Greg "FBT" Mueller
June 5, 2006
In No-Limit Hold 'em, one of the
trickiest and, sometimes, scariest
situations occurs when you bluff at a pot on
the flop and get called. The turn brings a
blank and you're left with a big decision:
Do I fire a second bullet and continue with
the bluff?
Recently, while playing in the World
Poker Tour event at The Mirage, an opponent
launched a double-barrel bluff against me,
and he got me to lay down the best hand. It
was early in the tournament and I was in
late position. My opponent, a pro whose play
I respect, raised from early position, and I
called with Ac-4c. The flop came A-J-7,
rainbow with one club. My opponent bet out
and I called. The turn brought a blank, and
my opponent put out a very large bet.
I was in a tough spot. It was early in
the tournament, and I didn't want to call
off most of my chips with this hand. I was
pretty certain the bettor wouldn't have
fired a bet of that size with something like
A-K or A-Q. With a hand like that, he'd have
to worry that he was beat, and he'd probably
try to get to the showdown as cheaply as
possible. I figured he either had a very big
hand - maybe a set of Jacks - or not much at
all.
In the end, I decided to lay down my pair
of Aces. My opponent then showed pocket
Kings.
I give my opponent a lot of credit for
playing the hand well. He had a good sense
for how much heat I was willing to take. His
play illustrates the most important
consideration when deciding if you should
continue with a bluff: Your opponent's
mindset.
If you're up against an opponent who is
unwilling to play without a very big hand,
firing the second bullet can force them to
make some bad lay downs. To make this work,
however, you need to estimate the price a
particular player is willing to pay, and
then bet more than he seems capable of
handling. In the hand I discussed above, my
opponent zeroed in on a price I couldn't
stomach.
Sometimes, a meek player will get
stubborn and try to get through a hand by
calling you down with something like second
pair. You need to have a sense that he's
trying to get through the hand in this way,
then price your bets so that he won't be
able to call.
If, however, you're against a guy who has
shown a willingness to call any bet of any
size with just about any hand, then you need
back off and wait till you flop a monster.
In the end, the most important thing is
to know your opponent. If you're attentive
at the table and pick up on the tendencies
of those around you, you'll find some nice
opportunities for double-barrel bluffs.
That said, I should note that I'm far
more willing to bluff on multiple streets in
cash games than I am in tournaments. If I
get caught running a big bluff in a cash
game, I'll re-buy with the knowledge that my
actions will force some bad calls later in
the session. In tournaments, if I bluff off
my chips, I'm on the rail.
As your no-limit game develops, study
your opponents and identify those who are
vulnerable to bluffs on multiple streets. As
you develop this skill, you'll pick up some
key pots and become a more profitable
player.
Greg "FBT" Mueller |