Bluffing in Limit Poker

"You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time." - Abraham Lincoln


As a further "tutorial" in limit poker, a few comments on bluffing.

1. Despite what you would think (can't bluff in low limit games)I see successful bluffs shown almost every day.

2. I don't think that you should show your successful bluffs unless you are planning to really tighten up your play and want to get lots of future action (this falls under the category, be careful what you wish for). It can create a monster for you where people will chase their bottom pair and snap your pocket aces when they hit trips or two pair. They will do this enough on their own without your further encouragement.

3. I see more "semi-bluffs" than anything, people raising with nut flush draws or with open-enders, trying to either take it down now or build a big pot if they hit. It makes sense to do this as the bluff will work a certain percentage of the time and they will also hit their hand another percentage, giving them a net gain UNLESS you recognize that you have the best hand right now and punish them by re-raising.

4. The frequency of bluffs (if you decide that you want to do some) should be random. That is, don't always bluff from a certain position or any predictable timing. That is why picking a "bluffing hand" is a fairly good option. It can be anything, and the beauty if it is an unorthodox hand (2/7 Lynne), the "real hands" will never see it coming if you hit it hard. Think about A/K vs. 2/7 on a K/7/2 flop. Warning: if you are known for this particular hand and you have raised preflop you can kill your own action or not get credit for the big hand you have, thus encouraging chasing.

5. Another frequency thought is that some players that bluff frequently are wired to suspect that you are too. They will often call you light, so I am not usually prone to bluffing the bluffer.

6. I will usually only bluff when heads up in position. It is usually impossible to bluff a crowd as there often are in loose passive games with tons of limpers. Someone always has a hand, or a draw, or a dream of a draw, or a bluff catcher.

7. It is nearly impossible to create a "table image", except long term among regulars and they probably have your game figured out anyway. So, you cannot fold 30 hands in a row and then max bet on a bluff and expect everyone to put you on aces. Just how it is.

Where is my ass? Oh, you just handed it to me.

Playing in Seattle this week decided to try a super deep stack $35. tournament at a small casino, The Hideaway. It was fairly nice place with a juicy 3/6 kill omaha game going at 10 a.m. The tournament was a disaster for me. Playing tight I folded AK suited in the small blind against a raise and reraise. Too bad, the original raiser had A/10, the re-raiser QQ and I turned two pair.

After winning one small pot with a flopped set of 9's, I was about even (20,000) in chips. The game was crazy, saw people calling raises with junk and raising way out of proportion to the blind size. Could hardly wait for a "real hand". Under the gun I see K/K and raise 3 times the $400 blind to $1200. This is still early as we began with 100/200 blinds. I get 4 callers! Not good, and what the heck are they thinking calling an UTG raise from the tightest player at the table? The flop is jack high with two spades, so I make it 5,000 to go protecting against the flush draw and begging the AJ to call. Fold, Fold, Fold, re-raise to 15,000 and a fold. Hmmmm, could I have run into aces? With over 1/3 of my chips in the pot and getting great calling odds I re-raise all-in only to get an insta-call from J/J. Gone, despite turning the flush draw.

A seat opens in the omaha game and I sit down. The action is crazy with several kill pots capped preflop. I miss all my draws pretty much all the time (except when severely short stacked, then I win small pots) and watch garbage win many times. One guy flops a royal flush with "Mr. Bling" an aggressive better jamming all the way. The guy wins a $350 monte and quits soon afterwards up about $500. I just keep rebuying, like a donk, and quit stuck $300. Not pretty. My last hand had so many outs I lost track (flopped trips) and he runners a flush. Can't count the number of hands I ended up with 3 pair and second nut low. I give!!!!!

Cash Game Advice for Don

So, Don, you mentioned that you were thinking of playing more cash games for a while. You didn't tell me if you were doing limit or NL, but would like to share with you my limit cash game "wisdom" from playing in these games the past 5 years (they do not offer NL games at the non-Indian casinos here).

1. Forget about "tells". Most players are just playing their cards. That said, the super obvious ones do apply sometimes with some players. For instance, if a player says "Do you have a flush?" when the board hits the third suited card, but the board is paired....he can beat the flush. Whatever hand he mentions, he can beat.

2. Game selection is critical. I would much rather play at a table of rocks than a super loosey goosey table. There is much less variance (in your bankroll), and play is more predictable. That said, it does help to have at least one loose player to give you action.

