Study Group: Semi-bluff raising in sh play

Here's a hand from today's study group. It's a 5-handed table. Only 2+2ers are involved in this hand.


The hand:


UTG folds. mk420 folds UTG2. I'm on the button with AcJd and open-raise. Mikey folds in the small blind. Kevin is in the big blind and defends.


The flop is: Ks,9d,Td


Kevin checks. I bet. Kevin checkraises me. I call.


The turn is: Ks,9d,Td,8c


Kevin bets out. I raise with my open-ended straight and overcard.


Your thoughts?

Dynasty,


I sure wouldn't want to be Kevin holding K6 offsuit and have to make a decision here. Your bet on the flop, is an autobet, you are likely to make it just to see how sincere he is about defending his blind. His checkraise represents top pair, and now you raise him on the turn, I think he needs a little more to play, or a read that makes him think you are on a draw. You put him in a tough situation here, giving him plenty of opportunity to make a mistake.


Good luck,

Play well,

Bob T.

(rjruler)

i think kevin is probably going to call you down and that it's a wasted semibluff.


if you were against me then you should make this raise every time and get me to fold 55 or A5 or whatever nonsense i have. but kevin is probably a reasonable player.


i showed up later in the eve but i think you had all left by then.

"I sure wouldn't want to be Kevin holding K6 offsuit and have to make a decision here. Your bet on the flop, is an autobet, you are likely to make it just to see how sincere he is about defending his blind. His checkraise represents top pair, and now you raise him on the turn, I think he needs a little more to play, or a read that makes him think you are on a draw"


this doesnt sound like the analysis of a shorthanded game. this sounds like the analysis of a 9 or 10 handed table. does anyone see why or agree with me?


this is the problem i have playing 5 handed. sometimes youre against people who will find very little reason to change their full table game. and sometimes you are playing against people who overadjust and play like it's 3 handed or heads up. more aggressive, more bluffing and thin value betting.

When he check-raises a very coordinated, flushed board with all cards in playing range, then there's a very good chance he will have a pair+draw, a very good draw, a good pair, or even better. None of these hands will lay down before the river, and many of these hands will not fold the river either. I think in this kind of situations a semi-bluff turnraise can prove to be quite expensive.


Regards

"this doesnt sound like the analysis of a shorthanded game. "


Totally agree. With this kind of board there's no chance I would lay down top pair. Too much semi-bluff opportunities by opponents. (btw..I rarely lay down top pair).


"this is the problem i have playing 5 handed. sometimes youre against people who will find very little reason to change their full table game. and sometimes you are playing against people who overadjust and play like it's 3 handed or heads up. more aggressive, more bluffing and thin value betting."


If you can recognize both kind of players then it should be more easy to adjust. Against players who play like 10-handed you can bluff and semi-bluff a lot, and be very cautious when they show aggression.


With over-agression you often play more passive with second and third pair (or even ace high) and extremely aggressive with better. And I think I can get away with that, because these kind of people often wont catch up, because they're so focused on their way inflated handvalues.


Regards

So, I semi-bluffed raised the turn with an open-ended straight draw and an Ace overcard and got called by Kevin.


The river is: Ks,9d,Td,8c,3s


Kevin checked and I checked behind him.


Kevin showed Ad2d so my AcJd wins the pot with a better Ace-high.


I thought it was interesting that Kevin had semi-bluff checkraised me on the flop and then I used the same play on him on the turn. This was a hand which was going to be won by whoever made the last bet (Unless I decide to call with Ace-high, which I might).


I think Kevin could have won this pot by 3-betting the turn and betting into me on the river. It's a tough play to make, though.

Five handed is not that big of a change from a full game. I have played quite a bit of five handed poker at 10-20 and 20-40 and found that the biggest error most players make is that they play too many hands too aggressively.


Now the fact that most players play too many hands doesn't say much about shorthanded play since a full table game sees the same errors. However, because the fact that they are aggressive suggests that they are trying to fit the HPFAP mold incorrectly. One of these days I will make it to the study group and show you all how its done.