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Bluffing In Poker – You can't bluff bad players

Reasons Players Bluff

Players bluff for all sorts of reasons.  There are players who are masterful with their bluffs, playing the hand the whole way through with the intent of taking the pot.  They decided before they got their cards that this would be their pot.  They didn’t need to actually look at their hand to determine how they would play.  A person who is playing like this is very dangerous at the poker table.

There are players who hit the nut flush draw on the flop, attempt to draw other players in, because they believe they will get a big payday.  But on the river, no flush and no pair have materialized, they find themselves too deep in the pot to release, and often will throw money at the pot to buy it.  This type of player is usually found at your weekly game. We all know this player, and usually don’t respect a big raise on the river when it looks like they just missed their draw.  You want these players on the table. (mainly because they believe they are good players, can recognize a bluff and will fold sometimes.)

Then, there is the noob.  He’s the guy who just started playing and drinks a lot at the table.  He will bluff indiscriminately just to see if he can get away with it.  He doesn’t know how to use a bluff.  He doesn’t know when he’s being bluffed, and is typically a calling station.  I personally never bluff at players who don’t realize that by betting your saying to your opponent “my hand is better.”  Their game is such that they want to see their pair of 77’s take down the pot, even though there are 3 hearts, and 2 over cards on the flop..those 7’s are going to win the pot.  And if you’re bluffing at the guy, they likely will.

Why can’t you bluff a bad player?

I’ve thought long and hard about this.  A bad player isn’t interested in what your holding.  They’ve read the books. They know that some guy named Doyle wrote the supersystem, and that he’s a rich man, and that he says you play the player not the cards.  But look at that flop! Look at it! I’ve got a 9, and there’s a 9 on the board, and if another 9 hits, I’ll have 3 of them! I may as well call.  Oh, no…no 9 on the turn. hmm.. Well, I’ve gone this deep, i may as well see the river.  Well, i made 2 pair with that 2 on the river, maybe I’m good.

And you know what? they are good.  Because you were holding AK, and an ace hit on the flop.  But because he wasn’t thinking about what you were potentially holding, he was blinded by the excitement of pairing up.  It’s crazy, but it’s true.

The example above isn’t a bluff, it’s true, but it is the reason you can’t bluff a bad player.  If they hit any part of that board, they are going to be interested in seeing the river.  And if they see the river, they are typically “too deep” into the pot to let it go.  They will call with a crappy pair.  They will call with bottom pair.  The best thing you can do in a situation like this is recognize a bad player, and use it to your advantage.  Pray they hit their mid pair, and give them the opportunity to get all their money in.  But make sure you’ve got a strong hand on the river…cuz you never know what they could be holding.

Wait, There is a Poker Hall Of Fame?

Apparently there is, and it’s currently accepting nominations for the 2009 inductees.  This is a public forum, and you are able to not only choose which poker great you think should be inducted this year, but also you get to write 250 words as to WHY you think they deserve the honour.  This is the first time that the public will have a say in who gets inducted into the hall of fame.

The top ten nominees will be announced during the main event in July of this year.  (This begs the question, why are you writing 250 words as to why you think someone should be nominated but it’s vote volume that counts?)

Click to Vote (or you know…go to the website)

Also a Women in Poker Hall of Fame?

Yep! The Mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman has declared June 5th “Women in Poker Hall of Fame Day,” in support of this year’s inductees: June Field, Jan Fisher, and Cyndy Violette into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.

The career accomplishments of June Field, Jan Fisher, and Cyndy Violette, will be celebrated by the poker industry at the second annual Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHoF) dinner and dance gala presented by High Society Spirits, sponsored by Rockwell Time, and hosted by Golden Nugget Casino on Friday, June 5th at 6PM in Las Vegas.

The Seven Sisters of Greek mythology will be the theme for the glamorous white linen gala. Guests will enjoy no-host cocktails, music, dinner, and have a unique opportunity to mingle with poker industry celebrities and players.

