Good Poker Bluffs

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Generally speaking, poker bluffs in low limit Texas Hold’em really isn’t all that necessary. While the absolute best players will use some deception and poker bluffs to increase profits, most players over use it, rendering it a horrible game decision. There are a few situations in low limit games that provide excellent opportunities to bluff. Next time you are playing Texas Hold’em, rather then simply trying to bully someone out of the pot with a bluff, look for the situations outlined below to make your attempts at deception truly profitable.

The whole table checks
Although sometimes a check happy table indicates a player is slow playing a monster, most times people are checking simply because they don’t have a thing. If you are in late position in times like this, by all means, bet and take down the pot. In a typical low limit Texas Hold’em game you are going to steal the pot often enough to make it profitable. Look for instant checks that indicate players have clicked the “check” box, indicating that they will keep drawing for free, but really have nothing worth betting.

Stealing blinds
Stealing blinds is a good tactic to learn in Texas Hold’em. It will become a good source of profit in larger games and there is no reason not to take advantage of it in a low limit game. The best time to steal blinds from the small blind position is when you are up against a weak opponent or one who is low on chips. Players low on chips are looking for their one last chance to make a stand and with a crappy hand in the big blind they most likely are not going to stand up to your raise. Obviously stealing blinds in this situation is best when it has been folded around. There are some opportunities where a raise from the small blind could steal another bet or two, but you need to be really careful because most of the time someone who calls before a raise is very likely to simply call the raise as well.

The scary board
If there has been little pre flop action and a big scary board such as KKJ or AAQ comes this can be a good opportunity to simply steal the pot. Many times Texas Hold’em player’s wont stand up to bets on a nasty board like this and all you need is position to take down the pot. Try check raising a maniac or an over aggressive player on this kind of board to slow them down or to simply win the pot outright, often times overly aggressive players will try to muscle people around on big boards, you’ll want to use superior betting strategy to outwit the player and take down the pot. You can also adapt the strategy here for when just one scary card comes on say the turn or the river. Although three flushes cause some concern, in a short pot no one will necessarily have the flush. Use a positional advantage when a third flush card falls to steal the pot. A check raise will work here too but often times low limit Texas Hold’em players are enticed to call the check raise simply to see if you actually have the hand.

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Semi-Bluffing With A Flush Draw

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An important and vital weapon in the no-limit Texas holdem games is the semi-bluff. The most popular time to semi-bluff is when a player has a flush draw.

When used correctly, the semi-bluff with a flush draw can be a very effective tool. When overused, it can be costly.

What is a Semi-Bluff with a Flush Draw?
A semi-bluff is a bet you make before you have a made hand. If your opponent folds, this is a great outcome, since he almost certainly had the best hand. If he calls, you still have outs to make the best hand.

In on of your Texas holdem games, if you hold two hearts and the flop has two hearts, an all-in bet would be a semi-bluff. If you are called, you will probably win if either of the next two cards are hearts. If your opponent folds, you win the pot without having to make a hand.

When Should You Semi-Bluff with a Flush Draw?
You should semi-bluff with a flush draw when the pot is sufficiently large that it is worth winning immediately and when there is a reasonable chance that your opponent may fold. A nice play is the semi-bluff check-raise.

For example, you check an opponent bets $25 and you call with Qd Td. The flop comes Kd 8d 6h. You check again, your opponent leads out for $100 and you check-raise for $200 more. If your opponent does not have at least a pair of kings, he pretty much has to fold (unless he holds the ace high flush draw, but this is unlikely).

Even if he has a hand like AK, your check-raise has indicated a powerful hand, perhaps K 8 for two pair or a set of 8s. Therefore, he may fold the winning hand immediately. If he calls, you will still win with a diamond on the turn or river.

When Should You Not Semi-Bluff with a Flush Draw?
If there is no chance your opponent will fold, such as may be the case in free online poker, you should not semi-bluff. Also, if your flush is not likely to become the best hand, for example the board is paired or your flush draw is very small, you should usually resist the temptation to try a semi-bluff.

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Bluffing to Cover up a Mistake

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Bluffing is a tactic that is generally used in poker in order to represent strength so that your opponents will fold and you will win the pot. A good bluff is an intentional ploy that is often set up before the hands are even dealt out. However, sometimes an improvised bluff can get you out of a jam as well.

Mistakes in poker
The mistakes we are referring to are not technical mistakes such as folding before there has been a bet or acting out of turn, but rather mistakes in the way you have played the hand. For example, you may have made an assumption about the strength of your opponent’s holding, which you decide is an incorrect assumption way too late. When this happens, it is possible that a bluff can come to your rescue.

Hand-saving poker bluffs
Here’s an example of how a bluff can cover up a mistake in Texas Hold em. You have 5h 5d in middle position and an early position player raises. You flat call to see the flop. It comes 8s 9s 4c. Your opponent makes what you see as a continuation bet, simply betting the flop because he bet before the flop. However you are reasonably certain he has AK, so you raise. Much to your surprise, your opponent raises you back. You could simply give up at this point and abandon all the chips you have invested or you could try to pull off an elaborate bluff.

You flat call and the 7h peels off on the turn. This is a perfect card for you. Your opponent checks and you move all-in. The story you are telling is that you have made a straight. It is a believable story. Many players will call a raise with JT before the flop. You could have raised the flop on a semi-bluff when you flopped an open-ended straight draw and when re-raised, decided to just call and see what comes. Now if your opponent has an overpair or even if he flopped a set, he will have a very difficult decision.

Note that this was your intention when you called the flop re-raise, not to try and hit a third five but to hit a good bluff card. With two spades on the board you could have made the same play with any spade or even with a queen, four, eight or nine. Note that a jack, for example, would not have provided a great bluffing opportunity since it is unlikely you raised and called a re-raise with a gut shot straight draw like QT, and a mere pair of jacks is probably not good enough in this situation.

Use of the improvised poker bluff
Bluffing every time you get into trouble is not necessarily the best option since opponents might catch on. But if you keep this weapon in your arsenal it could mean a few extra nice pots, and those extra pots are what make all the difference in your win rate when you play poker.

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