Call to Bluff

Tom Leonard

In today's column let's discuss an advanced play that has become very popular in no-limit but also has application in limit games as well. It's a play that does require you to have some knowledge of your opponent's tendencies to increase your level of success. It also requires you to be very aware of your opponent's perception of you. Of course, these are both critical elements to all phases of successful play. We simply must observe and learn how our opponents play while being acutely aware of what image we have been projecting to them. Allow me to outline a scenario to demonstrate the dynamics of the "Call to Bluff" play.

Imagine limping in, or for that matter, raising with an unsuited King/Queen against a middle position limper. Let's say you brought it in for a raise and everyone folded back to the middle position limper who calls your raise. Ok, you're going to see the flop with position against a lone opponent. The flop comes a very powerful Ace---Ace---eight rainbow. Powerful for who is the question. Your foe who is out of position bets out and you decide to just quickly flat call. Now you have your lone foe asking himself, "What in Hades can this Bozo have to call with this board?" If you "know", based upon past observations, your opponent would more than likely have slow played trip Aces in this spot you can feel comfortable that he is trying to buy the pot. If you had raised your foe on the flop he would either have mucked giving up his ruse right then or possibly re-raised either because he saw through your plan and is re-stealing or your read was wrong and he really has a hand.

Raising as a bluff in this situation looks just like what it is........a bluff. Flat calling will give your opponent pause as he contemplates this strange turn of events. If he checks the turn, you fire a bet into the pot and you will be amazed at how many times he mucks and you win. Of course, if he raises you're probably in trouble but this course of action will still be less expensive than having re-raised on the flop. This play is an example of recognizing the fact that if you always need the cards to win, you won't be much of a winner in the long run. Why? Because the cards will pretty much even out over the long pull and if you're just playing "ABC" tight poker you'll be just like Shooter, the Kid's mentor from the classic poker movie, The Cincinnati Kid. Remember when Shooter told the Kid, "The way I play now, just percentages, don't win much, don't lose much." The translation is......Shooter is admitting to the Kid that he's lost his ability to be an imaginative player who ferrets out and seizes opportunities. He just plays the percentages as in "ABC" poker. Sound fundamental poker but not the type of play that is going to consistently build your bankroll. Playing not to lose is a far cry from playing to win!

Our goal for this time together is to attempt to seize upon opportunities that arise during our sessions. If you hear Mr. Opportunity knocking, then answer the door! Remember, good cards come and go but opportunities to take control of a hand, and win it, crop up constantly. The meek may well inherit the earth......... but damn it, you want to book a win don't you?

See you next "TIME".

More in Strategy

If you have an adventurous spirit, you can look for profitable opportunities in no-limit hold'em by taking cheap flops with speculative holdings and hitting the sort of (granted, infrequent) monster flops that create big action and let you take some unsuspecting slackjaw off his stack. Make no mistake, these junk calls can be hazardous to your health, but if you're in the right kind of game, one with lots of callers and few raisers, they can be profitably played. In such games, if a couple of people limp into the pot from early position they often start a limp stampede, a limpede if you like: a cascade of callers yielding correct odds for a wide variety of hands such as unpaired picture cards, small suited connectors and pairs of any size.

Warning: Only join the limpede if you're confident that the blinds won't make a play for the pot with a big sweeping raise... read more