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Weak-tights just tell you what they have. LAGs are out of line. Tight-Aggressives typically will (predictably) go too far with hands they choose to play, if they are not tough.
I assert that the best semi-bluffers are the best overall players.
I assert that mastery of the semi-bluff (including good laydowns after such a bet) is THE essential skill because by definition, THIS skill incorporates mastery of a great many other very important and often quite subtle poker skills such as
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Solid starting standards (by position and number of players),
Reading hands,
Choosing your victim,
Isolating him,
Ability to make tough laydowns,
Changing gears etc.
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How do you defend against the sophisticated and tough (capable of big laydown) semi-bluffer?
Because a wide range of hands are semi-bluff candidates from a wide range of seats.
Don't be quick to answer. Think about it for awhile and come back and vote.
I'm eager to examine the poker insight and opinion you may choose to post on this thread.
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Quite frankly I disagree that the ability to semi-bluff well encompases mastery of all the elements you say.
Starting hand selection. Mostly irrelevant to whether you have a semi-bluffing hand post-flop.
Reading hands. More important if what you're talking about is semi-bluff raising. Less important if you are semi-bluff betting.
Choosing your victim...hmm, maybe. But I'm not getting into pots PF with people with the idea of semi-bluffing them later, so this is more of a choosing who to semi-bluff against idea. So, sometimes.
Isolating your victim. Certainly not PF, again you I'm not entering pots with people with the idea of semi-bluffing them later. Post flop, occaisionally, but this wouldn't be a regular part of the semi-bluff.
Ability to make tough laydowns. Generally I'm semi-bluffing on the turn. On the flop I'm either betting my draws for value, continuation betting, or outright bluffing. If its a semi-bluff on the turn there aren't very many tough laydown situations. You call one more bet with your draw (maybe lay down to two more bets) and then if you make your draw you aren't folding for a bet or single raise, and if you miss it you're either bluffing, checking down, or folding. Where are the tough laydowns? Only in the occaisional situations where it comes back multiple bets to you and even then its generally a simple pot odds calculation.
Changing gears. I suppose this might relate to whether to semi-bluff or not, but I suggest that you don't need to be a gear changing master to effectively employ the semi-bluff.
--Zetack