bluffing in low stakes MTTs. Is there a point?

[Slick_Weatherman]

In the past I have had success playing low buy in tournaments the traditional way: waiting for good hands and playing them solidly. However, in the last few months i have been experimenting making 'plays', or using certain betting/raising/checking patterns to run successful bluffs. While this does work in some occasions, there are other situations where i sense weakness, run large bluffs and get called anyways by hands that people really should be folding given my actions (keep in mind i dont try things like this without establishing a solid image). I'm curious to hear others opinions on this - I'm not talking about CB's, or bluffing in LP when people check - I mean when you suspect they have a weak to decent hand and you try to make them fold. Is there any value in this at low stakes? or is it better to just use a more conventional approach peppered with the usual standard CBs, pot buys and semi bluffs.

[ssnyc]

use the bluffs sparingly and only on targeted players...also once you get deep and players are a little better you can manuever a little more

[hamnegger]

study the betting patterns like the donks who bet small w small hands and big w big ones.i may steal if i smell a block bet on river and a scare card has just hit.otherwise its the small pots i take stabs at w crap when i smell weakness or i can represent something. otherwise look at guys who call loose postflop and just value bet them (the looser the bigger the bet)

[bobbycharles]

This frustrates me too so I've found I stick to ABC poker through early to mid-stages of these tournaments. I often remind myself outloud that you can't bluff a calling station. They are convinced their bottom pair is good despite the obvious flush/straight/TPTK on the board. Stick to standard C-bets and bet for value when you have a hand, because they'll call.

[Acein8ter]

There are way too many calling stations in the low BI MTT's. IMO, you can start making plays when you get down to the final 2 tables (depending on the size of the tourney).

Continue to semi-bluff your drawing hands and limit the huge bluffs early on to a minimum.

[ssnyc]

i still cannot stop wasting chips against really bad players...keep forgetting the will call and repush with no predictable pattern...identify the stations and kamikazees and don't waste time trying to out psych them...

[bobbycharles]

PokerStars Tournament, Big Blind is t200 (8 handed) Converter on pregopoker.com

UTG (t1425)
Hero (t11325)
MP1 (t1090)
MP2 (t4374)
CO (t1415)
Button (t8010)
SB (t2130)
BB (t1880)

Preflop: Hero is in UTG+1 with J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
UTG calls t200, <font color="red">Hero raises to t800</font>, <font color="gray">MP1 folds</font>, <font color="gray">MP2 folds</font>, <font color="gray">CO folds</font>, <font color="gray">Button folds</font>, <font color="gray">SB folds</font>, <font color="gray">BB folds</font>, <font color="red">UTG raises to t1425 (All-in)</font>, Hero calls t625

Flop: (t3350) 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)


Turn: (t3350) K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players)


River: (t3350) 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players)


Results in gray below:
<font color="#f7f7f7">UTG has 5d, Td (a pair of Fives)</font>
<font color="#f7f7f7">Hero has Js, Jd (a pair of Jacks)</font>

It's just too easy!! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[ssnyc]

funny...that same guy in Bobby's hand rivers 2 pair with 10 5 against my JJ a lot!!! lol

[bobbycharles]

ain't that the truth!

[erc007]

[ QUOTE ]
In the past I have had success playing low buy in tournaments the traditional way: waiting for good hands and playing them solidly. However, in the last few months i have been experimenting making 'plays', or using certain betting/raising/checking patterns to run successful bluffs. While this does work in some occasions, there are other situations where i sense weakness, run large bluffs and get called anyways by hands that people really should be folding given my actions (keep in mind i dont try things like this without establishing a solid image). I'm curious to hear others opinions on this - I'm not talking about CB's, or bluffing in LP when people check - I mean when you suspect they have a weak to decent hand and you try to make them fold. Is there any value in this at low stakes? or is it better to just use a more conventional approach peppered with the usual standard CBs, pot buys and semi bluffs.

[/ QUOTE ]

A more productive/profitable adjustment that you could make in low buy-in MTTs is loosening up preflop, play more hands for cheap, trying to make big hands and win big pots. There is a good article by Marc Karam in the Sept Cardplayer, entilted "Cheap Flops and Big Pots." He explains it better than i can...so check it out. Guaranteed to increase your ROI [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]