TOP #20 - Inducing and Stopping Bluffs

[wallenborn]

You should normally induce a bluff against players who already bluff too much and stop bluffs against players who already bluff too little. When you induce a bluff, you plan to call if your opponent bets since you have increased the chances he is bluffing. When you stop a bluff, you plan to fold if your opponent bets since you have reduced or even completely eliminated the chances he is bluffing


Inducing Bluffs

You try to induce a bluff by showing weakness on an earlier street. Thus, inducing a bluff is something akin to slowplaying.

For example, if in Hold'em you have an overpair to a 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] board on the turn, you should check behind if an opponent who likes to bluff checks to you. If you are beat, you save one round of betting. If you are ahead, you might induce a bluff on the river. The drawback is that you give your opponent a free card, but on this board that risk is small.


Stopping Bluffs

You try to stop a bluff by showing strength on an earlier street. Thus, stopping a bluff is something akin to semi-bluffing.

For example, if in Hold'em you have two small pair on a K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] board, and an opponent who rarely bluffs bets, you should raise. If he has a made flush, he will raise, and you can fold. But if he has only top pair, your raise will stop him from bluffing on the river.




Older threads:

TOP #1 - Beyond Beginning Poker
TOP #2 - Mathematical Expectation and Hourly Rate
TOP #3 - The Fundamental Theorem of Poker
TOP #4 - The Ante Structure
TOP #5 - Pot Odds
TOP #6 - Effective Odds
TOP #7 - Implied Odds and Reverse Implied Odds
TOP #8 - The Value of Deception
TOP #9 - Win the Big Pots Right Away
TOP #10 - The Free Card
TOP #11 - The Semi-Bluff
TOP #12 - Defense Against the Semi-Bluff
TOP #13 - Raising
TOP #14 - Check-Raising
TOP #15 - Slowplaying
TOP #16 - Loose and Tight Play
TOP #17 - Position
TOP #18 - Bluffing
TOP #19 - Game Theory And Bluffing