[CrisBrown]

Hiya Tim,

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I don't understand this concept of a bluff catcher. Can you explain?

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"Bluff-catcher" is a term I stole from Howard Lederer, who discussed it at length in his commentary on the Showdown at the Sands telecast. A bluff-catcher is a hand that will beat many of the hands that would bet into it, but lose to most of the hands that would call it.

Example: Assume that, at a tight table, you raised from MP with J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] T [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], and had one caller from the button. There is 7.5 BB in the pot, and both you and the caller have deep money.

Flop: A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] T [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 8 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

This is a classic bluff-catcher situation. You have 2nd pair, with a marginal kicker, against a board that will often have hit the kinds of hands that would call your pre-flop raise. If you bet out, especially if you bet 5xBB or more to kill the odds for the flush draw, you will probably be beaten if called. You'd have to fold to a reraise, even though the reraiser might be semi-bluffing on a flush draw.

So you check, and the opponent bets 2xBB. That could be a weak Ace trying to feel you out, or AT hoping you'll raise so he can clobber you, KQ or 7h6h trying to build the pot for the draw, or a position raise with nothing. But the pot is giving you 3.5 to 1, and on deep money it's worth calling here.

Turn: 9 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Now you have 2nd pair, plus a straight draw, although it's not the nut draw. (QJ is the nut straight, and there is a flush possibility.) It's a decent hand, but again, if you bet it aggressively you're likely to be beaten if called, and you'd have to fold to a reraise. So you check, and he bets another 2xBB. He could still be slow-playing you with a better hand, but it's very possible that he's bluffing at this pot. There is 11.5xBB in the pot, so you're getting good odds to call, and you do.

River: 2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

Well, if he's on a heart draw, or a Broadway straight draw, he missed. He might have the Q-high straight, although you think he'd likely have bet it stronger if he did. He might be on AK, AQ, or AJ, all of which he might well have played this way because that T is on board and he's worried about two pair. Or he could be on Ace-rag, worried about running into a stronger Ace. You can't bet for value, because if he does call, it will likely be with a hand that beats your second pair. So, again, you check. He checks behind you, and turns up: K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

You take a 13.5xBB pot, and that's a classic example of a well-played bluff-catcher hand.

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What do you do on the turn after you have called his small bet if the T doesn't hit?

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I'd have to see what he did. If he bet strong, I have to get out of the hand, as I don't have a strong enough hand to continue. The nightmare (for me) would have been if I had hit a Q on the turn. I'd have had two pair, but bottom two pair, and he'd have had top two pair. Oops....

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Can you explain a bit more about this big pot/small pot stuff?
Are you just saying: if there is some action you can assume people have a decent hand most of the time so make sure you have a decent hand too or get out.

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That's pretty much it in a nutshell. 76s with a 9-7-4 board is a decent hand small pot hand, but if someone comes crashing in with a big raise or reraise, you have to take a second look at it. Now it's a big pot, and second pair and a trash kicker is not a big pot hand. You may indeed have the best hand -- he might be semi-bluffing on AK -- but do you really want to go bust on 76s?

If the flop had been 7-7-6, or 8-5-4, it's a different story. Now your 76s is a big pot hand, and you'd welcome a big pot with it. But you don't want to wade into battle on just second pair, trash kicker.

Don't get sucked into big pots with small pot hands. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Cris