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March 27, 2006
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Poker Lessons)
Poker Lesson: Inducing a Bluff
Author: Layne Flack
Beginners come to poker thinking that the bluff
has one simple purpose: To take pots when you don't have a hand
that can win at showdown. In No-Limit
Hold 'em, however, the bluff can be used in many different
ways. As [a recent tip by Huck Seed] pointed out, a good player
can use the threat of a bluff to force an opponent into making
a very bad call.
For this tip, I thought I'd show another way you
can use the bluff to your advantage. Using this technique, you'll
neither be bluffing nor threatening to bluff, but rather, you'll
be convincing an opponent to bluff in a situation where you almost
certainly have the best hand.
Say you're playing a game of No-Limit
Hold 'em and you raise in middle position with Kh-Qh. You're
called by two players - one behind you and one in the blind. You're
thrilled to see the flop: 2h-7h-Th. You flopped a flush. The big
blind checks to you and you bet. (Note that I highly recommend
betting in this sort of situation. Betting the made hand often
does more to disguise the strength of your holding than slow playing
does.)
Your bet is called by the late position player.
What's he calling with? Maybe he has a Ten or the Ah. The turn
is a blank, the 3c. You bet again, and once again are called.
Now the river is another blank, the 4d, making the board 2h-7h-Th-3c-4d.
What's your play?
On the river you should consider checking - but
not because you're worried that your opponent has a better hand.
Rather, since your opponent called on the river, you have to consider
what he may have. It's hard to bluff on three consecutive streets,
and most players won't launch that third bullet. So, after calling
you on the flop and turn, your opponent may look at something
like top pair and give up, thinking that you must have him beat
if you're willing to fire at this pot three times. Or, if he only
has the Ah, he'll have no choice but to fold. Either way, there'll
be essentially no way for you to get any value out of the hand
by betting.
If you check, however, you let your opponent stab
at the pot. If he's got just the Ah, he may be inclined to see
your check as a sign of weakness. He'll fire at the pot in desperation,
hopeful that he can force a fold. Then you'll call and take a
nice pot.
Remember, your opponent's broken draws offer great
opportunities for you to induce bluffs. When you have a hand and
you appear to be up against a draw that doesn't get there by the
river, you stand to make the most by checking to your opponent,
who can then do his best to pick up the pot by betting. It's a
great technique, and yet another way you can use the bluff to
your advantage.
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