Bluffs (2) - Flop
Introduction
In this article
- Which bluffing options you have on the flop
- When to choose a direct bluff and when a preparatory bluff
- Which factors you should consider
In this article you will learn about the different bluffing options you have on the flop. You have several alternatives to choose from, depending on your opponent, the board and the individual situation itself.
To be able to make a reasonable choice, you will be introduced to several spots today for which you will evaluate if a direct or a preparatory bluff would be a good solution or if they would burn your money.
Types of Bluffs on the Flop
As in the previous article Bluffs (1) – Preflop, we will give you an overview of all the possible situations that might occur. After illustrating each spot, you will get a short overview of the rough mathematics, the relevant stats of your opponent, and how you can use this information to prepare a bluff for one of the following streets.
The board will also be analysed. During the course of this, you will have to assess several flop situations.
Which options do you have on the flop?
- Continuation bet
- Bluff donk bet
- Bluff check raise
- Position bet when opponent checks
- Bluff raise
- Bluff call (with the intention to float on the turn)
Unusual spots such as bluff 3-bets or bluff shoves are too specific for a general analysis. Without any clear reads, you should use them very sparingly.
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)
Preflop: Hero is Button with A
, 2
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) K
, 9, 3
(2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $5.75, ...
A continuation bet is a simple bet on the flop after showing aggression preflop where you seized the initiative with the last raise.
In position, you have the invaluable advantage of being able to wait for your opponent to check (slight informational advantage). Moreover, the continuation bet will be successful far more often when you are in position as your opponent has to play out of position throughout the entire hand. This means he can't get to the showdown at a low price and doesn't have many options to float.
Therefore, you have to be a bit more cautious when out of position. But even out of position a continuation bet can be useful in many cases.
The word "continuation bet" technically refers to every bet made on the flop by the preflop aggressor, even if you hit a very good made hand. In this article, however, we will consider the continuation bet a bluff bet.
The maths is really simple here, the results only depend on one factor: your bet size.
Assume a pot of 9$:
Bet size: 9$ (pot size) => (bet size/pot size) => 9/18 = 50% required fold equity
Bet size: 6$ (2/3 pot size) => 6/15 = 40% required fold equity
Bet size: 4.50$ (1/2 pot size) => 4.50/13.50 = 33.3% required fold equity
Around 2/3 of the pot size is a rough point of reference. It meets three important criteria:
- The bet creates more fold equity than small bets would.
- However, it doesn't have to work too often.
- With this bet size, you can also bet strong hands for value and protection (balancing).
The most important stat in this situation is the fold to continuation bet flop stat. If your opponent folds considerably more than 50% of his hands on the flop, each continuation bets is theoretically a good move (depending on the board). If your opponent doesn't fold any hands, you should naturally bluff bet fewer hands.
In addition to that, you have to ask yourself how your opponent will act on later streets. Is he generally capable of putting down his moderate made hands during the course of the hand? To get a better idea on this, the fold to continuation bet turn/river and the went to showdown stats can help you for example.
You should generally try to fully evaluate your opponent - who are you actually dealing with?
- Calling stations don't like to fold but call a lot of hands.
- Rocks and TAGs usually fold a lot.
- LAGs and maniacs don't call too often but do raise and counter bluff
As just mentioned, it is important to get an idea about how your opponent will act on the following streets. Which options do you have on the turn? Either you bet again (2nd barrel), you check raise or you surrender your hand with a check/fold.
If your opponent doesn't fold many hands on the flop, but does fold many in reaction to the 2nd barrel, your continuation bet can be +EV because it can be considered one move along with the turn play.
In position you also have the option of checking the turn in order to bluff on the river. This has the advantage that your opponents will give credit to the line "check behind turn / bet river" more often. What's problematic here, however, is that you can only rarely sell something good.
In particular when it comes to continuation bets it is important to pay close attention to the board. Ideal are boards with a high card, two low cards and only few possible draws. On boards like this you will reach the highest fold equity.
We could discuss a lot about good and bad boards, but there are articles that deal with this topic in detail. You will find these further below under "Related Articles".
