Playing tight tables

[kurto]

Bluffing is more of an art then a science.

You need to have a read on the players in the pot.

Flush draws and straights are the most obvious bluffing opportunities. But keep in mind... you can't bluff a calling station. You have to know that a player is capable of laying down weak hands.

Let me give you another example. (I know I posted this as a hand somewhere)...

I raise in LP with pocket Jacks. I get reraised by the SB. WHAT HAND IS SOMEONE GOING TO RERAISE FROM THE SB?

I would argue for most players it would be only Queens, Kings or Aces.

Flop was rag, rag, Aces. Guy bets 1/4 of the pot. When a guy reraises you preflop then bets 1/4 of the pot, he's either trying to slowplay or HE DOESN'T HAVE AN ACE.

I triple his bet. He calls.... turn, another rag. He bets small, I FIRE AGAIN- I triple his bet (which I believe was pot sized.) He folds.

But again... if you see someone guy call others down with bottom pair.... don't bluff them. They're too dumb to fold.

[elus2]

I find myself making a lot of turn bluffs against certain opponents. In the low stakes games there appears to be an inordinate amount of players who will call the flop with almost anything and fold to a turn bet. For the most part i figure that these guys are looking to pick up one of their backdoor draws or make 2 pair or trips from their weak pair by the turn. It is unlikely for many of them to continue past the turn without top pair or better or some kind of draw. this usually only works if you had bet the flop in the first place

Another option for bluffing is on the river. Knowing that there are no more cards to come you can force out lots of drawing hands which allows your weaker drawing hand (34s flush draw) to take the pot. I generally don't like making this play unless the guy has shown absolutely no aggression during the entire hand and it is credible for him to believe that i am holding TP or better.

making these plays allows you to generate action for yourself when you do get busted or it allows you to pick up a pot you might otherwise have lost. in general i only pull off pure bluffs in position.

in the 6 max games i open raise with plenty of hands. usually suited connectors, gappers, AJ/KJ and up, pocket pairs. i make a continuation bet if it's heads up or if i've improved to some kind of draw or caught a piece of the board. if it's heads up i fire a 2nd barrel about 30% of the time. Firing a third barrel there would need to be some obvious draws that missed.

[theredpill5]

[ QUOTE ]
Where are the tight Party tables? Not at 100NL and below.


[/ QUOTE ]

We've been through this. Play during the daytime hours on Party Poker and they are actually very tight. I played until about midnight and I did notice them loosen up considerably. I'm just looking for a way to mix my game up a little since I'm starting to move up to .50/1 NL and also , I wouldn't mind making more money, too if I can find a profitable bluff.

I got a problem with people saying that I bluff this way and that way. How do you know that your bluff isn't a huge leak ? I actually think probably 70 % of you aren't bluffing profitably.

No one has answered my original question. Do you think a good player that is capable of folding TPTK , can fold TPTK 50 % or more of the time to a 3x pot raise on the turn ? I'm not saying I'm going to bluff on everyone because that would be dumb.

[TheCat]

[ QUOTE ]
So, now we're left with the semi-bluff, but when to use it?


[/ QUOTE ]

Good question. I play mostly in PP50, the semi-bluff should be used with plenty of consideration here.

One of the big error players make in PP50 maybe 100 is not to bet enough when they have a made hand. Time and again folk slow play when there are draws on the table. A player will usually give you implied odds or even pot odds to draw so why make yourself pay to draw? Take a cheap or free card.

Semi-bluff is great for taking down a continuation bet, I find the turn better than the flop for this sort of aggression.