Showing bluffs

[Effexor]

I've recently started to try and get myself off of the "I'm a rock" playing style in ring games, and started to try some bluffs preflop and on.

Is it profitable to do something like raise big preflop then show your 7 2 offsuit?

Afterwards people may not respect your bets, so c-bets may not work, but possibly your good hands will get paid off better.

For example:

pokerstars Game #6022827089: Hold'em No Limit ($0.01/$0.02) - 2006/08/23 - 13:10:18 (ET)
Table 'Serpens III' 6-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: Effexor1 ($2.02 in chips)
Seat 2: Torroja ($3.31 in chips)
Seat 3: Teh Phen0m ($1.98 in chips)
Seat 4: michael0787 ($2.52 in chips)
Seat 5: eaitsen ($3.68 in chips)
Seat 6: enufcash? ($1.86 in chips)
michael0787: posts small blind $0.01
eaitsen: posts big blind $0.02
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Effexor1 [6h 9s]
enufcash?: folds
Effexor1: raises $0.08 to $0.10
Torroja: folds
Teh Phen0m: folds
michael0787: folds
eaitsen: folds
Effexor1 collected $0.05 from pot
Effexor1: shows [6h 9s] (high card Nine)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $0.05 | Rake $0
Seat 1: Effexor1 collected ($0.05)
Seat 2: Torroja folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: Teh Phen0m (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: michael0787 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 5: eaitsen (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: enufcash? folded before Flop (didn't bet)

I'm not sure people pay attention though. A few hands later I had rockets and raised the same amount and everyone folded.

 

[t1riel]

If you can get away with one bluff, try to get away with more until someone actually calls. By then, you would have built up your chipstack somewhat. Don't show and reap the rewards! If you can, show a monster hand to throw them off. If the table is that tight, use it to you're advantage.

 

[DESSERTLADY]

Effexor,

It really is someones personal preference if they show their bluffs. It may entice some player at a later time to call when you have the "Nuts". I do know from watching a few of those players that show their bluffs each and almost everytime, that many on the table will just be "gunning" for the bluffer. And may just catch the bluffer in his own web at the wrong time.

 

[shinedown.45]

Personally, I only show when I bluff a large pot and win, but only once on the same table.

 

[shortstacked]

it all depends on how bad I bluffed them, if i'll show or not but90% of the time I dont show

 

[bellhead1970]

Bluffs

One of the things I have been doing lately and it is paying off. Early in a SnG I will show all hands I have played. I will never bluff. I will raise in position to steal blinds, but only with proper cards. Then I will show. This has payed off in people seeing me as a rock and a solid player. When I need to bluff, and this happens only 2-4 times a game is later when there is a helthy pot at stake. I raise 3x the big blind with AJ the flop comes 10 4 7, I am up first, following Doyle's rule I will bet the pot to take the slop down. However I will rarely do this early in a SnG Due to the amounts in a pot are not worth it. Check the pot out if possible. Show at the end, people see someone with A-J not bidding on the pot potray you as a rock. If you hit on the flop with A J, and take the pot down show them you were not bluffing.
Later when the pot size has increased to maybe half a chip stack say around 900 chips when the blinds are up. You can bluff but I never show them. The other day in a $20 sng on pokerstars I had a great table image four people left 2nd in chips against the chip leader i had Ad Js the flop was 6c 3c Kc, I checked the chip leader bet about half the pot, I reraised 1.5x the pot and he folded. He told me nice check raise I know you had the club flush. Not even close but until that point I had been painted as a rock. Ended up placing 2nd and bagging my $55..

 

[Spongetoe]

Something I like to do a lot (especially in SNGs) is to bluff a lot early, maybe 2 or 3 times in the first few levels and show. It's quite impressive how little respect people will give you after seeing those plays and it can turn out to be very profitable when you get a premium hand.

 

[Joe03681]

I won't show them, I'd rather keep em guessing as to what I have. I can see the benefit of showing it because you'll be more likely to get paid when you do catch a real hand, but sometimes your cards will go dead. In those instances if you can't bluff you have almost no way of gathering chips. So from my point of view I'd rather people have no idea what kind of hands I'm playing.

 

[rotty]

Right or wrong, i won't show unless it's peeps i know from here at CC or a home game. (and i only show when i have a strong hand to their folded hand) I like to keep everyone else in a guessing game.