In multiway spots you typically have the problem that a pure bluff would get several of your opponents to fold. If you have two tight players at the table with you, both of whom fold their hands in 60% of all cases on the flop - which is really good for you -, you will still need 36% fold equity (0,6 * 0,6).
As you saw above, you will need around 40% fold equity for a 2/3 potsize bet. That's why you should be cautious in multiway spots. Against more than two players, you should not make any continuation bets if you don't have any outs.
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (25 / 10 / 58 / 55 / 29) (VPIP ; PFR ; fold to Cbet Flop ; fold to Cbet Turn ; WTS)
Preflop: Hero is Button with X X
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) Q
, 8, 4 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $5.75, ...
A good spot! Your opponent does somewhat show tendencies of a calling station, but he does fold his hands on the flop often enough. The board is ideal, there are no dangerous draws out there, you are in position and should bet. In the worst case scenario, you could even think about a 2nd barrel because your opponent will also fold to that quite a lot.
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
BU ($100)
Hero ($100)
BB ($100) (29 / 8 / 25 / 35 / 34) (VPIP ; PFR ; fold to Cbet Flop ; fold to Cbet Turn ; WTS)
Preflop: Hero is SB with X X
4 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 5, 6, T (2 players)
Hero bets $5.75, ...
A bad spot! The board offers many draws and your opponent will at least want to look at the turn with many hands. Unfortunately, you are out of position as well. If you look at his fold to turn stat, a 2nd barrel might not be successful either. If you have a weak hand without any real outs, you should just check/fold against a player like that.
After the Flop - You Have Initiative
Bet types - the continuation bet
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
BU ($100)
SB ($100)
Hero ($100)
Preflop: Hero is BB with X ; X
3 folds, BU raises to $4.00, 1 fold, Hero calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 4, 5, 6 (2 players)
Hero bets $5.75, ...
A donk bet is directed at the preflop aggressor. Although he theoretically has the initiative, you simply donk bet the flop out of position (A "theoretical" rule naturally doesn't exist. But as you make a bet that goes against the rule, you bet as "stubbornly as a donkey", hence the name "donk bet")
The maths behind it is the same as that for the continuation bet (see above).
It is rather difficult to plan such a move with the help of stats. Of course your opinion must be that your opponents will interpret your donk bets as strong and fold a better hand often enough. That's why your opponents fold to flop/turn bet stat is important. It would be useful if you could specifically note how often your opponent folds to donk bets. If your HUD can show you this, take advantage of it.
Donk bets can be useful, because they will often confront your opponent with problems, even if he has a positional advantage. Balancing will be necessary. You, the preflop aggressor, bet as a bluff, semi bluff or for value, and you should also do that when it comes to donk bets. If your donk betting range exclusively consists of bluffs, you will be very easy to read.
However, with donk bets as well, it's always better to have some outs.
You could prepare the bluff 2nd barrel with it and, depending on the turn card and your estimated fold equity, you can make it a profitable one.
Our illustration of donk bets has to remain rather general here. You should be able to sell your opponent something. If he buys your sets on low card boards, then go for it. If he folds often enough on A/K high boards, then take advantage of that.
Extremely draw-heavy boards aren't bad either, because you can use arriving draws as a scare card (see example 3). However, when you make a donk bet in a case like this, at least one more barrel is already included in your plan.
As already mentioned in the section about continuation bets, you will automatically have less fold equity when playing against several opponents. Without any outs, you should not make any bluff donk bets in multiway pots, also because you won't have to balance your lines as much as in a heads-up situation.
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
BU ($100) (27 / 16 / 40 / 42 ) (VPIP ; PFR ; fold to flop bet ; fold to turn bet)
SB ($100)
Hero ($100)
Preflop: Hero is BB with X ; X
3 folds, BU raises to $4.00, 1 fold, Hero calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 4, 5, 6 (2 players)
Hero bets $5.75, ...
A possible spot, a bad opponent. You can go ahead and donk bet your sets or two pairs, as well as your strong draws or overpairs. You could bet many turn cards again and force your opponent out of the pot.
