Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker, Volume 1 (24 page)

As the amount of your bluff decreases relative to the pot, it must succeed a smaller percentage of the time. For example, if you bluffed 20BBs instead of 50BBs in the example above, the equation would change to 20/(20+20) = 0.5, so he would only have to fold half the time. However, players tend to call smaller bluffs more often.

While I am in love with semi-bluffs, I abhor total bluffs. There are simply too many great spots in poker tournaments to justify bluffing with all your chips and zero equity. I have found ways to induce my opponents to bluff into me, so instead of putting all my money in while drawing dead, I induce them to do this, as you will see in later chapters.

Represent Something

When you bluff, much if not all of your value comes from fold equity. Your bluffs must represent strong made hands that your opponent can’t beat. If you play all your bluffs the same way, your opponents will quickly figure this out and call all your bluffs. I played someone four different times during the 2010 WSOP who would over-push every time he wanted his opponent to fold on the river and bet small when he wanted a call. After I figured this out, I made a point to get to the river with him every time I had some showdown value. I busted him in three events because he never varied his play.

When you semi-bluff on the flop or turn, you are usually raising or check-raising for a fairly large number of chips. If you only take this line with semi-bluffs, your opponents will realize this and call you down. To avoid this, you have to take the same line with strong hands like a set or two pair. Suppose everyone has 60BBs. You raise 10-10 or Q
-J
to 2.5BBs from middle position and the big blind calls. It comes K
-10
-2
. Your opponent checks and you bet 3.5BBs. Your opponent raises to 12BBs.

This is a great spot to go all-in with both hands. With the set of tens you want your opponent to make a –EV call with his draw, and with the big draw you want him to fold all his made hands. The same line is +EV with both hands, so I tend to take the same line with monster hands, like the nuts, and semi-bluffs, such as straight draws with flush draws.

With deep stacks you might consider taking a line with a bluff that you would only take when bluffing. Rethink this plan and consider giving it up. This is one spot where thinking ahead is very important.

Suppose you raise to 3BBs with 7
-6
from middle position and the button calls. You are both 50BBs deep. It comes J
-5
-4
. You bet 4BBs and your opponent calls. The turn is an ace.