If you have a spare $75-80 in advance and $90 at the door, and happen to be in Las Vegas, this is a public event (link🙂 and will take place inside the Golden Nugget Casino’s Augusta/Pebble Beach ballroom.

Online Pokers effect on Big Tourneys

Every year Bluff Magazine puts out a list of top “amateur” players to watch.  It’s a great list with some fantastic talent, but that’s not really what this post is about.  What i noticed about the list is the fact that it’s all WSOP Rookies, or to put it another way, they’re all 21.  Young players with very little live experience is becoming the new norm for WSOP final tables.  They are starting when they’re 18, honing and really translating their online skills to live games.

Starting Young

Players who start playing online at 18 years old are able to make the mistakes all newbies make, but do it in a way that is very minimal risk to them.  By the time they’re 21 and able to play in major live tourneys in the states, they have had 3 years to correct those mistakes and are already well past the nerves of most first time players.

The other advantage to playing online early is all of the tournament entry’s possible to be won.  A lot of these players are able to not only win entry into tourneys in the Caribbean or Monte Carlo (or Canada), but they’re able to cash.  These tournaments have as wide a variance as any tourney in the states, and gives these players a real look at what live poker is all about (not to mention some nice paydays).

Translating their Skills to a live Game

I don’t care what anyone says, online poker and live poker are 2 different monsters.  Translating your skills from sitting in front of a computer to sitting across from someone at a major tourney is a huge challenge.  Even the most  veteran online player has bad habits that need correcting and new skills that need to be learned before becoming a really successful live player.  But i think this discussion is something for a different post.

Overall i think that starting young, online is the way to go.  It really gives you the ability to, at 21 years old, walk in and sit across the table from any of the big names, and realize that everyone is playing the same game…and you know it as well as they do.

“I’m just preparing for the live poker grind. Six weeks of live poker is a shit ton, so I think getting in the right mindset and trying not to burnout,” – Harder

Link to the article

Professional Coaching at the WSOP (and the insane long break..)

Last year, when the final table was reached, there was a break for several months. Professional players offered up their skills to help the amateurs on the table work on their game. My question is this: Is that a complete game changer? Is it fair?

I know that breaks are part of the game, but when you start talking months, that gives time to improve greatly. And, i realize that luck is not the deciding factor in a poker game, but when you’re talking tournament poker luck does have a roll. And so, if your read on someone is that they are a marginal player, and got lucky in their coin tosses…you could get felted in the first round of the final table by following your read.

Admittedly, after a few months, game play can change. But if i was one of the pros sitting at that table, and knew that one of the amateurs was having lessons from chan, negranu, or any of the other pros (who, incidentally didn’t make it), i’d be pretty pissed off. It’s like going the first 10 rounds of a boxing match, then taking a month off, training really hard and coming back to finish the fight. it’s crazy.

So what is this rant about? The long break or the fact that people are exploiting that break? Both really.

But ultimately, the only people being short changed are the fans. All the pros and amateurs are on the same level playing field. If the pro’s at the table are so enclined they can take advantage of the break as well, and hire their professional friends to help them sharpen their poker skills. But the fans are getting an impure look at a deep stack tournament. Just when it really counts, they take a break…a really long break..and change the whole game.

Sky Poker – Win Your Way to Vegas (FINAL WEEKEND)

Just a heads-up that this weekend is the final chance to qualify in one of the online satellites to the 2009 WSOP at Sky Poker.  You can qualify for both the $1500 WSOP events and the $10,000 Main Event through satellites starting as low as £1.45.

Here are the details of what is included in the WSOP packages:

$10,000 Package
• Flights for 2
• 14 nights hotel stay in Vegas
• Plus a cash prize that will buy you a seat into the world’s biggest and best poker tournament – the WSOP 2009 Main Event!