Unfortunately, the opponent doesn't fold a lot. It is very well possible that he will still call marginal hands. There's no guarantee that donk betting is a good choice here.
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
BU ($100) (18 / 15 / 59 / 49 ) (VPIP ; PFR ; fold to flop bet ; fold to turn bet)
SB ($100)
Hero ($100)
Preflop: Hero is BB with X ; X
3 folds, BU raises to $4.00, 1 fold, Hero calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) Q, 5, 6 (2 players)
Hero bets $5.75, ...
This opponent folds the flop and the turn a lot. The board is okay for you, you could represent Qx, maybe middle pairs and possibly strong hands such as 55/66/56, or you could represent very strong draws.
Your opponent won't have many options here. If he holds a rather good hand (the BU raise doesn't necessarily indicate one), he basically has to raise for protection. As raise/fold is not an NL tool with a made hand, he should be willing to go broke. This will certainly not be the case in 60% of all cases.
The only option left for him is a call, which would indicate a Q, middle pairs or a draw. There is hardly any turn card that you couldn't successfully use to barrel. Therefore, this would be a good bluff spot.
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
BU ($100)
SB ($100)
Hero ($100)
Preflop: Hero is BB with X ; X
3 folds, BU raises to $4.00, 1 fold, Hero calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 4, 5, 8 (2 players)
Hero checks, BU bets $5.75, Hero raises to $16.00,...
A check raise against the preflop aggressor is a sign of enormous strength but it is also quite expensive. You have to be sure that you can sell your opponent a strong hand. If you don't have any outs, you should be cautious when considering this move.
The problem with check raises is not just the amount of money you have to invest, but also the required fold equity, which is always considerably higher than 50% in most similar situations. On the other hand, you also know how strong a check raise by your opponent can look in such spots, leading to a higher amount of fold equity.
The pot after the continuation bet made by Villain is at 14.25$ (8.50$ + 5.75$)
Raise size: 16.00$ => 16/30,25 = 52.9% required fold equity
Raise size: 25.75$ (Pot size) => 25.75/40 = 64.4% required fold equity
Raise size: 11.50$ (Min raise) => 11.50/25.75 = 44.6% required fold equity
It is clear: The smaller your bet, the less frequently will it work. You can't check raise this small when you have a made hand, because you wouldn't protect with this raise size. That's also why you can't raise your bluffs by such a small amount.
What makes the situation even more difficult is that a small bet will create less fold equity. Don't forget: Villain plays in position and it might be a good spot for him to counter bet (he could bluff 3-bet, he could call in order to float, etc.)
Again, a raise size of 2/3 of the pot is acceptable; in most cases it should be around 3 times the bet size of Villain, as long as he sticks to a rough continuation bet size of around 2/3 of the pot (in the case above: 3*bet size = 3*5.75 = 17.25$ ; 2/3 pot size: 25.75 * 2/3 = 17.16$).
You can pay attention to a lot of things here. How frequently does your opponent bet on the flop (contibet flop)? If he bets every time, you will run against a very wide range, many hands of which Villain will have to fold. This also depends on his preflop play, in particular on the PFR and his attempt to steal stat.
If the HUD allows you to see how often your opponent folds to check raises, you should make sure to take advantage of this information.
In addition to that, you should also consider the standard stats. The went to showdown is just as crucial as the overall assessment of your opponent. It should be self evident that you shouldn't make such moves against calling stations.
The air is starting to get very thin here. The check raise on the flop has already cost you a lot of money. This in turn means that your stack sizes have become smaller and you don't have much more room for bluffing.
Furthermore, your check raise was supposed to prove strength, but your opponent called after all. On the turn, another check raise won't create any more fold equity. There is hardly any reasonable hand that would play bet/fold turn considering this pot size.
That's why you have the options of 2nd barrelling or folding. In most cases, after a failed bluff attempt on the flop you should fold on the turn (don't forget that you could play your made hands and your semi bluffs).
