Good spot to bluff?

[Spy Dog]

Preflop is bad. I'd rather coldcall with 86o (which I do sometimes).

If you decide to coldcall with a crappy hand (like QJo or 86o) you must be willing to make a play postflop to resteal from the preflop raiser. When you resteal, it doesn't matter what 2 cards you hold since the hand doesn't go to showdown.

However, let's say the hand does get to showdown. This means you and your opponent both connected with the flop. When you connect with QJo you are often going to be dominated. Even if you flop a good hand like top 2, your opponent will often be stronger by showdown if he continues on a QJxxx board. So, your net winnings when going to showdown with QJo will likely be negative.

However, if you play a hand like 86o then you stand a much better chance of being ahead at showdown if you hold 2-pair or better. You will stack him easier on 86xxx or 975xxx boards with 86o than if you held QJ on a QJxxx or AKTxxx board. Why? Because there are waaayy more hands that will give action on the 86o boards than the QJo boards.