$1500 Event Package
• Paid entry into the 1500 USD NLH tournament, which runs over 3 days from the 29th to 1st July 2009, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
• Flights for two people
• Hotel accommodation for 14 nights

This is probably the softest competition and easiest way to get to Vegas this summer for the World Series of Poker, so don’t miss out.  Sky is known for their awful players that just want to get on TV, so if you have a little patience in this tournament you should be able to satellite your way in with relative ease.  Also, I am sure there will probably be an overlay on these also, so if you can get in without spending much, why not!

If you don’t already have a Sky Poker account, sign-up today and get our special 500 Sky Points Free + Up to £500.00 FREE bonus.  It is probably one of the best bonuses on the Internet as you can deposit as little as £10 and get up to £500 FREE.

Top 5 Errors in Poker

There are many online poker players out there as you all know. In fact, most of them are bad poker players, and you could be one of them. Don’t despair, help is here! This article will discuss some of the most common poker errors made by online gamblers.

Error #1 – Great Starting Hand that Misses the Flop

This has to be one of the most common situations I see online. Poker players get in trouble because they fail to recognize that a great starting hand can be a terrible “ending” hand. Suppose you have A-K. You’ll probably raise pre-flop with a hand like this and if you get a few callers, an interesting pot could develop. What happens when the flop is 4-4-8? Well, you may still have the best hand, but the more opponents you face, the more you’re likely to loose. What you need to do is watch out for indicators of strength or traps. Too many times I have seen players call an all-in bet with their A-K thinking they had the best hand. When the pot is just $300 and someone goes all in for another $1000, it’s just not worth the risk. Learn those fold those hands early on, especially if you are facing many opponents.

Error #2 – Going All-in on a Bluff

Going all-in is probably the most overused poker move in Texas Hold’em. Many players go all-in with nothing in an attempt to steal a nice pot. I’m not saying that you should never go with this play, what I’m saying is that it’s usually the wrong play. As a general rule, you should never need to bet more than the pot to steal it. It makes little sense to bet all of your $1500 chips into a $400 pot. The only reason you attempt to bluff in the first place is because you think opponents are weak and they will fold. If you are correct, a $400 bet in this case would suffice in making that happen. The risk is that if your read is off, you end up loosing. It’s better to loose a portion of your stack and live to fight another day than to commit poker suicide by going all-in.

Error #3 – Too Much Calling

If you’re doing too much calling actions it’s either because you’re involved in too many hands trying to catch cards, or you’re just too tight. The problem with calling someone’s bet is that you can only win by having the best hand. A raise gives you two ways to win: by having the best hand or by making everyone else fold. In the second case, it is of no consequence what your hand was. You win the pot regardless.

Error #4 – Failing to Gamble When Your Time is Running Out

This is only applicable to tournament poker, whether you’re playing Hold’em, Omaha, or any other card game that uses blinds. There comes a point in a poker tournament where the blind levels get steep and it’s expensive to play poker. This is one of the acceptable conditions to go all in on a bluff. The idea is that you need to gather chips and you need to do it fast. When your chip stack is 10 times the value of the big blind, it’s time to make a move. Pick a hand and go all in. In other words, if you’re sitting on a $1000 chip stack and the blinds are $50/$100, now is the time to thinking about moving all in. Pick a hand and go for it! Obviously, the risk factor is much greater, but you just have to gamble and hope someone doubles you up. If you keep folding, the blinds will quickly eat up your remaining chips and you’ll be out of the game regardless.

Error #5 – Going Easy on Card Chasers

When you’re in a situation where the flop offers a flush or a straight potential and you see people checking all around you, make a nice bet. If someone has a draw, you have to make it too expensive for them to call your bet. This is where the concept of pot odds come into play, where you actually calculate the pt odds an opponent could have, and make a bet that is higher than what they should pay. For example, in a $500 pot where an opponent has 6 outs for a flush, then the pot odds for that person are about 24% after the flop. Bet more than 24% of the pot value. A bet of $250 or more (50% of the $500 pot) should discourage that player from chasing cards.  Remember, when you’re betting $250, they have to call $250 in a now $750 pot, making the cost to them 33.33% of the stakes with only 24% chance to win the stakes. Assuming you’re playing with somewhat experienced players, if they do the math they’ll likely fold. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you need to read an article on pot odds!

