Archive for ALTERNATE POKER FORUM Your Poker Forum For Online Poker Freerolls, Buy-Ins & Leagues
Talk Poker Forums, Poker Lounge, Strategy and Rules
|
addam00
|
When is it a good time to try a bluffwell to get back to a poker topic here is one that has not been discuss too much. what are some good situation to make a bluff?
|
Arjonius
|
This is a pretty broad question, and highly situational, so about all I can think of to offer is a couple of very general guidelines.
- when the cost is low relative to the potential gain. It's certainly not unusual to see big bluffs via overbets. The problem with them is that even though they can work fairly often, the overall EV is negative because multiple small wins when opponents fold don't make up for the big loss when a bluff is picked off.
- when the opponent is more likely than usual to fold; e.g. one who's a rock or near the bubble
- when losing the pot will leave you crippled and you have no other way to win it; e.g. you already got most of your chips in with a big draw, but missed.
|
Know-nuffin
|
Re: When is it a good time to try a bluff | addam00 wrote: | | ... what are some good situation to make a bluff? |
When your girlfriend asks, "does my bum look big in this"
|
harry_lime
|
Re: When is it a good time to try a bluff | Know-nuffin wrote: | | addam00 wrote: | | ... what are some good situation to make a bluff? |
When your girlfriend asks, "does my bum look big in this" |
bad idea, as no matter how much you bluff, you will always get called. 
...........................................................................
as a rule i bluff very little early on.
once the blinds mean something, i sometimes find a good spot is shortly after you've lost a big hand. in this case, i would pick one of the better players at the table and make some kind of re-raise usually on the turn. a good player will usually feel you're not going to make a bluff like this after a loss and you will often get a fold. a lesser player (or someone multitable-ing) will probably not have payed much attention to previous hands which will make this kind of bluff much harder.
obviously when stacked your going to go after the more passive players but that's more looking to steal the blinds pre and on the flop.
i agree with what arjonius says about bluffing being so situational. a lot much depends on the ebb and flow of the game and particularly on your position and what has occured over the last few hands.
.....it's a tough question to answer adam. 
|
Arjonius
|
Harry has referenced an important point that is easy to understand intellectually, but tougher to apply effectively. It was and still is for me anyway. It's more difficult to bluff certain types of players. His example of bluffing good players but not bad ones is situational, but can be very appropriate in those situations.
A simpler one is to bluff less against calling stations who will often call you down with hands that are not good but still beat a bluff. And the relatively obvious corollary is that you can bluff more against players with weak styles who tend to fold their mid-strength hands when facing aggression.
|
Know-nuffin
|
Re: When is it a good time to try a bluff | harry_lime wrote: | | Know-nuffin wrote: | | addam00 wrote: | | ... what are some good situation to make a bluff? |
When your girlfriend asks, "does my bum look big in this" |
bad idea, as no matter how much you bluff, you will always get called.
|
You will always get called... a what? 
|
alby_00
|
early on when the blinds are small relative to your stack, i don't bluff unless i really sense weakness and an ability of the bluffee to lay down a decent hand if he thinks he is beat.. Early in the tourneys i play ($1-$10) there are just too many really terrible players that even if it is so completely obvious they are beat, they will not throw a hand away.. That is why i don't bluff early.
i find the best time to bluff is after the antes kick in, or the blinds are so high they add a signifigant portion to to your stack. with the antees you are offered better odds on your bluffs because many people will consider a 3x bb raise the same with or without antes when there is a difference in odds.
Bubble play is very often the best time to pull off bluffs..quite often the fact that in 15 mins they will be in the money will cause people to fold to obvious bluffs from some aggressor..they just grit their teeth and say soon i'll get him, but by the time the money hits i try to slow down and maybe trap one of these guys with a good hand while they still hate you for stealing the blinds for the last 1/2 hr.
As important as when to bluff is who to bluff... Conventional wisdom says never bluff the short stacks or the big stacks, try to bluff the middle stacks that are watching the small stacks die off and move them up in the money and they are hoping for a great hand to double up with so they can be a big stack.. this has alot of truth to it...BUT I find bluffing the big stacks can be quite profitable late in the tourney.. If you have enough to actually hurt them 25% of their stack or more you can pull of some profitable bluffs against the big stacks for 2 reasons..first they want to remain a big stack and doubling you up would lower thir stack considerably,,secondly when an average to above average stack comes after a big stack, the big stack tends to say..hmm he wouldn't screw with me without a decent hand and will therefor lay down more then one would think.
LOL, get me talking and i won't shut up...Don't even get me started on the semi bluff..
|
Know-nuffin
|
Re: When is it a good time to try a bluff | addam00 wrote: | | ...what are some good situation to make a bluff? |
When Tracey comes home from work and asks; "you haven't been sat on your backside playing poker all day have you?"
|
Mrs know-nuffin
|
|
|