Scared of bluffing and calling bluffs

[YoungOne]

Hi,

Fairly new to poker, been playing seriously for about 2 months. Started with a $200 dollar bankroll and through playing .5/1, 1/2, 3/6 limit, 25 pl, and 25 nl he on party poker I have made $1300 in profit/bonuses, totaling $1500. I might be just running good, hopefully not because I want to be a winning long term player.

My problems, seems to be bluffing and calling bluffs. It scares the hell out of me, especially when I have a decision to call a bluff or make a bluff against a solid tight player (Big Pots, $20 or more). My results showed that I have a good frequency of being right, but when I'm wrong it hurts bad.

How do I get over this fear? I think I'm well bankrolled for my limits and winning so far. I have had losing session (-$100) where i bluff (get called) and call bluffs (only to lose).

Thanks for your stories, tips, and advice etc.....

YoungOne

[Tuben]

I dont want too say anything beacuse when i bluff they have AA [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Escape]

You are not bankrolled for the 3/6 game.
How can you play 3/6 if you can't handle 100$ swings?
How can you play 1/2 (6 max?) if you can't handle 100$ swings?

meh it just sounds you are just playing with scared money.

[Orpheus]

Microlimits (sub-dollar levels) can be your friend.

They are only a limited aid, precisely because you *don't* care so much about the outcome, but when I find myself encountering a block in making a change, or am trying to break a recent bad habit/tilt, I often go to the microlimits and work my way up to a level where the play is something approaching reasonable.

I used to spend 15-20 minutes in the play money games at the start of a session when running bad or loose. It helped a lot, but since I signed up at Poker Stars, I find the microlimits [where people care a little vs. not at all] to be a far superior training aid, especially if you seek out the tightest or most agressive tables (the ones you'd normally avoid). There are some decent but cautious recreational players who don't want to play higher stakes, for various reasons.

Make the behavior familiar, and it'll be a lot less scary. I call it "crafting a new internal dialogue".

Don't spend too much time in the micros though. Your skill advantage can give you a misleading impression of your tactics, and you don't want to develop a "don't care" attitude to carry over to your normal game. Several hours scattered over a few consecutive days should be enough.

You'll probably lose potential profits compared to making the change at your normal levels, but in absolute dollars, it shouldn't cost you a cent. I also find the change of scene a useful constant reminder that I'm training. It helps me break my habits and concentrate on the habit I'm trying to change. YMMV

[lehighguy]

Work up the limits. I used to get upset over $5. Now I don't sweat $2k swings in a day. When your playing on winnings its easier to handle.

If you get affected by every single hand you will be miserable and it will hurt your game. My friend plays the same games as me and the other night he was up $2k. Then he threw a f-ucking [censored] because he busted out of a $50 tourney on a bad beat. WTF. He's made 15k since summer session began. What a little [censored].

Anyway, the only way you are going to feel comfortable with a game is when you know that you can beat it. You'll know you can beat it when you understand the game. You'll understand the game by studying the game and playing a lot. That's the whole concept behind working up the limits.

Bluffing is a big part of big games. If your a scared tight ass [censored] like I was, you need to take baby steps. My hymen broke playing 5/10 (6max). That is where I started learning how to play actual poker. 200NL is where I was actually able to apply some of the knowledge I gained playing 6max.
In other words, you can actually bluff and gain information on peoples hands when you bet in NL.

However, I never would have been bluffing if I hadn't played 6max. 6max forced me to play aggresively, and more importantly, see more showdowns. As a result I got accustomed to playing not the nuts, I learned it could win a hand.

My progression went like this:
$5 Home Games
$25NL
$50NL
$3/$6
Now the real poker:
$5/$10 (6max)
$200NL
$600NL (+$50SnGs)

The whole process took one year of goof off poker, almost one year of serious poker.

P.S. If memory from $3/$6 serves me you should ALWAYS call on the river unless you've missed a draw.

[Net Warrior]

To state is as simply as possible, if you think of your chips as money instead of tools/weapons, then you're playing at a limit outside your comfort zone. Find the limit where you are comfortable making the right moves and stay there until you build up your bankroll enough that you're ready to take a shot at the next highest limit.

My confort zone is 300-400 big bets but I only play limit + full table. For SH, PL, & NL, I'm sure you'd need more.

Rome wasn't built in a day. With your bankroll you should never go broke and have to re-deposit, if you play at the correct limit.

[mosdef]

don't think of them as bluffs. think of them as the mathematically correct bet given the probability that he will call with a better hand.

and if it ISN'T the mathematically correct bet, then you shouldn't be doing it anyway.