3. Bankroll management is key. Depending on the limit you are playing, I like to set a "stop loss" at around 3 buy-ins if the game is good, fewer if it is a donkfest. I like to buy in for around 10-12 times the big bet, so in a 4/8 game my buy in is $100 and I am prepared to rebuy two more times. If I get stuck $200 can sometimes recover, but not usually $300. Also, when I triple up my buy in, it is usually a good time to quit unless you are running very hot or the game is still juicy. Nothing more frustrating than "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" and losing after a good session.

4. I like to play loose in a tight game, and tight in a loose game. You will take money from the rocks who will only play AA or KK, etc. when you hit your connectors hard. Because they play so few hands they are often reluctant to fold them. In the loose games you cannot get sucked into the mindset of the mob. They will just trade chips back and forth with their random 2 pair hands and crappy flushes. The hands I do like to play are big suited connectors (10/J and up), Suited aces, any pair. The hands I like to avoid are gapped connectors whether suited or not, "any two suited cards", weak aces and most early position. Smallpairs I am set mining to nail a big pot. I fold nearly always if the flop misses, which of course it does 7 times for each one you hit. If the pair is large (or if the flop is small and uncoordinated) you can often win with your overpair.

5. Watch the rake!!!! In low limit games the rake is your deadly enemy and will eat you. Biggest error for most players is: entering too many pots.

6. Lately I have been tight folding blinds...small blind if less than 5 limpers, and both blinds against any raise. You are out of position with normally random cards and need a great flop, which doesn't happen often. Better to fold and wait for cards and/or position to get your money in.

7. The Straddle. Man do I hate straddles, especially from the guy to my immediate left. Have been known to tell him "that is the last straddle you will do". Then, when it is my big blind and he shoves his straddle out, I just stand up take back my blind and go to the restroom. I reenter the game after the button passes and pay both blinds with position. Some guys complained about it, but there is no rule against this.

My other straddle strategy is to always punish the straddler if I have a real hand, particularly with limpers (I mean how weak is that to limp a raised blind knowing the guy could raise big later?). I like to make it $24 to go in our 2/20 spread game.

8. Monte Carlo or high hand boards to me are the bane of the game. The Player Supported Jackpot drop of $1 on every hand dealt just sucks money out of the game and creates very weak play (I had to play my 2/3 suited because the 6 high straight flush pays $300!!!!). I play a lot and last year got a tax hit for $800 on my monte money...which you never get in a cash game otherwise. The casino I frequent tracks all montes and if it goes over $600 total in a year, bang, tax report. Ridiculous. Most players will never recover the lost money and it encourages a bingo mentality.

That is about it for now, hope this helps. I know you are a very experienced player but the difference between limit cash and tournaments is huge and I always have to switch gears mentally when going from one to the other.

Ace King Problems Continue

My problems with AK continued today with two tournaments on-line. In the first my shove is called by K/10 offsuit. The big dog dominated hand flops a straight. The next tourney I flop top pair (ACE) with 3 hearts...I have the king of hearts. The turn is another ace and I go all- in with one caller. River is a 3 and the caller reveals.....A/3 with the 3 of hearts. Be still my heart.

American Legion tournament tonight, made the final table (31 entries) and had a medium chip stack. Went totally card dead and as blinds increased got short. Several shorter stacks went all in and sucked out with the worst hands (one catching case queen on river on a K/Q/x flop with big stack having the king...one other queen also in the mix...he had shortest stack covered). Basically one of those final tables where "everyone wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die". Down to 7, paying 6 spots we agreed to pay bubble their $40 back. It was me. Another short stack raised under the gun, big stack on button raised to put him all in (I had only one blind left). I sensed that he was just squeezing two shorter stacks so called with K/10. The other guy folded and I saw his K/J. No suck out for me!!!!

Nothing but a Heartache

A very funny video: (same guy who does the funny jacks video)

Nightmare Ace/King

Getting knocked out of two tournaments in one day with AK is lots of fun. The first, the $60 buy-in was on the final table. I had taken a bad beat a few hands before on another table and lost about half my chips. Finding AK suited in early position I shoved for 9,000 with 500/1000 blinds. I am called by a young (and dumb) player with lots of chips with his 5/5, then overcalled by John with 10/10. The flop brings the kid's 5 and two spades, the turn a king, and the river a blank. 2 players down.

Second tournament, Steve's, I am seated next to a couple of very inexperienced players (one keeps throwing his big blind away). I lose about 1/2 my chips on various ventures until another player raises to 300 (blinds at $50/100. I have....AK offsuit, so I re-raise to $1000, hoping to take it down right there. No such luck. Another player goes in the tank and finally folds (AK he said), then one of the dumb players shoves with AQ suited. Naturally a queen comes on the turn to knock me out. Plus I win the donkey award for 1st out!!!!

