Big Bluffs at the Micro-Stakes?

[gotmarc]

This i probably a silly question, but should I just abandon the big bets on the turn and river at the microlimits?
I get this thing where I'll take down small pots for an hour and then i get this urge to play 9-2 offsuit. I'm like if Phil Ivey can pull this off so can I. The problem is most of the time I end up donking of my bankroll. Another problem( in some ways a bigger one) is that sometimes it works. It just doesn't work often enough to show a profit. For future reference should I just avoid making these moves in micro limit cash games. At what limits would multi-level street bluffs work?

[davebwell]

The key to micro limits is value bets. If you are going to bluff in the micros the best place to do it is on the river when a flush or straight draw misses. If you never bluff at all you can still show a very nice profit.

There are too many calling stations at these limits to make bluffing a high percentage of the time worthwhile. Think about this: If you bluff a calling station and it should be obvious he is a calling station, who is the worse poker player, him for calling with junk or you for betting junk when it is obvious he is going to call?

[CmnDwnWrkn]

There is a time and a place for bluffing, but it sounds like you are doing it too much. Have you read the Theory of Poker? That book discusses optimal bluffing strategy. Basically, it pays to bluff sometimes, but only to a point. There is definitely such a thing as too much bluffing, and it will get you into trouble. Use it more sparingly.

Also, bluffing doesn't work that well at the micro limits. There are way many more loose players and "calling stations" at the lowest limits, so bluffing typically doesn't work that well against these types of players. Betting for value is what you should do most often in these games

[foal]

Stats are key. That is if you want to bluff, you should have a decent sample of hands on the opponent. High % of folding on the turn and river will give you more reason to bluff. High % Won at Showdown is also a good thing in this situation. Be careful though, even if they're tight, if their betting has indicated a lot of strength then you shouldn't be bluffing them. E.g. they raised preflop and their pfr is 1% or they bet at the flop and their aggr frequency is very low.

That advice comes from someone who almost never bluffs past the flop, so I doubt its very good. Just my thoughts off the top of my head. I'm a total hud-head, because I play 12 tables, but you can get better reads by actually paying attention to watching everyone play.