt then you're never going to win a pot that you shouldnt. If you ran this through a simulator 1 million times sure it would be negative. But I didnt comment on the average of a million outcomes. I commented on the one that worked. And sure if Qui Nguyen faced Gordon Vayo a million times, Gordon Vayo would come out on top in the long run, but Qui Nguyen won the one time when it mattered the most and will forever be the 2016 wsop main event champ. By making plays that he "shouldn't" have, might I add.
 
vinnie

vinnie

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Total posts
1,208
Awards
1
US
Chips
50
The great thing about poker is it isnt all one thing or another. It isnt all bluffing and it isnt all having the nuts. And it certainly isnt all statistically +EV plays. This is about a specific instance and a specific play, with a specific read that was acted upon and rewarded. If you never put a bluff through that you shouldnt then you're never going to win a pot that you shouldnt. If you ran this through a simulator 1 million times sure it would be negative. But I didnt comment on the average of a million outcomes. I commented on the one that worked. And sure if Qui Nguyen faced Gordon Vayo a million times, Gordon Vayo would come out on top in the long run, but Qui Nguyen won the one time when it mattered the most and will forever be the 2016 wsop main event champ. By making plays that he "shouldn't" have, might I add.

Does this comment make sense to you? Is this really how you think? It is about +EV plays, always. A bluff can be +EV when done correctly. This was done poorly and at a bad time. Poker is a game of edges and when you consistently support choosing the wrong side of them, you're supporting someone being a loser. This forum is about improving our play and becoming better. It's not about making people feel better about mistakes. Some of the best responses that I've ever gotten to hands were ones where I made a mistake that I didn't see and other people pointed it out.
 
M

marakhovskii

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 1, 2016
Total posts
512
Chips
0
You succeeded, but I did not understand what place you occupied, or were you thrown out in the next round?:(
 
No1eJoker

No1eJoker

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
May 21, 2017
Total posts
1,877
Awards
14
Chips
0
That great bluff but it was expected from you considering everyone was check on the flop, and small bet from opponent on the turn. And when he's been check on the river you knew he didn't have anything and you have to try bluff him, but that is sometimes a trap, because the opponent can CHECK when he is very strong, should be careful!!
 
deform fedot

deform fedot

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Total posts
812
Chips
0
In such a mtt as an elementary league, I would say that many players simply accidentally got their stack, so you should not try to find some kind of logic in the opponent's hand - it's just a waste of time.
* In this situation, you have successfully zapped, albeit at risk, but quite right.
* If it were a mt SS, I would advise you to use the notes to make a decision to bluff or not.
 
Sergio_uy

Sergio_uy

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jun 17, 2017
Total posts
254
Chips
0
To make a farol I analyze in what position of the table I find myself as my opponents act that cards have been on the flop and if I make the farol I do not commit much my stack
 
J

joeyjmr8484

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Jun 12, 2009
Total posts
78
Chips
0
I almost never ever bluff. I always get caught and what is the reason for putting in money when you have no showdown value. Not worth it in my opinion.
 
Top