Inducing Bluffs and Calls
Inducing a bluff or a call is the act of playing your hand weakly so that your
opponents will either bet by trying a bluff or call with a weak hand (otherwise known
as a crying call). For example, you hold K
♥ Q ♣
on a board of K
♦ Q
♦
5 ♠ 2 ♣ 6 ♣.
Your opponent called your flop and turn bets. You suspect that your opponent is on a
draw. If your opponent is indeed on a draw and you bet, he will fold. If you check,
your opponent might try a bluff if he suspects that you were on a draw also. You
need to be fairly confident that your opponent was on a draw to try this move. If
your opponent was planning on calling with a mediocre holding and then checks,
you lose a bet.
Inducing bluffs or calls is also a good strategy when you have a good yet vulnerable
hand. This strategy can either save bets against a monster hand or win an extra bet
by inducing a bluff or a crying call. For example, you hold AA and raise on the
button with one caller. The flop is Q82. You bet and your opponent calls. The turn is
an 8 and your opponent checks. One option is to just check behind your opponent.
If your opponent comes out betting on the river, then you call. You save two bets if
he has an 8 and you gain a bet if he comes out betting the river with a hand he
would have folded on the turn like 77. If he checks the river, then you can bet, and
likewise your check on the turn may induce him to make a crying call on the river
with a hand like 77. Note however that you probably lost a bet if your opponent
holds a queen.
Do not try to induce bluffs against rocks. Since these players rarely bluff, you gain
nothing. Also, do not give up bets against opponents who will call with many weak
hands. For example, if you are playing with an opponent who will call with 77 down
to the river, keep betting and gain those bets.
Let's look at another example. You raise on the button first in with A ♦ 6 ♦ and are reraised by an aggressive player in the small blind. The most common raising
hands by an aggressive player in this situation are either a pair or Ax. The flop
comes A ♣ Q ♦ 5 ♥.
Your opponent bets and you call. He now checks the turn of 7 ♣.
If he is the type of opponent who will fold a weak pair if you come out betting and
would check-raise strong hands, then a good strategy might be to check the turn.
He might try a bluff on the river gaining you a bet. If he checks the river and you
bet, he might call with a weak hand gaining you a bet. On the other hand, if he was
planning a check-raise on the turn, you save two bets on the turn while gaining the
possibility of improving to a better hand.
Review
A free card is when you receive a card without having to call a bet. In Hold'em,
normally you try for a free card by cither betting or raising on the flop, hoping that
your opponents check to you on the turn when the bets are more expensive.
-
There are several advantages to try for a free card;
- If your hand does not improve, you might be able to see an additional
card for free that could help you win the hand.
- Your hand might improve on the next card and you can continue to bet
having gained the additional small bet on the flop.
- Buying a free card is a cheap way of calling opponents to the river when you
are not sure whether or not you have the best hand.
- The problem with trying for free cards is that sometimes the strategy
backfires if an opponent either reraise or comes out betting on the turn.
Conversely, do not give free cards when you expect that your opponents are
on a draw.
- Beware of players who raise instantaneously on the flop. They may be trying
for a free card.
Slowplaying is checking or just calling a very strong hand on one round of betting to
win more bets on later rounds of betting.
-
Most players slowplay too often. You generally should not slowplay under the
following conditions:
- A free card could beat you
- The pot is very large.
- A free card would not give your opponents a good second-best hand.
There are many opponents in the hand.
- There are weak opponents in the hand.
- Sometimes it is difficult to drive out opponents on the flop even to raising
when there is a large pot. In these cases, sometimes it is better to slowplay
and waits to raise the turn so that the remaining opponents have to pay two
big bets to see the river.
-
One problem with slowplaying is that sometimes you lose bets you could
have earned otherwise. This occurs against weak opponent who will pay you
off anyway or an opponent with a strong hand also.
Inducing a bluff or a call is the act of playing your hand weakly so then your
opponents will either bet by trying a bluff or call with a weak hands. A good example
is checking on the river to induce an opponent to bet if you expect he was on a
draw.
-
Inducing bluffs or calls is also a good strategy when you have a good yet
vulnerable hand. This strategy can either save bets against a monster hand
or win an extra bet by inducing a bluff or a call.
-
Do not try to induce bluffs against rocks since they rarely bluff and don't give
up bets against opponents who will call with many weak hands.
NEXT...Starting Hands
