Have you ever played against someone who seemingly never bluffs? Of course you have. In just about every low- or medium-limit game, there's at least one player who is capable of only a straightforward approach. He bets when he has something, folds when he doesn't, and would never dream of getting out of line.
Does it ever occur to you how easily he would be able to bluff you out if he ever tried? As a result of his straightforward play, he has created a legitimate image that he could use to his advantage. All he would need to do is choose a halfway-decent situation, and he could probably bluff successfully against any observant opponent. The problem is that this thought never occurs to most straightforward players. Instead, they let potential bluffing opportunities go to waste.
Some of the most rewarding feedback I've gotten regarding
The Book of Bluffs came from players just like that. They used to be purely straightforward, but now they are finding the courage to pull the trigger in profitable bluffing situations. They are recognizing their image and taking advantage of it whenever possible. One of my favorite stories comes from Bob Woolley, a regular reader of my column. He has sent me a lot of e-mail over the years, and it is always thoughtful and well-written. The one I received most recently was no exception:
Mr. Lessinger:
I bought and read The Book of Bluffs right after it came out. But, as is the case with most things one learns, the lessons sometimes fade away after a while, and need refreshing. Last night one of those lessons got refreshed by reading your column about always looking for opportunities to bluff. [Matt's note: He is referring to "The $11,500 Bluff" from issue No. 6.] I'm convinced that it was having that thought so recently replanted that led to a highly satisfying and successful bluff at the table today. I recount the story here only for what I hope is your shared pleasure at having contributed to pulling it off …
It's a $1-$2 no-limit hold'em game at the Las Vegas Hilton. I mostly play a classic tight-aggressive game. I had a long spell of getting no cards I could win with, and no good situations to make a move. When I finally caught a decent hand (A-J) and bet it on every street, I got called by one player all the way, including my all-in bet on the river. We ended up splitting the pot, because we each had an ace; there was an ace on the flop, and two queens and a king at the end, so neither my jack nor his 4 kicker played. He got very lucky, and was really pretty foolish to stay in the hand that long. Anyway, two friends (whom I'd never seen before) were on my right, talking about every hand and how they thought it had been played.
After that big pot was split, naturally, they were talking to each other about how bad my opponent's calls had been, and how lucky he got to split the pot. The guy on my right said to his buddy, "This guy (meaning me) has played only about two hands in the last hour, so you know he's not bluffing."
Ding! Little does he know, but he just set himself up for "The Big Bluff."
A few hands later, I'm in the small blind with 4-2 offsuit. It was complete garbage, but nobody raised, so for an extra $1, I'll see if I hit some sneaky miracle flop. I don't. Everyone checks around to the guy on my right, who is on the button. He bets $8. I suspect that nobody else hit anything, because nobody looked very interested in the hand, and it dawns on me that this might be the spot to try a steal if some card comes that scares him, like an ace or a king. So, I call. Everybody else folds.
The turn card is a jack, and the flop had been J
7
3
with no obvious flush or straight draws. He could easily have a jack, but since he's on the button, he really didn't need anything at all to take a stab at the pot on the flop when it was checked around to him. Therefore, I figure that if I check-raise him now, with that second jack out there, as long as he doesn't have a jack, he can't call. So, I check. He bets $12. I raise to $40. He is visibly bothered by this. He thinks a long time, then calls, and it appears to be a genuinely reluctant call.
There's now two of the same suit out there, so he might be on a flush draw. I decide that as long as the river card doesn't make his possible flush and isn't another jack, I'm going for it. It's a blank. I move all in for about $80 or so. He moans, rechecks his cards, and mucks, saying, "You must have me outkicked." I assume from that that he had something like J-4, and had to conclude that I had a better three of a kind. [Matt's note: I suspect that he was just talking to save face. I think it's highly unlikely that he folded trip jacks.]
Then, I do something that I almost never do: I quietly turn over the 4-2 offsuit. He and his friend check the board. They're thinking out loud: Did I have a straight? Nope. A pair? Nope. Not even any draws. It finally dawns on them that it was a pure bluff from start to finish. The guy drops his head and says, "Nice play, dude."
I'll bet that he still doesn't realize that it was his loose talk - specifically, announcing out loud his conclusion that I'm not a bluffer - that set this whole thing up. I don't think I would have done it without that comment planting the thought in my mind to look for a spot to target him specifically with a bluff.
So, thanks for writing a useful book, and for reminding me of its lessons with a recent column. A roughly $110 pot won't change my life, but it's a pretty good rate of payback for the few minutes it took me to read your column last night, and get that "look for bluffing opportunities" thought moved toward the front of my brain."
I trust that you enjoyed Bob's story, and I hope that you learned from it, too. Keep your mouth shut at the table whenever possible. Always look for potential bluff targets. And, most importantly, never underestimate your competition. Keep an eye on the guy who you think never bluffs. If he's anything like Bob, he might already be eyeing you as his next victim.
Matt Lessinger is the author of The Book of Bluffs: How to Bluff and Win at Poker, available everywhere. You can find other articles of his at www.CardPlayer.com.
