The Delayed Bluff - Part I

The delayed bluff is a term for bluffing late in a hand after calling an opponent's earlier bet, with little or no chance of having the best hand or making the best hand. Many players, even some of the top pros, will hardly ever attempt a delayed bluff, as they deem it too risky. However, I think it is an important play to have in your no-limit hold'em arsenal. I find it more difficult to play against players who are capable of making a delayed bluff, as I find them harder to read. The delayed bluff is a very deceptive play, and even getting caught making the play can work to your advantage by giving you a lot of action when you make real hands, assuming that you don't bluff off all of your chips when you get caught! The delayed bluff is definitely one of my favorite plays in no-limit hold'em, and it can be extremely profitable when performed correctly. However, it is also one of the most devastating plays if you get caught, as it often requires investing a lot or even all of your chips with little or no chance of winning the hand if your opponent calls you down.

Let me first provide an example of a well-executed delayed bluff to clarify exactly what this play is. Let's say a decent player with a deep stack raises from middle position and you smooth-call from late position (having your opponent covered in chips) with the 7 6. The blinds fold and the flop comes down K-8-3 rainbow. Your opponent makes a moderate bet at the pot, let's say a half-pot bet. In this spot, most players would quickly fold the 7 6, as they caught none of the flop and their opponent has made a decent bet into them. However, let's say that you think your opponent is weak on the flop; perhaps you sensed weakness when he underbet the pot and you believe that you can take him off his hand. Trusting this read, most players would likely make some sort of raise on the flop if they decided to bluff, but you decide to just call here and set up a delayed bluff, planning to bet or raise on a later street, depending of course on what cards come and what your opponent does. A deuce comes on the turn and your opponent quickly checks to you. Figuring that he is still weak and has essentially given up the hand by checking to you now that a total blank has come, you now make a bet of three-fourths of the pot. Your opponent quickly folds his hand, and you rake in several chips with your well-executed delayed bluff.

This play may seem simple from this example, but it is really extremely complex. I mean, why would one even want to attempt such a risky and complicated play?

To answer that question, let's examine the advantages and disadvantages of using this play over just a normal bluff; for example, raising your opponent on the K-8-3 flop. If you think you can win the pot right away with a bluff-raise, the correct play is to raise and not go for a delayed bluff. By going for the delayed bluff, you give your opponent a chance to catch a card that will enable him to snap off your bluff. That said, it is rare when I get a strong read on the flop that I think I can simply raise an opponent and he will muck his hand. The delayed bluff can give me a much better feeling of how strong my opponent is, because I not only get to see what he does on the flop, but also what he does on the turn or even the river, depending on how the action goes down.

In my example, if my opponent had made a strong bet on the turn when the deuce came, I probably would have given up on the delayed bluff. I would have folded my hand, figuring that my opponent had a real hand or caught a piece of the flop, and a bluff would be too risky to attempt. By going for a delayed bluff in this scenario instead of raising on the flop, I would save whatever amount of chips I would have raised on the flop.

Also, let's say a 4, 5, or diamond flush draw comes on the turn and my opponent checks. Now, I have options of either semibluffing the turn, since I have picked up a draw, or checking, hoping to make a very big hand on the river. If I decide to check the turn and I miss on the river, I still leave myself the option of bluffing on the river, depending of course on what my opponent does in front of me and what card comes on the river.

So, let's say that you would like to incorporate the delayed bluff into your arsenal of no-limit hold'em plays. When performing this play, the most important factor to consider is against whom you are going to attempt it. This bluff works best against players who exhibit a very typical betting pattern in no-limit hold'em. This pattern is one of almost always betting the flop if they raised preflop. These players are fairly easy to recognize if you pay attention to how your opponents play. They are ideal for a delayed bluff, since they will bet into you on most any flop, whether or not they have made a hand. Assuming that you call their flop bet, most players who bet with this pattern will often give up on the hand and check the turn if they are weak, putting you in position to make your bluff! However, be wary of trying to make a delayed bluff against very aggressive players who may fire out another bet on the turn with weak cards, which will mess up the play you are trying to set up. Also, do not attempt this play against players who call down with really weak hands or are too inexperienced to be able to put you on a hand. You can't read someone who doesn't even know what he is holding, so it is best not to try to bluff him.

The delayed bluff is a beautiful play, in that when it is performed correctly, it really convinces your opponent that you have a certain hand. The K-8-3 rainbow flop is a great one on which to attempt a delayed bluff, because when you call your opponent's bet, there are no reasonable draws that you could have, so your opponent must assume that you have connected with the flop and probably have a pair of kings or even a set. Many players are capable of raising on the flop with nothing and trying to get their opponent to fold right then, but few are capable of calling with nothing to set up a bluff later in the hand. In the next issue, I will continue to discuss the nuances of the delayed bluff.

Thomas "Thunder" Keller is a 23-year-old professional poker player and one of poker's young and rising stars. He can often be found playing at Ultimatebet.com under the name gummybear. To learn more about him, go to his website at www.thunderkeller.com.