Bluffing with the ace but no flush

[blumpkin22]

Is this a common technique in mid-limit PLO to make someone else fold a non-nut flush because you know that can't have it? What are some ways people implement this? (E.g., smooth call flop, raise the turn.) Of course, the same thing can be used in hold'em, but in Omaha there is a much better chance that you have what you are representing.

[DarthIgnurnt]

Very common. Don't try it on low-limit tables (say ... up to and including PLO 200). It won't work on bad players.

Against better players, play it similarly to actually having the flush, and as with any hand, vary your play. And of course, don't overuse it ... better players will make this move cost you.

[PokerGoblin]

'Bluffing the naked ace' is awesome when it works. It's such a good feeling. To execute it, you have to really pick your spots. You have to use it against opponents who you know will fold the 2nd best hand.

Basically you need to play the whole hand as if you are drawing to the nuts. Having position is also helpful.

It seems to work best when the third flush card comes on the river. When the flop comes all one suit, and you call it down just to make a big bet on the river, it looks suspicious.

Post some hands where you've tried it.

PG

[joelmick]

I think this play should be made every time you hold the bare flush ace, the flush is there on the flop or turn, and the stacks are deep enough that you can make a pot size bet on 1 street, and at least another 50% pot bet on the next street if the board does not pair.

The reason this bluff is so powerful is that suited Ax is a very valuable starting hand feature, whereas Ace unsuited is not. So, maybe 70% of the time you hold the flush ace, you will hold nut flush. So if you just bet hard every time, whether you have the flush or not, an opponent holding 2nd nut flush cannot benefit by calling you down, since he will lose more calling you down when you hold nut flush as he makes catching your bluffs.

Good players know this, and don't give a lot of action with 2nd nut flush except in specific situations where it seems more likely the bettor could be bluffing (for example, bettor was in a blind in an unraised pot, so is less likely to hold a suited card with the ace, or if you hold 3 or 4 cards of the flush suit in your hand.)

But as a previous writer noted, if opponents will pay you off with lower flushes, then don't bother to bluff and just bet hard when you have the nut flush and collect their money. You will have to use your observations of your opponents to figure that out.