30-60 hand

Playing short handed the other night. Maniac (M) is winning by following classic bet a evry opportunity strategy.


I am in SB with AdJd. we are four handed. cutoff folds, M on the button raises, I reraise, BB calls( ouch!) Flop comes 9d 10d 4h. I check, bb checks, M bets, I raise, BB folds, M raises, I call. Turn is 5s. I check, M bets.


River is 9h. I check, M bets. I raise.

yes you heard right. I know M does not have anything serious but may have lucked out by hitting a five or having his deuces be good. I have seen him fold to extreme strength on river, so I decide to try my first ever river bluff check raise in my life. (honest!)


What do you fellas think.

Results to follow.

He mucked. Maybe I had the best of it all along I don't know.


Question: Do people view their bluffs as positive EV plays in and of themselves or as image plays designed to induce future calling. I try to view them as +EV plays, and view any effect on my image as an added bonus. Interested what others think.

Better to try this when you have a busted 87 as opposed to a busted AJ.

I like your raise on the end. I agree with skp that it might be best to just call him down with your Ace high, but I hate the idea of looking like a chump and having to muck when he shows down a pair of 3s and drags the pot.


I like the bluff raise on the end. I've only done it three times in my life but it's won all three times so apparently I can pick my spots well. Twice I just got this feeling from how my opponent was looking at me, one time a voice inside my head said "there is no possible way he could have what he's trying to represent."


Bottom line, you read your opponent well here.

Obviously, the gigantic considerations here are these: will your raise get him to lay down a better hand, and, if so, will the chances be appreciably increased by check-raising as opposed to just betting out?


I'd say that this was the perfect time to give this play a shot. Any little pair, any AK, AQ, A5, or A4 will likely give it up here for a check-raise, and might have just heaved the chips in for the one bet.


Seems about right to me.

But all the hands that you say the guy will lay down to a raise probably would not see him bet in the first place. When most guys bet the river here, it's because they have a good hand or a hand that can't survive a showdown. All the hands you mention can survive a showdown meaning that he probably does not have any of these hands when he bets. You could call with your AJ; that's probably a better play than checkraising.

skp,


If this guy is really a maniac with the rare ability to fold anything of worth on the river (as Jack described), isn't throwing in one more bet on a checkraise a better play than calling? Sure, many times you will have him beat with your AJ, but this play is well worth it considering the times he does throw away a little pair or AK or something. I agree with you that a normal player would check these hands down from last position to see if they can win in a showdown, but all bets are off, I think, with a maniac.


Mike

He really was an absolute maniac.

One time I saw hime bet and raise the whole with a board

of 3d 4h 5s, 8d, qc

with T9o

Perhaps...I guess I was speaking generally as opposed to how to play a certain type of opponent.

i think you make a great play here (i havent read the results). i go for bluff raises like this probably way too much but dont recall pulling it off on the river yet (maybe shorthanded i have i guess). on the turn every now and then i can manage a good bluff checkraise or raise, but on the river they always seem to call with just about anything... damn,..