[lorinda]

I am going to see what others have to say about the math of the Action bluffs and semi bluffs.

After taking the route he did with the kings, he should certainly have called.
The idea of the play is to cause trouble cheaply and then run away. If you are semi-bluffing (For instance a pair of 9s in the original example) you have the added bonus that you can get your read wrong more often, fail to get the action you hoped for, and still have a chance post flop.
When you get it right, the loss of 300 chips is more than compsensated for by the loss of a player, which is what I find fascinating about the scenario.

I do have quite a lot more to say on the topic, but would rather let it run for a while first.

I will add that I have had success with this play from time to time, although obviously the siutations where it comes up are quite rare.

Lori