As always: You should be able to sell something. In the above example you are calling a BU raise, so you could roughly be given a range of small pocket pairs, suited connectors, and broadways. You might have hit a flop such as 4 6 7. If you don't hold a strong hand (44, 66, 77, 67s, 64s, etc.), you will most likely hold one with many outs (55, 54, 56, A5s, flush draws, etc.).
But have a look at this flop: K 5 5. What could you seriously try to sell with a check raise here? There is no reasonable hand that you would check raise in this situation (even if you hold A5, you wouldn't have to check raise). You might just check/call broadways such as KQ or KJ (to play check raise/broke with this hand would be dangerous but possible).
You can't sell anything to your opponent here.
In multiway spots you should not make any pure bluff check raises against multiple opponents. It will be nearly impossible to make them +EV.
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
BU ($100) (22 / 19 / 37 / 70 / 46 / 24) (VPIP ; PFR ; ATS ; Cbet Flop ; Cbet Turn ; WTS)
SB ($100)
Hero ($100)
Preflop: Hero is BB with X ; X
3 folds, BU raises to $4.00, 1 fold, Hero calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 4, 5, 8 (2 players)
Hero checks, BU bets $5.75, Hero raises to $16.00,...
This board, which has already been mentioned further above, is suited for a bluff check raise. Your opponent will steal a lot and try to contibet. Think it over: how many hands would you continue to play if you were the preflop aggressor.
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
BU ($100) (28 / 16 / 24 / 50 / 35 / 33) (VPIP ; PFR ; ATS ; Cbet Flop ; Cbet Turn ; WTS)
SB ($100)
Hero ($100)
Preflop: Hero is BB with X ; X
3 folds, BU raises to $4.00, 1 fold, Hero calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) T, A, 4 (2 players)
Hero checks, BU bets $5.75, Hero raises to $16.00,...
The opponent does not seem to be the perfect candidate for bluffing. It is doubtful that he will fold many hands here. You won't be able to check raise much, 44 would be possible but it is a different question if you would check raise this hand on the flop in the first place. AQ? Or a random Ax? Not often.
On top of that, this opponent will never fold Ax here, in many cases he won't fold a Tx either. Pocket pairs 99 - would be possible but there is no guarantee for its success. Against such players, whose behaviour is very hard to predict, you should not try too many bluffs.
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 4 , 5
UTG raises to $4.00, 2 folds, Hero calls $4.00, 2 folds
Flop: ($9.50) T, 9, 3 (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $6.00, ...
A position bet is a simple bet in position against the preflop aggressor if he checks to you. A check made by the preflop aggressor can often be considered as equal to folding his hand. The only alternatives would be a check/call (in the sense of way ahead - way behind) or a check raise.
If you run into a check raise, the hand is over. However, in raised pots, for example, this is only rarely the case.
If your opponent plays check/call, this mainly indicates a marginal hand with which he wants to play for pot control. On a drawy board, Villain can barely afford this, on the other hand, pot control doesn't mean that he is willing to call three barrels. So you can speed up on the following streets.
The calculation of fold equity here is equal to that for a continuation bet.
A basic evaluation of your opponent's flop play is vital. How often does he contibet, how often does he check raise? How often does he fold to flop bets?
Your opponent will rarely check/call or check raise in 50% of all cases because he would get pushed into problem spots out of position. That's why a position bet is often +EV.
As mentioned further above, there is the possibility of firing a 2nd barrel on the turn if your opponent checks/calls. Of course, you also have to consider the board here. If it is a very dry one, your opponent might slowplay. You also have to pay attention to how he plays on the turn. Without knowing how your opponent tends to act, it is not helpful to fire multiple barrels on bad boards.
Should your opponent check to you, the priority is not necessarily to sell him a good hand. If your opponent wants to check/fold, he simply will. Suitable for this would be drawy boards, in many cases hands like overcards or small pocket pairs will fold, because they don't want to give away free cards out of position. However, if Villain holds a strong hand, he basically has to protect. To do this, he only has the option of check raising left.
You do have to recognise the danger of clearly defined boards such as A93r or KK3r; here Villain will too often be in check/call mode and play way ahead - way behind in order to induce a bluff from you. You should not fire more than one barrel here.
