Book Discussion: Theory of Poker, chapter 18-20

[F Paulsson]

This week it's all bluffing, baby!

Bluffing - adjusting to the opponent
Bluffing - game theory
Bluffing - Inducing/stopping

NOTE: Please do not quote the book. This thread is to help broaden the understanding of the book, not rip off the copyright of it. Feel free to discuss, but try doing so without infringing on David Sklansky's and 2+2 Publishing's intellectual property rights. Thank you.

 

[Xandit]

Bluffing and adjusting to your opponet. I found this to be very insightful. People think that all you need to do is throw your money into the pot and people will fold. That is so not the case. Against "calling stations" you should never/rarely bluff, they are going to call anyway. Now if you have a marginal hand you should check to the "calling station" so you can pick off their bluff if they are bluffing. Against tough opp. you can bluff more due to the fact that they are able to get away from hands and make good laydowns. I've found fewer "tough" players.
From first position I like the c/c concept on the river. You have a margial hand and think your opp is weak/missed draw. If you bet and get called/raised you are most likely beat. If you check and the opp checks you get to showdown cheaper with a marginal hand. Now if you check and your opp bets. you can call without fear of a reraise you will snap off his bluffs.
If you are 2nd to act after your opp. and they check, you should check your marginal hand since they have little chance of winning if you are called or raised. I see this played incorrectly all the time. some one will check their pair Q's on the river and a player with a pair 10"s will bet and get called. They could have saved 1 bb in a hand they were not going to win anyway.

 

[Xandit]

Bluffing and game theory.
This is something that i understand but have little to add on the subject. It is a mathmatical way to play a bluff in which you will buff with a frequency equal to the pot odds offred to your opp. So you will win more when they fold and call. I think if you are outmatched by your opp you should take this approach.

Bluffing Inducing/stopping
I have found that to stop a bluffer it is profitable with position to raise them or reraise them on the flop, thus getting free cards. This seems to work, the thing to remember is that if an opp. bluffs to much, we want to just call them down and not stop all of their bluffs. If an opp never bluffs then we can safely fold.
All of this being said, I still am working on bluffing. It just seems that with the random players that i see at the tables. live/online, you will get called so it is better to just wait and have it. Against the same opp you will need to bluff more due to the fact that your good hands won't get paid off as well.