Obnoxious & Lucky Player

Got into some verbal discussions this morning with a very aggressive and intimidating player. I am definitely too aggressive and too dumb to avoid handing it back. Anyway, after stating how great a player he was, and how lousy I am, he doubles up the first hand of the tournament. He then does what he does best, bully and intimidate the other players.

After I called him light twice and won he really came after me, which led to my next to last hand. Scotty, a short stack, pushes all-in with Q/J offsuit, I am next to act and I come over the top all-in with A/K offsuit. The big, ugly and obnoxious "best player" calls my all-in for all his chips with A/10. The flop naturally brings a 10 and I am now the big dog with J/Q drawing to 6 outs, and me with only 3. His hand holds up and I am now short. I push a couple of hands later on the button with 2/2 and Clark calls with 8/8. Out.

The unbelievable stupidity and arrogance of calling a shove and overshove with A/10 boggles my mind. I think he did it just cause it was me. After discussing the situation with management, decided that next time the verbal stuff starts I will call for the floor.

Movie Review- "The Grey"

Spoiler first: The wolves win.
My recommendation: Save your money for a bluff on the river.

The Perfect Storm?

Playing this morning in the 10 a.m. tournament I made the final table, but busted out 2 before the 4 way chop. Called an all in with my short stack Q/10 versus KK and AQ. Not good. Turned the straight draw when kings caught a set, but instead of an ace or 9 for my straight, the 10 came, giving AQ the straight. On second thought Q/10 very bad calling all in, but it has been lucky for me lately;.

The perfect storm hand came in the cash game. I was up and down but had just won a fair pot to get almost up to my $120 buy in. I was dealt pocket queens and I raised to $10. Clark, sitting next to me re-raised to $20. Two more callers came along for the ride, so there was around $80 pre-flop. The flop was A/Q/x with 2 diamonds. I bet $20, Clark raises to $40, Steve re-raises to $60, the other player calls, so I cap it. There is now $400 in the pot. I am never folding as Clark is capable of all the action with Kings or AQ, but I am very doubtful that he has either based on his comments, but many people will say things to get you off your hand. The turn is a blank, It is bet $16 (me), raised $20, which gets steve and I both all-in and another player with chips calls. The river is a blank and Steve mucks, the other player shows the flush draw, and Clark rakes the monster $550 pot with A/A !!!! Talk about a cold deck flop with set over set. I pick up my card protector and leave.

Bad Play or Bad Luck?

On my recent trip to Arizona I met with my old high school buddy, Don, who lives in Maricopa, just minutes from my sister's house. We went to the local casino, the Wildhorse Pass and played in a $50 buy-in tournament. There were 93 players and I finished in approximately 26th place. I was running good, hitting hands and went very card dead after being moved to a new table (doesn't that always happen?). Faced with $500/$1000 blinds I raise under the gun with KQ suited to $2500 leaving me approximately $7000 behind. I am called by the lady immediately to my left who has me covered. The flop is pretty good for my hand, K/J/9 rainbow, giving me top pair with a gutshot draw. I decide to shove as it is about a pot size bet and I am committed. She calls and reveals J/J for a flopped set. The turn queen gives me 4 more outs for 8 total. I whiff the river and am eliminated. Other than throwing away the hand preflop or check/folding the flop I don't see any other options.

New day, Moose morning tournament. I am up and down when this hand comes up. Miguel, a short stack with $500 goes all-in. A young player flat calls him (he has both of us covered). I have AK on the button and decide to try to isolate Miguel and squeeze the caller so I shove for $2000 total. The player thinks??? very briefly then calls with his 6/6 which holds up as Miguel also has AK, so we are drawing very thin. I definitely like my play as Miguel is pretty wild and I felt like I could get a fold from the big (but not huge) stack and risk no more than I would on a call. The alternate play would have been to just call in position and either check the flop if ugly or shove on any flop. There were two queens on the flop so I am pretty sure the sixes would have folded to that line of play, but who can tell with players willing to call an all-in and overcall with low pairs.

After my elimination I play in the cash game and suffer bad beat after bad beat. Example 1: Raised preflop by me to $10 with K/K. Called by "Miami John" with Q/8. Hit a king on the flop for a set, bet $15 and am called by John with a gut shot draw, which he hits on the turn. Lost about $70 on the hand.

Next beat, I raise with A/A and am called by JJ. He hits his two outer.

Last hand: I limp with 2/2 and flop is 2/5/K. Sensing no danger, I check and the turn is another 5. Ramon bets $12, I raise to $32, he reraises me all-in. He has K/5 (suited). How sick is that? I quit for the day, stuck about $300.