**Talk to me about 2nd and 3rd barrel bluffing in SSNL**

[1C5]

Some people say it has no place in SSNL.

But I think there are some good places for it. The problem is that it is always very tough to know when to fire a 2nd bluff and then perhaps a 3rd bluff and just as importantly, which opponent.

Myself, I have had the best luck doing this vs better players who do not expect a SSNL player to be able to pull off a 2nd barrel bluff.

Obviously you don't want to do this vs a player who will call 1/2 his stack off with bottom pair.

Anything you can add?

[delta k]

You said it right- better players. at 25-100 they aren't concerned about your hand or what you're repping most of the time and will call away, thus bet good hands and check when you might consider bluffing. Against a good player I like to bet scare cards (c/c flop donk turn flush card, raise w/ A on board, etc) if i know they can lay down hands (one of the things that makes them a good player). I'm down about 5 buy-ins across 100 and 200NL this month and i've bluffed away close to that much. don't be me right now!

[Tickner]

Don't bluff someone who you know is going to call enough times to make it unprofitable for you.

That's pretty much it.

Anyone who says "you should never 2nd or 3rd barrel in SSNL" doesn't understand the game properly. You dont use these tools very often at SSNL but they definitely have a place.

[m_the0ry]

You pretty much have to overbet in SSNL to make an opponent even consider a fold when they have a decent hand. This is really risky unless you know this villain has a good FE. Becuase if he hits, you're down more than the pot was worth to begin with.

[ama0330]

This is totally read dependant. Saying "never do it" isn't right but it should be done extremely selectively and only with a solid read.

The problem is that in general, if someone is going to call a bet on the flop with a flush draw, chances are they are going to call on the turn too just because that is just how flush/straight chasers operate. You have to watch what your opponents pressure points are and how likely they are to buckle to increased heat, particularly when your hand has no showdown value.

Getting this kind of precise read is difficult and for me this will usually mean trying it once and failing (being called down), which can be not only really expensive, but counter productive because your opponent will be more likely to think your subsequent second barrels are also bluffs, destroying your fold equity. (Note that this negative becomes a positive if you choose to tighten up.)

For these reasons, I don't do it. I save my bluffs for much more obvious situations such as betting scare cards and raising small bets which have been made into big pots. IMO anything more sophisticated is 0EV at best and probably more likely to be -EV.