Bluffing in small stakes games.?.?.?

[James.]

guys, remember a bluff doesn't have to work every time to be profitable. just often enough in relation to the odds the pot is offering you.

i will say that, especially in the live low limit no foldem holdem games, pure bluffs don't work as often given the number of loose opponents. still, if you maintain a certain image and pick your spots carefully there will be profitable opportunities. my point is, keep in mind it only has to work often enough, not every time.

[Xhad]

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On Bluffing, sometimes you run across someone that is trying to bluff a lot at lower limits. Just isn't wise. There was a younger guy in the 4/8 game last night who was doing this a lot. On one hand it I was in the BB HU with him. I held something like middle pair and he kept betting into me and I had a pretty good idea that he had air. I opted to call him down and won the pot with my lone mid pair hand. I rarely bluff in LLHE.

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Remember to value bet these guys with second or third pair so the rest of the table thinks you're nuts too.

[ocularus]

Again all of this info is very valuable! I appreciate everything and I'm learning alot very quickly thanks to all of you!
-John

[MTDog-7]

I do it from time to time. I works if you have a TAG image and your late to act in the hand and it's been checked around too you. I play mostly spread limit games like 1-5 so make it $5 and most of time the rest fold, if the game is passive. If there are Hyper Agressive players on the table forget it.

[nowhammies]

If you notice a particular player who sometimes folds on the river in heads-up situations because he "knows" his opponent has him beat, then try a river bluff against him when you have the chance. It only has to payoff so often in relation to the pot size, as mentioned earlier.

[Hair_of_the_Dog]

If the game is tight passive (or even aggressive, but be prepaired to dump your hand when you get caught) bluff more in loose games bluff less.

In loose games I like to semi-bluff strong draws with lots of players, which can really just be considered value betting.

[shane88888]

I like to check/raise semi-bluff open-enders or flush draws with 3-4 opponents.

Though I am getting value on my draws with that many opponents, I find that I take the pot down without showdown far more often than I should.

The only pure low-limit bluff I'd ever recommend is check-raising the flop or turn out of the blinds with a pair on board. Oddly enough, I find this one also works best with more opponents.

I guess it's partly the effect of the herd mentality; people find it easier to fold when they're the third or fourth to do so.

[bernie]

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I have found a few perfect places for a bluff and they just don't seem to have any effect at all

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Realize that bluffing into likely calling stations probably isn't a perfect place to bluff. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

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So my question is this, is it worth it to bluff at all in low limit games or are they too loose to bluff?

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Depends. You have to have someone capable of folding. Generally, at lower limits many will call you down pretty loosely(hence the term, no foldem holdem). But there are spots to do it and it can be very situational and player opponent dependent. One of the relaxing things about playing LL is you don't have to think as much since that part of the game is scaled back quite a bit so alot of time it shifts to value betting alot more.

But if you try it, the move has to be a bit stronger and represent something strong that they'd play that way to be convincing. Even then they'll probably call you down with TPTK. The guys ripe for this are the guys who think they know a little bit on the table(alot of table coaches). They take pride in making great laydowns just to show how capable they are.

If you do succeed, don't show it. Make them wonder how many times you did it prior to the time you get caught. It compounds their thoughts back over a couple hands(with uncertainty) rather than just one main hand.

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[bernie]

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thank you! That is what I was thinking, but because I am not a seasoned veteran to the poker world, I was a little weary on trusting my own judgement. Thanks for the input!
-John

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One common problem is that you might be giving them too much credit for thinking beyond level 1. Many at that level think of poker as a pit game.

I was playing 4-8 once a few months ago and there was a guy sincerely apologizing to another player for bluffing. Kept saying he misread his hand and how he wasn't 'trying' anything. He was acting like he committed some big taboo. Kinda funny, actually. All I could really think of was, heh, what a puss. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

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[bernie]

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On Bluffing, sometimes you run across someone that is trying to bluff a lot at lower limits. Just isn't wise. There was a younger guy in the 4/8 game last night who was doing this a lot. On one hand it I was in the BB HU with him. I held something like middle pair and he kept betting into me and I had a pretty good idea that he had air. I opted to call him down and won the pot with my lone mid pair hand. I rarely bluff in LLHE.

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Remember to value bet these guys with second or third pair so the rest of the table thinks you're nuts too.

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What's funny is you do this and they call you with bottom pair or an underpair. Then they disgustingly bitch about how you bet with 'almost' nothing. Even though you're dragging the pot.

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