Position bets can also be very well used in multiway pots. Should all opponents check to you, you can bet a very wide range. Few opponents tend to make loose call downs in multiway pots. Should the preflop aggressor have checked and none of the other players shows interest, you should just go for it. The fold equity is huge.
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100) (21 / 17 / 2.0 / 59 / 49 / 55 ) (VPIP / PFR / Flop-AF / Cbet Flop / Cbet Turn / Ft Turnbet)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 4 , 5
UTG raises to $4.00, 2 folds, Hero calls $4.00, 2 folds
Flop: ($9.50) A, 6, 6 (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $6.00, ...
The preflop aggressor is offering you to take this pot. Although you should bet in most cases here, you still have to ask yourself, what hand it is that villain checks to you. If he really has nothing, he will be able to bluff bet this flop very well. This board simply looks too perfect, your opponent will want to check/call in most cases in order to induce a bluff.
However, many players will not give much thought to the board. Of course, the possibility of many hands folding here can't be ruled out. In any case, the board is not perfect.
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100) (25 / 17 / 1.5 / 65 / 51 / 47 ) (VPIP / PFR / Flop-AF / Cbet Flop / Cbet Turn / Ft Turnbet)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 2 , 2
UTG raises to $4.00, 1 fold, CO calls $4.00, Hero calls $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($16.50) J, 9, 7 (4 players)
BB checks, UTG checks, CO checks, Hero bets $12.00, ...
In this situation, the board and your hand don't even play a role. You might even have the best hand every now and then, at the showdown on the river this will, however, most likely not be the case anymore (besides the fact you will rarely make it to the showdown in the first place - whoever bluffs first wins the pot).
You can go ahead and make a position bet, only few hands can check/call here. The preflop aggressor will check/fold almost always, so you are left with the BB and CO. Some more information would be useful; against stubborn calling stations you should not bet, but against players who can fold their hands, this would be a decent spot.
If the cutoff had wanted to bluff, he could have bet himself. If he has a good hand, he should have bet for protection. The only one who could cause trouble is the BB. He might be considering a check/raise, but this won't happen in 60% of the cases, which means your bet will likely be profitable.
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)
Preflop: Hero is Button with X ; X
UTG raises to $4.00, 2 folds, Hero calls $4.00, 2 folds
Flop: ($9.50) T, 9, 3 (2 players)
UTG bets $6.00, Hero raises $15.00, ...
A bluff raise is a raise on the flop in position after a continuation bet by your opponent. It is hard for your opponent to play his hand any further.
The maths is the same as for bluff check raises.
You should have a basic overview of Villain's flop play. It would be ideal if he contibet a lot, because this will give him a wide range of hands that he would have to fold against your raise. His went to showdown stat should be rather small. On top of that, it would be extremely helpful if you could see how often your opponent folds to raises on the flop.
Your opponent can only 3-bet (push) or call in reaction. Should he fold, the hand is over and your plan worked out.
A pure bluff on the turn means giving up in most cases - a bet/call of your opponent most likely has one of the two causes:
- He has a monster and wants to slowplay.
- He has a good made hand and plays way ahead - way behind
A second barrel is therefore not helpful in most cases, especially because it would have to be very big due to the size of the pot.
The full evaluation of such a move doesn't only consider the question whether your opponent and the board are suitable. You should also ask yourself if floating wouldn't be the better alternative bluffing method.
You have to take a critical look at your entire game here. If you play your made hands aggressively on the flop in most cases, you can bluff raise more. If you play them rather passively and don't like to show aggression before the turn, you should prefer a float, also in case of a move.
Naturally, the board plays an important role, but you will confront Villain with a difficult decision if you raise. While he won't always buy that you have a strong hand, he himself needs one with which he is willing to play for stacks. This is rarely the case against rather loose opponents as their open raising range is rather wide.
That's why even boards such as A93r are suitable. Apparently, you will only be able to sell your opponents strong Ax hands, 99 and 33. You also have to ask yourself if it makes sense to raise these hands directly on the flop.
Particularly with hands like these a flop call would be the better alternative.
