Stealing the pot( no pun intended)

[Mike Gallo]

I had the following hand playing Paradise 2-4 tonight. Mikey decided to sweat me and thats what prompted me to post this hand. I made the move to show him that bluffs can get made at lower limit games.

I open raise with A 4 off suit, only the blind defends.

*** FLOP *** : [ 2s 6s 5d ]

I bet my opponent calls.

*** TURN *** : [ 2s 6s 5d ] [ Th ]

I check, my opponent bets, I check raise he calls.

*** RIVER *** : [ 2s 6s 5d Th ] [ Ts ]

I bet my opponent folds.

I would appreciate any comments. I will give some reasoning behind these plays later.

Michael

[hot tub man # 1]

I dont really like it. With a good read on a specific type of oppenent, then I'd say fine. But the board is 2 suited, and there is also the chance your ace could be a dead out, although obvioulsy it wasnt. By the way, why did you open raise with A4? Were you playing shorthanded?

[Bob T.]

The action in your post only makes sense if you were the small blind. In that case, I think that you played it well, but you also weren't necessarily bluffing.

[ZManODS]

I would really like to listen to your reasoning behind each play. Just because this play worked out this time doesnt mean you made the right move.

[cferejohn]

I think you could open-raise w/A4 on the button, or even in the cutoff if the button/blinds are tight. But yes, I am curious as to your position.

[Zag]

Bob T's point is not that he wouldn't open raise with A4off from other positions, but that he could not check-raise the big blind unless he is in the small blind. I assume, at least, that this is what he means when he says that the narrative makes no sense otherwise.

By the way, I like the original poster's play all the way through. If folded to when I am in the small blind (in an online site), I would always raise with Ace-anything, and with most kings. You are ahead of a random hand, and you establish the initiative.

I also like betting out on the flop, then check-raising the turn as a bluff. If it's gonna work, this is how it's gonna work. There is a question, however, on the river as to whether you were really bluffing, or betting for value. One danger in counting up your "bluff profits" is that you might be counting some that you would have won in a showdown, anyway.

[Mike Gallo]

Most of my opponents think that I do not bluff. In most cases they are usually correct. I hardly ever bluff. I consider that a weakness in my game. I play a bit too predictable.

I once played with David Ross online and he called me all the way to the river because I open raised from the button. I had Aces, so I had a legit hand. His comment, I thought you were a tricky two plus two player stealing my blinds.

Soon after he realized that I hardly ever, if ever bluff raise. I have never raised my button with junk in an effort to steal.

I wondered if I played too predictably. Perhaps by playing so predicatable I was losing money.

A hand like A4 on the button I thought could have value if I played it properly. Anyone can play well with good cards, I wanted to see how I played with marginal cards.

Thats the reason for the decision to bluff.

After that, I just played the hand like I would play it if I had pocket Aces.

Thanks for everyone who commented and read the post. Hopefully I can add bluffing to my aresenal. I think it goes hand in hand with reading hands and players.

[Mike Gallo]

I had the button for this hand. I originally wanted to steal the blinds, and couldnt shake him until the river.

Sorry for the confusion.

[Mike Gallo]

[BTAL]

I think I'm not the only one speaking when I say that I'm confused here...

You say you were on the buuton, yet in your narration of the hand in questions your opponent seems to have position on you. You bet, he calls. You check, he bets, you check-raise....

How could you possibly be on the button?????

[Bob T.]

He checkraised the big blind, so he had to be in the small blind.

Given that, I thought that he played it well. Zag's writing explains exactly what I would have been thinking, I wish that I took more time with my response, but I wanted confirmation that he was in the small blind.

And yes, I open raise with a lot of hands in the cutoff, and on the button, as well as in the small blind.

[Mike Gallo]

I reviewed the hand history from Paradise. I did not have the button, I sat in the cutoof seat.

The button called me, not the blinds.

Michael