How do I semibluff well?

[Zarathustra888]

I'm trying to include some outrageous semibluffs to be a little less predictable, sometimes it works, and other times it goes wrong like it did below. I'm playing pot limit so things might be a little more difficult.

Onto the hand. I saw this as a good opportunity to play some sexy poker with the pair and flush, but bottled it on the turn.

Pokerroom $25 pl from memory

I've $25 and villian covers, he's in the sb and I'm in co.

Dealt 87/images/graemlins/diamond.gif after one limper, call and villian raises to 75cents or something like that, limper folds and I call making the pot $3

Flop is K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif 8/images/graemlins/club.gif 6/images/graemlins/diamond.gif and villian bets $2. I raise to $5, which I think is a little weak, would $8 be better? Villian calls and we're onto the turn with $13 in the pot, I think I have $18 left at this point.

The turn is the 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif making a possible straight, and the betting goes check/check.

River is a blank and it's checked down.

I'm thinking that raising the flop to $8 then potting turn might be a better plan.

[Aytumious]

Pot the turn.

If you are going to make a semi-bluff on the flop like you did you have to follow it on the turn with another pottish size bet. Semi-bluffing is done for 2 reasons, to induce a fold, and to enable a bigger pay off when you hit your hand.

When you check down the turn you are completely canceling out your semi-bluff on the flop. Now if you hit your flush, or trips on the river, it is doubtful that a villain will call your suddenly coming to life after a scare card hits. Keep up the aggression on the turn and then play accordingly on the river.