A Bad Bluff
Here is a bad bluff:
Playing 0.5 / $1.0 tables on PokerStars. Inexperienced player on my left calls my first aggressor raise.
I have
I raise it as first aggressor, make it $1.50, and then this guy in the small blind with only $20 at the table calls my raise. Not a great play, not a bad play. I know he's floating since he didn't raise me. Big blind folds.
The flop is as always problematic for a middle pair:
Problematic. No info on this guy's patterns, he just sat down, and there are lots of hands that aren't AK he could be holding. Since he has so little at the table, I decide to check call and see what he does. He does bet out $2. Well, that's easy, there is $5.80 in the pot (playing at a table with antes) and there is only one overcard to my pair. I call.
Turn card is a blank.
I check to him again. He gives up. He doesn't bet. OK now I know he's got two diamonds or he's just on a fishing trip to see if I'll give up. Well, that's not going to happen. I'm not sure if he now thinks I've got the king or not, maybe he's got pocket threes, but I know I'm ahead.
The river card is a perfect bluff card.
I check to him again, and he checks behind. I win with a pair of tens.
NO!!!! This was a perfect card to fire a bet. I didn't show much strength so my hand can't be that good. He had position on me - he got to act last. He bet on the flop, perhaps representing the flush, and now one comes in and he's not going to try to represent it. This is the perfect card to bet at no matter what his hand is. At least make it hard for me to see the river, I will still call because that's what you do in this game when you know you are ahead. But a good bet or even an all-in bet puts me to a decision.
I think he convinced himself that I had the flush cards and when he did that, he lost his way. Well, if I had the flush cards then why didn't I continuation bet on the flop? I can't tell that story, I didn't have the hand!
If you're going to fire out on a flop of two flush cards and a third one appears on the river you have backed into your imaginary hand - a flush. Don't bet the flop and then not bet the river. It makes no sense, you told me a story and I sorta believed you. Don't go and ruin it by not finishing it off! He lost his money that hand, called a few more times and then walked away with $10. I don't criticize him personally, but if you are going to play to win you must MUST make these plays.
This is the mark of an inexperienced player - this hand right here tells me more about his patterns and his experience level that I can now use against him forever. This information I can use against him until he smartens up.
And if you sit down at a poker table with $20 and everyone else has $100 well you have to expect to play for all your money when you enter a pot. I've got no problem reraising middle position raises all-in in that spot. I'm here to win, not spectate.
