How to Bluff Successfully

[trishan]

Played a $20 SnG today on 888 and had this amusing hand when heads up with this Brazilian guy who was very agressive. When I showed my cards at the end he went absolutely bananas - quite funny really.

Blinds 150/300

Hero (3542)
TITALC (5008)

Dealt to Hero: [3c] [7h]

TITALC raises by 300 to 600
Hero calls.

Pot: 1200

Flop: [4d] [8s] [6c]

I see the flop and I am thinking he/she probably has JQ, QK, Ax and chances are they missed the flop he is probably thinking the same of me, so I expect a raise regardless.

Hero checks.
TITALC bets 900.

Ok now I am thinking maybe he has Ax and hit the x on the flop. Maybe a flush draw or a small pocket pair. The call will scare him off if he is bluffing or has a marginal hand as there are straight possibilities.

Hero calls 900.

Pot: 3000

Turn: [qs]

Hero checks.
TITALC checks.

Now I know he is most likely bluffing with either a small pocket pair or an Ax that missed or even two random cards. He definitely missed the Q given his agressive game.

River: [qc]

So assuming he missed the queen and has been caught bluffing the flop, I bet 1/2 of my stack.

Hero bets 1171.
TITALC folds.
Hero shows hand.

Then the verbal abuse started in the chat box lol.

So some food for thought. Would a push have been better on the river? Would you have folded the flop? (Keeping in mind I caught him bluffing at the pot with nothing hands before.) Would you have bet the turn?

[bennymacca]

i dont mind the way you played it. to me, your line looks like tens here

to me, the Q turn check means that you didn't like the Q, and now that a second one has come on the river, it means that you are betting your mid pair for value.

i like the bet of 1100, it looks like you are betting for value against him.

also, when posting hands like this, leave your hole cards out, and make us guess what you had. thats a good way of telling if your bluff worked

[muzzington]

Heh, there's always abuse after a bluff or you pick off a bluff on the river.

[AceLosesKing]

I see this line a lot. C-betting the flop, checking back turn. I ALWAYS fire the river here.

nh

[bennymacca]

you have done something wrong if there isn't abuse!

[trishan]

to me, the Q turn check means that you didn't like the Q, and now that a second one has come on the river, it means that you are betting your mid pair for value.

benny the cunt if I had a straight I would check here too because I am hoping he thinks that I have mid/top pair and hits the queen. Even if he doesn't have queen but believes I have mid/top pair on the flop, as an agressor the majority of the time he will bet the turn. Then when he does I am either 3x his bet or pushing depending on stack sizes.

If he checks, then I value bet the river.

[bennymacca]

as aaron said here, a lot of people insta-cbet when its checked to them on the flop, so i like check calling a lot of the time.

by checking turn, they think you might be slow playing a set, so they cautiously check behind. and then when you lead river, it looks like a value bet.

so your line is good in this one.

all this goes to show, if you wanna bluff me, double barrel it with pretty much anything, and ill fold