Best PLO Omaha Sites

Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) is one of the fastest growing poker games. There is a ton more action than holdem because you get 4 cards instead of just 2. The hands play out just like Holdem, but from your 4 cards you must use the best 2 in your hand, along with the board to make the best possible 5-card hand.

Anyway, enough of the boring intro, here are some good sites to play PLO online:

3 Best PLO Poker Sites

1) Pokerstars.com – Pokerstars offers the most PLO action on the Internet. There are always games running and they are usually full of really soft competition as you get many holdem players trying this newer game out. They have several tournaments also and the sit n go’s fill up rather quickly.  (For more info about Pokerstars, see our Poker Stars Review)

Here is a screenshot of the Pokerstars Software:

2) Full Tilt Poker – Full Tilt is the 2nd largest site for PLO games. Similar to Pokerstars, the competition is very soft and there are tons of sit n go’s, cash games and Multi-table tournaments (MTTs).  (For more info about Full Tilt, see our Full Tilt Poker Review)

3) Cake Poker – Cake is home to some of the worst Omaha players on the Internet.  The traffic levels aren’t as good as Full Tilt or Poker Stars, but there are still games running at most times.  I managed to run $16 into over $500 playing these games just to show you how soft they are.  (For more information about Cake, read our Cake Poker review)

Omaha is the fastest growing poker game right now, so if you take some time to learn this great game you can make a killing!  Good luck!

Sky Poker Bonus Just Got AMAZING

For the longest time Sky Poker has had one of the worst bonus offers of any poker site. Well, after we bugged them for so long, they have finally addressed this issue and have launched what we consider to be one of the best bonus offers for online poker!

Sky Poker has provided us with a special bonus code that will give players a £250 bonus with no minimum deposit, PLUS the regular 500 sky poker points for free. These points can be used to access over £2400 worth of freerolls when you make your first deposit.

To clear the bonus you need to earn sky poker points. For every 500 points you receive, you will unlock £25 of the bonus.

No promotion code is required to receive this bonus. You just need to click our link below to get to our special landing page at skybet.com which has all the details of this promotion.

For more information about our Sky Poker Promotion visit our special landing page at SkyPoker.com

Poker Betting Methods

This article is a little bit more advanced than our usual articles…

By now, you must have developed a great betting strategy playing the regular limit, no-limit and pot-limit games. Now let’s see some other methods of betting involved mainly in private games. I will just cover a few for example Set limit, Straddle method, Freeze out and Running out of money. So let’s discuss each of them. These methods bring in a lot of excitement and fun when playing private games.

Set limit:
Here players agree to a minimum and maximum bet where there is enough opportunity for them to make good raises. It is important because if you raise a decent amount of chips then you might force other players into folding. Also there is an agreement on a minimum ante by every player before the cards are dealt, so, there is some money in the pot before you start playing. To stay in the game each player must bet an amount equal to the previous player or raise the stakes up to the maximum as agreed before the play.

Straddle Method:
Here first a player bets an ante and the next player doubles the bet called straddle before the cards are dealt. Now the third player can either fold or double the straddle depending on his cards. The betting continues and each player must bet at least the same amount as the previous player. Here showdown occurs when no one else raises or the maximum bet is reached as agreed before the play.

Freeze Out:
Here the betting is same as in regular games but with few exceptions. Betting is arranged using an agreed method and the objective is for one player to win all the chips. When a player runs out of chips, there is an immediate showdown and the player with the best hand wins the pot. Games like these are already marked as Freeze out tournaments.

