The Delayed Bluff - Part II

In my last column, I discussed the delayed bluff, 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. I gave a detailed example of a well-executed delayed bluff, explained the benefits of using this play, and also gave some advice on what type of opposition one should try this play. In this column, I'm going to continue my discussion on this very advanced play, discussing the ideal circumstances of when to make it.

The delayed bluff is an inherently risky play, so I don't recommend attempting this play unless you have a pretty deep stack. In order to execute a delayed bluff, you will often need to put lots of chips at risk, which is pretty tough to do if you start the hand short-stacked. If you have a somewhat small stack, the play might work more often since your opponents will figure you are strong and not gambling. However, when the play fails, it will often end up crippling your stack or even cause you to go broke. It is also ideal that your opponent have a deep stack when attempting this play, since, after all, it is impossible to bluff someone who goes all in or who may pot-commit himself to a hand.

That said, you may not want to try this play on someone with a very deep stack who is more likely to gamble with you and call you down with a weaker hand than someone with an average stack or one that you have slightly covered would. Also, the delayed bluff is a very tricky play to pull off, even when having position on your opponent. I do not recommend attempting this play when you are out of position, at least until you are very comfortable with executing it to perfection. Having position is crucial to performing a delayed bluff, as many of the principles of performing it revolve around seeing what your opponent does before you have to act. Opponents also generally play more predictably and are easier to read when they are out of position. Reading your opponent is vital to executing a delayed bluff properly, so anything that makes him easier to read is greatly beneficial. Finally, bluffing more than one opponent is rarely correct, and definitely not recommended when attempting this play.

Now, here's an example. Let's say that a decent, deep-stacked opponent raises from middle position, and he exhibits the betting pattern I discussed in my last column (he bets any flop after he raised preflop). You decide to call his raise in position with a speculative hand, the 10 8. The flop comes down A-K-Q and your opponent fires a pot-sized bet at you. This is not a good spot to try a delayed bluff! A coordinated, action flop came, and not only that, your opponent bet the flop very strongly. In this spot, you would want to fold and wait for a better opportunity to attempt the play. In general, you do not want to attempt a delayed bluff on any type of coordinated flop or big flop, because it is likely that your opponent could have flopped a big hand or big draw. Ideally, you want to attempt this play on a rainbow, uncoordinated flop, so that when you call the flop bet, it appears that you must have some type of real hand, since no draws are out there. Also, on these types of flops, your opponent could not have a flopped a draw, so it is more likely that he missed the flop completely. The best flops to attempt a delayed bluff on are king-rag-rag, queen-rag-rag, and jack-rag-rag, because when you call your opponent's flop bet, it is easy to put you on having made a big pair, like kings, queens, or jacks, respectively. An ace-rag-rag flop can be a good flop to try a delayed bluff on, but be wary of them. The ace is such a common raising card that your opponent will often have made a pair of aces, which could make it hard to take him off his hand, and very expensive to try to do so!

Now, let's say that instead of A-K-Q, the flop comes down J-6-2 rainbow, and your opponent makes a half-pot bet. This is a much better flop on which to attempt a delayed bluff. If you call this flop, it appears that you must have some sort of pair, and likely have a pair of jacks or even a set. Assuming a blank comes on the turn, your opponent will likely check unless he actually made a hand. If he checks, you now have the option of attempting a bluff on the turn or letting one more card come. Based on what card comes and what your opponent does in front of you, you now may want to bluff the river.

Note that reading an opponent's flop bet is very key to pulling off a successful delayed bluff. The delayed bluff really rewards players who are good at reading their opponents. You would be best served to attempt a delayed bluff on an opponent whom you read well, and whose play you find straightforward and not tricky. Whether or not you get caught attempting a delayed bluff, it may be a good idea to expose your hand to make yourself look like a goofball. After all, if a decent player thinks back about the hand and remembers that you called the flop with undercards and no draw, you may get a lot of action when you actually do make a hand. Just be sure to change gears and tighten up after showing a delayed bluff, since your opponents will likely be much more prone to pay you off after such a bluffing display. Also, the delayed bluff, just like any bluff, works much better if you have a tight, solid image. Do not attempt this bluff if you just lost a big pot, have been caught bluffing recently, or just have a bad table image.

I encourage all players to try to incorporate delayed bluffing into their no-limit hold'em game, even if they attempt it only in small pots, because it makes their play much less predictable and makes them much tougher to play against!

Happy holidays!

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.