Check raise semi bluff

10-20 10 handed. I hold Ah-3h. 4 limpers to me. I call. BB checks. 6 players. Pot = 60.


Flop is 9c 8h 3s. Checked to the button who bets. I call. UTG calls. all others fold. 3 players. Pot = 90.


Turn is Kh. Checked to button who bets. I raise. UTG folds. Button calls. 2 players. Pot = 170.


River is Kc. I bet. Button calls and shows 10s 9d for the winner.


Was this a good spot to make the check raise semi bluff on the turn and was the river bet a good idea given the Kc? I had decided to bet the river regardless of what card came, but this card is in my view one of the least scariest to my opponent given I am trying to get him to lay down a pair of 8's or 9's here. I had no read on the button's style of play prior to this hand.


Thanks, Gomez

Left this out of original post.

I like the raise on the turn, you have many outs and that card should look a little scary. But the river card will ruin your bluff - your opponent will likely doubt you have a king. You also have a hand to show down - a tiny pair, which may be enough. Against most players, the river bluff is highly debatable, but may be right. The turn raise is usually a good idea.


Good luck.


Dan Z.

I think this is a really malleable hand. Sounds like you were the sb. You also could've check/raised the flop. I think your check/raise on the turn is reasonable, although there might also be reasons to bet out on the turn. Now the hand can get really fun depending on how your opponents react on the turn and/or the river. The point is, there were many ways this could've been played IMO- As long as you were aware of this, and chose your play for a reason... You played it well.

I do like to semi-bluff checkraise the turn when you have a good draw to the nuts, but it works best when you can represent some kind of hand that you either made on the turn, or could afford to slowplay on the flop.


The King hitting the turn could make K8 a possibilty (you surely would have raised the flop with K9, right?). A set of 3s might play this way, but there are no straights, and not that many hands that would make this move, which makes it look more and more like some kind of semi-bluff.


I don't know if your opponent read it this way, but once he called the turn he almost had to call to the river. Otherwise, I think it's a good play.

I think the real problem with this hand is the call on the flop. You are in bad shape if somebody decides to check raise. The call would be better if you were closing the action but now there is too much risk IMO. Fold on the flop and you would have never ended up in this situation. The other problem is that you said that you were totally unaware of how the button played so you really made several gambles on this hand. Some players simply never give up and if that's the case with this particular player, you are in really bad shape. Of course you do get some advertisement value early in the session, but as most of us would agree, Holdem is a game where you would probably rather preserve your ability to occaisionally steal pots, then lure additional calls.

I also was not completely comfortable with the call on the flop.


I usually like to make this play when I can represent a straight when an overcard hits which would make a likely straight.


Finally, I chose the wrong player to try this against. I have a very tight image in this game and many of the regular players would have definitely folded the turn with my opponent's holding. I have had excellent success with semi bluff turn raises and check raises in the past but do not find many opportunities to use them. I'm trying to look for new situations to use them.


Thanks, Gomez

Yeah these plays are great when you can find them but they come up so infrequently since they are expensive when they fail. I have a real hard time finding places to check raise semi bluff, in fact I can't even remember the last time I did one succesfully (actually I remember last time I did but I drew out so I don't know if that counts :-). One of my friends (this guy is impeccably honest so I know it's true) told me he was succesful with 7 out of 8 bluff raises in one month. Now thats what we need to strive for!

good luck!

clearly, if he is successfull 7 out of 8..he is not bluffing enuf...way under bluffing...read top...or any essays...jmho..gl

This was strictly referring to bluff-raises. Not just regular bluffs. Bluff raising is rare so I don't think that this is a small number.

nt