I've made two great plays in the last two weeks. They were both moves that I'm glad to have in my arsenal but are what I would consider special plays. I used to get a lot of mileage out of the first one, the check-raise bluff, but its usefulness has been limited by the high-action games that I've been involved with lately. The second, the value bet bluff has never been anything but a specialist play for me, only useful in extremely specific circumstances, but I happened to find one of those circumstances on Saturday night.
The check-raise bluff at High on Main is almost an insane play. Most any player in attendance will protect his raise with an automatic call. I was able to take one of those action players out of the action with it. There were a few factors involved. First, it helps to have a reputation as a tight player, at least in that particular venue. That reputation hurts a legitimate tight player because he doesn't get a lot of action on his legitimate hands when he finally makes his moves. The reason that I play so tightly there is that my bankroll is more limited than most of the players I play with. They can make big wins by not being afraid of some really terrible losses, losses that might make me quit poker for good if I had to bear them. I play carefully, trying to get what bankroll I have in on premium hands, hoping to make big scoops once an hour or so. On this hand I was dealt 87 suited in the small blind. The flop came 853. Being in first position, I checked the flop prepared to let the hand go unless some special circumstances go. After all I'd missed completely on my straight and flush draws and though I had top pair, it was weak top pair and from first position I would find it difficult to capitalize. The action checked around to a fairly decent player who plays extremely aggressively. He bet twelve, into about a twelve dollar pot. There were two more players between us, and at some point while these two were deciding they were going to muck, a plan entered my mind. If they both mucked, I would raise an amount that I thought would be called. I chose to fill in to twenty-five, making a check raise in hopes that he would fold a weak hand. That got his attention in a way that it might not have if made from another player, or if made to some of the other players at the table. He thought about it but then called. The flop was a 9 and I immediately bet thirty dollars. He thought about calling but elected to fold, voicing his thought process about the check raise that had been put on him, and about my reputation for playing tightly. I think he put me on 89 possibly, so the 9 could have helped a lot more than I realized. I showed him my 8 and he winced and said he thought he had me out-kicked. I told him he probably did.
The value bet bluff came in a hand of five stud low. That particular game probably presents an opportunity to do that more than any other. In this game I was ahead all the way, with my opponent dominated, though he couldn't know that from the boars we were both showing, and he hung around all the way to the river, calling increasing bests so that around one hundred thirty dollars were in the pot when we received our last cards. My opponent received a king, and I received a five, pairing my hole card. He looked pretty disappointed to see the king and checked it. I considered for a couple seconds. I knew I couldn't possibly just forfeit the hand by just checking, because I was sure the king had not paired him. On the other hand, I didn't want to bet so much that he perceived I wanted him to fold. I managed to come down to twenty dollars. I think it was enough that he would think that I thought he might call it in hopes that I had paired. He thought about it a long time. I was wondering to myself how deeply he would read me, and what kind of act I was best to put on. Obviously I shouldn't care too much what he did if I knew I had the lock, but on the other hand I didn't want to act too much like I was begging for a call because after all it was just a little more gravy for me. I decided perfect calm and a healthy interest in his own play would be just the right method. Apparently it was. He decided not to throw good money after bad. I debated whether to show, but he seemed to want to know, so I showed him. His tilt got a little worse I think.
The check-raise bluff at High on Main is almost an insane play. Most any player in attendance will protect his raise with an automatic call. I was able to take one of those action players out of the action with it. There were a few factors involved. First, it helps to have a reputation as a tight player, at least in that particular venue. That reputation hurts a legitimate tight player because he doesn't get a lot of action on his legitimate hands when he finally makes his moves. The reason that I play so tightly there is that my bankroll is more limited than most of the players I play with. They can make big wins by not being afraid of some really terrible losses, losses that might make me quit poker for good if I had to bear them. I play carefully, trying to get what bankroll I have in on premium hands, hoping to make big scoops once an hour or so. On this hand I was dealt 87 suited in the small blind. The flop came 853. Being in first position, I checked the flop prepared to let the hand go unless some special circumstances go. After all I'd missed completely on my straight and flush draws and though I had top pair, it was weak top pair and from first position I would find it difficult to capitalize. The action checked around to a fairly decent player who plays extremely aggressively. He bet twelve, into about a twelve dollar pot. There were two more players between us, and at some point while these two were deciding they were going to muck, a plan entered my mind. If they both mucked, I would raise an amount that I thought would be called. I chose to fill in to twenty-five, making a check raise in hopes that he would fold a weak hand. That got his attention in a way that it might not have if made from another player, or if made to some of the other players at the table. He thought about it but then called. The flop was a 9 and I immediately bet thirty dollars. He thought about calling but elected to fold, voicing his thought process about the check raise that had been put on him, and about my reputation for playing tightly. I think he put me on 89 possibly, so the 9 could have helped a lot more than I realized. I showed him my 8 and he winced and said he thought he had me out-kicked. I told him he probably did.
The value bet bluff came in a hand of five stud low. That particular game probably presents an opportunity to do that more than any other. In this game I was ahead all the way, with my opponent dominated, though he couldn't know that from the boars we were both showing, and he hung around all the way to the river, calling increasing bests so that around one hundred thirty dollars were in the pot when we received our last cards. My opponent received a king, and I received a five, pairing my hole card. He looked pretty disappointed to see the king and checked it. I considered for a couple seconds. I knew I couldn't possibly just forfeit the hand by just checking, because I was sure the king had not paired him. On the other hand, I didn't want to bet so much that he perceived I wanted him to fold. I managed to come down to twenty dollars. I think it was enough that he would think that I thought he might call it in hopes that I had paired. He thought about it a long time. I was wondering to myself how deeply he would read me, and what kind of act I was best to put on. Obviously I shouldn't care too much what he did if I knew I had the lock, but on the other hand I didn't want to act too much like I was begging for a call because after all it was just a little more gravy for me. I decided perfect calm and a healthy interest in his own play would be just the right method. Apparently it was. He decided not to throw good money after bad. I debated whether to show, but he seemed to want to know, so I showed him. His tilt got a little worse I think.
posted by Brinton at 9:43 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home