Tools of the Toughies

What makes a good player successful? Poker players are constantly looking for one or a few "secrets" that have brought a top player success – and hope to learn those secrets so they can use them themselves. The truth is, a good player has a wide range of skills that separates him from the pack. Even so, there are a few tricks in betting that are mostly or exclusively the property of top players. I will discuss some of these tools, looking at how they would apply to a limit hold'em game.

The bluff-call. There is an old poker adage that says a bettor might be bluffing, but a caller is not. That adage is not always true. It is possible to set up a bluff by a call on the previous betting round. Consider this situation: You are in the small blind holding the 7 6. A player in middle position calls, the button calls, you call, and the big blind raps. The flop comes A A 4. You check, and the others also check to the button, who bets. The button is a lady who is aggressive in betting when checked to, and likes to slow-play her good hands if she can afford to give a free card (as with this flop). Furthermore, she thinks you are a tight player because you do not play lots of starting hands. You think this is a good opportunity to pick off a bluff, or catch her with a light hand that cannot stand pressure. In fact, the main problem is that the other two players in the pot know what you know, and would probably be inclined to check an ace here if they have one. What should you do? This is a good spot for the bluff-call. Just call the bet, hoping that the other two players will leave you heads up against the button. If your ploy works, the other two players will fold, and you will bet the turn and win the pot. (Should a heart or a 5 come on the turn and you pick up a draw, so much the better.) If one of the other players who checked comes to life after your call, you are out of there at a minimal investment.

Reraising a reraise as a semibluff. When you have a drawing hand in position, it is a common play to raise on the flop betting round when an early-position player bets – a semibluff. The main purpose is not to win the pot right there – although that would be nice – but to intimidate the bettor into just calling the raise and checking on the next round. If you make your draw, you probably have gotten an extra bet by raising when you did. If you miss, you have the option of either continuing the charade by betting again or taking a free card after the limit has doubled. Unfortunately, the bettor can gum up the works by reraising, then betting into you. However, you can still try to do with a reraise what you had hoped to do with the first raise – put your opponent into call-and-check mode. On the turn, it is unlikely you can get him out with a bet, so just take the free card if you miss your draw and he checks to you. This reraise is more likely to be effective if the bettor has only one pair, and now starts worrying about your having two pair or a set.

Raise for a free showdown. A standard hold'em tool is a bet on the turn, looking for a free showdown at the river. In position, you bet a marginal hand, such as pocket queens with an overcard on the board, "one more time into the breech" because you do not want to give a free card, instead of checking the turn and then having to make a crying call on the end. Well, you can raise with a similar intention! Here is an example: You have pocket jacks. A player in early position opens with a raise and you call on the button. The others fold. The flop comes 7-4-2. The opponent bets, you raise, and he calls. A queen comes on the turn. He bets; what should you do? If you decide to go with your hand, a raise is a very reasonable play! The opponent could have a pocket pair smaller than yours, and could be trying to scare you. When you raise, what is he to think? If he has A-Q, as the betting indicates, he will almost surely call and check the river. Your raise says A-Q is no good. (A real tight player might even fold A-Q.) You will get a showdown for the same price as a call on the turn and a call on the end. A purist might argue that just calling is the better play, because it encourages the opponent to keep betting, and if he has that hoped-for pocket pair, he has only two outs. However, he could have A-K, which is six outs. More importantly, anyone who has seen you make this play is going to pay you off the next zillion times you pop him on the turn and he has anything reasonable – and he is going to go sailing for two big bets more on the hand after paying off at the river, as well.

The bluff-raise at the river. This ploy can come in a couple of different forms. Here is one example: You hold the Q J in the cutoff seat (the first seat right of the button). Someone opens, you call, the button calls, and the big blind raps. Four of you see a flop that comes K 8 6. The big blind checks, the early-position player bets, you call, and the button calls. The big blind folds, so there are three players now. The turn is the meaningless 2. The flop bettor bets again, you call, and the button calls. At the river, the last card is an offsuit 10, making a possible straight, but leaving you with zero. The bettor bets. A raise here is possible. If the bettor is bluffing with something like the nut-flush draw, he has you beat, but won't call. The player behind you is not going to call unless the river card gave him two pair or a straight. Raising is a gamble, but it could work out against a person who plays his drawing hands strongly. Once again, you may get a lot of action in the future when they see this play.

Here is another scenario for the bluff-raise at the river: We can use the same hand for you and the boardcards that were in the previous situation. This time, however, you are first to act, the pumper is second, and the button once again is in. When that 10 hits on the river, you do not think a bluff has much chance of success, so you make a give-up check. But now, here's a small surprise. The pumper also checks, and the button bets. Here's your chance; raise him. The person who had carried the betting probably has no more than a pair, and is being confronted with a double bet. There is a fine chance that your raise will knock him out. If the button was bluffing, you're home.

As you can see, there is no money-back guarantee that these plays are going to work in any given situation, but they are useful tools to employ if the occasion feels right. One thing is certain: Players who have seen your moves at work are going to regard you as a tricky player, and will pay you off when you have the goods.