Running out of money:
Again the betting here is same as in regular games but with few exceptions. If a player runs out of money during the game a second pot is opened by the remaining players. Now that player has to wait until one player remains or there is a showdown. If one player remains then he definitely wins the second pot or else a player with the highest hand wins the pot. Now the hand that won the second pot is compared to that of the player who ran out of money. The player with the best hand wins the first or original pot.

Written By: Tarun Sharma

The Liveliest Poker Lingo

* A musician might say, “Play the nine on the four chord so it remains uncolored and doesn’t clash with the flatted third.”
* A bridge player might say, “Take care to rectify the count, then if the lady on your left is stacked, you can squeeze her.”
* A scrabble player might say, “I was working out on a xyst, over by the quay, when a yak ate my fez, so I threatened it with a zax.”
* A chess player might say, “I think it is your turn.”

And what might a poker player say? Well, some folks outside our world think of poker players as rough and tough and ready to rumble. Our lingo does nothing to dispel this stereotype. Play along with me here, and try to imagine you are a regular person. Pretend you have no idea what words like “fold” and “diamonds” mean to a poker player. Then one day you overhear this story being told:

“Some guy limped in with rags, suited up. I woke up with two cowboys, so I popped him. I’d been beating him up all night. He was stuck like a pig and tilting bad. So he came back at me. I put the cap on, of course. I hit my hand hard when a king flopped along with two clubs. Then I picked up a house on fourth street. And if that wasn’t good enough, he flushed up on the river and started pounding me!”

Yowza! Now that’s what I call vivid imagery! To the untrained ear, rants like that one surely seem violent and confusing. But hey, aggression and bewilderment are key parts of our game.

In chess they say, “I’ll capture you.” We say, “I’ll bury you.” In backgammon they say, “I’ve got you blockaded.” We say, “You’re drawing dead.” No matter how you slice it, our lingo has more flare and more guts. If I were not a poker player, I’d be envious of poker players and their shoptalk, especially after hearing a phrase like, “He flushed up on the river.”

Some New Words

Words come and go in a hurry, as evidenced in technology’s terms. New words abound, such as “gigabyte” and “Internet.” Then there are common words with new meanings, such as “Window” and “Mouse.” I wonder what people would have thought, a few years back, if I told them I had a bug in my hard drive.

Language evolves. It replicates itself using the medium of minds. At any time and place, the most useful (fittest) words and phrases survive in the language pool. A word’s fitness is determined solely by the extent to which it is replicated; how often the word is used compared to its alternatives. There is no right or wrong, there is only existence and extinction.

For instance, on parts of the East Coast an ace-high straight is called a “Broadway.” After two years playing poker on the Left Coast, I have never heard that usage. Out here we just look at the big straight and say, “Ni Han.”

In my hometown, the poker word “nuts” went out of style for a while. One guy started saying “bolts,” as in, “nuts and bolts.” Then he started saying “berries,” as in, “nuts and berries.” That one caught on. In just a few weeks we were all saying, “I’ve got the berries.” That is, if we were lucky enough to have them. Yeah, language is a shifty thing.

I enjoy making up words, just for fun. Here are a few pertaining to poker that might even be useful! Then again, they might go extinct today, thwarted by their own ineptitude.

* FLUSHSTRAIGHTED: An agitated state of mind reached after hours of missing your draws while your opponents make theirs.
* FISH AND CHIPS: A very live game.
* SHMOOCH: To mooch by shmoozing. You might get boinked, but don’t expect to get kissed.
* CHIP WRECK: When a big stack of chips gets very small, very quickly. This one is from my loopy friend, Ed:
* SPLIT PERSONALITY: An attribute some tournament players have. As soon as they get to the final table, they start suggesting ways to chop up the prize pool.

I’ll look for your contributions to our lingo in my e-mail box. Or as Steven Wright might offer: I’ll give you a penny for your thoughts if you give me your two cents worth.