Re-steal Bluff
Situation 66
Here the blinds are $100-$200 and the ante is $25. You have been poker playing at this table since the $25-$50 round. You are in the big blind. To your right in the small blind is Tight Tom and to his right, sitting on the button, Reckless Ricky who seems to raise every time he has the button. Even though you know that he can't have a hand every time he is on the button, you have never held a hand when he has raised.
Since you are running cold and haven't caught any premium cards, your chips have consistently eroded at that point that you only have a total of $2900 in chips, with $200 in the bigs blinds.
Ricky is having $3000 in chips. He raises to $900 and everyone folded. Tight Tom folded. You are having:
What would you do?
• You can fold.
• You can call.
• You can move all-in.
Conclusion
When a super aggressive player puts on the pressure by raising whenever he has the button, you know that he doesn't have a hand most of the time. Your hand isn't much strong but since you have a good tight table image, your rivals should call you when you raise or re-raise.
Recommendation
This is a situation where you can bluff. Therefore, you should move all-in. By trying the re-steal bluff, you are taking the calculated poker gamble that he doesn't have a hand they he can call your all-in raise with. If he doesn't call you will win the pot.
Situation 67
The blinds are $300-$900 with a $50 ante. You are having $5000 in chips and you are in the small blind with:
Everyone folded to you. Action Arnold is in the big blind with $7000 in chips. You are next to act.
What will be your play?
• You can move all-in.
• You can call $300.
• You can raise to $1800.
• You can fold.
Conclusion
You don't have a big hand with A-T off suited and you are getting short on chips. Action Arnold who raises a lot is sitting behind you.
If you move in, he will call if he has a better hand than you do.
Recommendation
You should improve your chip position therefore we suggest you call the extra $300 that is required to complete the bet. After you call, it is possible that Arnold will make a normal raise to $1800. If he does, then move all-in on him to try to bluff him out of the pot by trying to re-steal the pot. The best play to make against his raise is to move all-in because Arnold will need a strong hand to call your move in re-raise.
Follow-Up Bluff
Situation 68
You are in the initial stage of the no-limit poker tournament. Two players have limped into the pot. You are on the button holding:
You also limp in. Both the blinds see the flop cheaply. That is, small blind and the big blind calls the minimum bet.
The flop comes:
Everyone checks to you. With the intention to try to steal the pot, you decide to bet $125, the size of the pot. The small and big blind folded, as does the limper. Authority Austin calls.
On the turn, another ace comes. Austin checks.
What will be your play?
• You can check.
• You can bet to about $300.
• You can move all-in.
Conclusion
As Austin was next to act last, he certainly don't have an ace in his hand because the reason he didn't bet. He might have a seven or a pocket pair. He will make an occasional call and will fold later if he thinks he has beaten.
Recommendation
If Austin thinks you have an ace, he knows that he probably is drawing dead. If you check, you will not be able to win at the show down. If you move in and over bet the pot, Austin might suspect a bluff and call you. Therefore the correct play is to bet around to $300. When you make a bet that is less than the size of the pot, it looks as though you want some action.
You certainly want Austin to think and then decide to fold.
Situation 69
The blinds are $50-$100. You are in the middle stage of the poker tournament with an average stack of $2000 in chips. You are one seat away from the button. Solid Sammy is on the button. Passive Peter is in the small blind and Tight Tom is in the big blind. You are having:
You believe this is a good opportunity to pick up the blinds therefore you should make it $350 to go.
Solid Sammy folded. Passive Peter folds too. Tight Tom calls your raise.
The flop comes:
Tom checks and you try to steal the pot by betting $500. Tom calls. The card on the turn is K ? . Tom checks again. Now again it is your turn to act.
What will be your play?
• You can check.
• You can move all-in.
Conclusion
This flop doesn't seem better to you. When Tom called your bet on the flop, he likely had a ten in his hand or some other pair.
You need to worry that Tom flopped a set and might be slow-playing it. Then you have no chance to win this pot by checking. You know that Tom doesn't call with over cards, so the king on the turn is a seven card for him if he does have an A-T.
Recommendation
There is a good opportunity for a follow-bluff. Therefore the preferred play is to move all-in and steal the pot from him.
Total Bluff
Situation 70
The blinds are $300-$900 with a $75 ante. You are in the last stage of the tournament. You are having a short stack of $5000 in chips. That puts $1575 in the pot before the poker cards are dealt. The limits will increase in a few more hands, so this is the last time you will take the blinds before they increase. Everyone folds to Peter, who calls the additional $300 to complete the bet.
After the blinds and antes, you have $4325 left in your stack. There is $1875 in the pot after Peter's call. You are holding:
The 7 ? 2 ? - the worst hand in holdem.
What will be your play?
• You can check and wait for the good flop.
• You can move all-in.
Conclusion
You should guess that Passive Peter doesn't have a strong hand. However if he had he must have raised your short stack. If you check, you will need a good flop to play the 7 ? 2 ? hand. If you lose this pot and go through the small blind without winning, you will have less than $4000 in chips. If you move in, do you think Peter will call? No. This is because if he was having a good hand, he would have raised before the flop instead of calling
Recommendation
The preferred poker play is the second option that is to move all-in. You should take a chance. Even if Peter calls there is a possibility for you to win if you get lucky. However, there is more of chance that Peter will fold because you still have enough chips to make one sizeable raise. In this situation, the strength of your hand or the lack of the strength does not matter. This is a total bluff where betting is significant to make your rivals throw away their hands.