Put yourself in Villain's shoes: what is he supposed to do with weak Ax hands, middle pairs, Kx etc.? He almost doesn't have any other option than to fold his hand.
Therefore, such moves are more dependent on your opponent, your image and the history at the table than on the board.
You should not make any bluff raises in multiway pots. On the one hand you would have to get several opponents to fold, on the other hand a contibet in a multiway pot will already be an indicator of more strength.
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100) (19 / 16 / 3.5 / 67) (VPIP / PFR / Flop-AF / Cbet Flop)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 8 ; 9
UTG raises to $4.00, 2 folds, Hero calls $4.00, 2 folds
Flop: ($9.50) J, 4, 5 (2 players)
UTG bets $6.00, Hero raises $15.00, ...
This is a spot in which you might consider a move. You are attacking a UTG raiser, after all, who doesn't have many options left to take his hand to the showdown in a relatively small pot.
On the one hand you could ask if it is necessary to move such a player off the hand. And this question is legitimate. This player will not often be involved in pots with you, he sits opposite to you. On top of that, he doesn't seem to play aggressively nor does it look as if he wanted to put you under pressure often. So, it is not a must.
However, you do have to ask yourself if such a spot couldn't be +EV. Your opponent open raises 16%, let's say 12% UTG. Which hands can your opponent proceed to play with? Not more than sets, Jx hands and over pairs. This is only a fraction of his range, the fold equity is therefore considerably higher than 50%.
You should consider each spot individually here, and even though it is not a must, it might help your success as well as your image (only raising the nuts on the flop will not be a successful strategy in the long run).
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100) (24 / 21 / 3.2 / 61) (VPIP / PFR / Flop-AF / Cbet Flop)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 3 , 3
UTG raises to $4.00, 1 fold, CO calls $4.00, Hero calls $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($16.50) K, T, 7 (4 players)
BB checks, UTG bets $12.00, CO folds, Hero raises to $30.00, ...
Absolutely unnecessary. The continuation bet already looks very strong 4-handed, you couldn't sell much on this board, even Kx hands could call against possible draws. In addition to that, the BB is still in the hand and he could very well check raise. Your fold equity will never be sufficient which is why you can forget about such moves in multiway pots.
PartyPoker $100 NL Hold’em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)
Preflop: Hero is Button with X ; X
UTG raises to $4.00, 2 folds, Hero calls $4.00, 2 folds
Flop: ($9.50) 6, 5, 9 (2 players)
UTG bets $6.00, Hero calls $6.00
A bluff call is a call on a given street with the intention to bluff on one of the following streets. In general, this is called a float. You have to assess if you can bluff your opponent off a made hand on the turn or on the river, respectively.
You will build fold equity on a later street. The maths behind this can be found in the third part of this series under "Floats".
Your opponent should contibet a lot, but be able to give up his made hands during the course of the hand. Apparently, the same arguments as for a float are valid, because the bluff call only serves to prepare a float.
Goal is to prepare a float. You try to signalise with a call that you have a good made hand which you would like to take to the showdown. You could also slowplay or play your draws passively. You basically use your position to keep your opponent in the dark.
As the bluff is only an instrument to prepare your float, the same arguments as those for the turn and river bluffs are valid here. That's why these aspects will be illustrated in further detail in the third part of the series in which we will take a closer look at the float on the turn.
Conclusion
You have been introduced to six options of bluffing on the flop or preparing a bluff for later streets on the flop. Assessing your opponent is vital here. You should not confront the wrong people with too much aggression.
Particularly in multiway spots you have to be aware that your fold equity decreases. Your bets or your raises do indicate greater strength (e.g. the position bet), but the conditions in the situation need to be right. If someone else has already signalised that he is interested in a multiway pot, a pure bluff won't be successful in most cases.
Apart from deciding if a bluff can be successful at all, you also have to evaluate which bluffing option would be the best (example: bluff raise vs. float). It is particularly important to compare your bluffs with your value lines and play them as similarly as possible in order to balance your game, stay difficult to read and force your opponents to make mistakes.
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