Splash Around To Avoid A Slow Death

In tournaments, if you make a point to only play premium hands, you will ensure you are a favorite in most pots you play. However, you will also ensure you will blind out unless you get dealt an amazing run of big cards.

You must embrace the fact that most of the money in tournaments goes to the top few finishers. In tournaments with lots of players, you have to attempt to get ahold of some chips in exchange for going broke some portion of the time in marginal spots. Sitting around and “waiting for a better spot” may make you feel comfortable, but it will also result in your bankroll slowly bleeding away.

In a recent $3,500 buy-in main event, I raised to 800 out of my 40,000 stack at 200-300 from the cutoff with 9 7. The small blind called and the big blind three-bet to 2,100.

I just got moved to this table and had no reads on my opponents except they seemed to both be reasonable, but recreational players.

Calling is my only viable option. While my nine-high is always “behind,” be sure to account for the pot odds, implied odds, and positional advantage. Had my opponent three-bet to a more optimal size of perhaps 3,800, I would have folded, but when it is only 1,300 more to call into a pot that will be at least 5,200, I have to continue with all hands that have the possibility to flop well.

The small blind folded, which was probably not a good play due to his amazing pot odds, which indicates his initial call from the small blind was quite poor. The flop came A 5 2, giving me two weak backdoor draws. My opponent checked.

At this point, I can either check and usually give up or attempt a multi-street bluff when I turn some additional equity. My opponent looked quite annoyed that the ace flopped, so that made me think his range was tilted toward underpairs.

Since most people will not call bets on all three streets with under pairs, I decided to bluff. I bet 2,000 into the 5,200 pot.

I did not want to bet too large because I would have no idea if I should continue bluffing on the turn and river, given the opponent could easily still have an ace. Betting small ensures his continuing range will be quite wide, allowing me to profitably make additional bluffs on the turn and river.

The opponent called. The turn was the 10, giving me a flush draw. My opponent checked.

When I turn any sort of additional equity, I have a mandatory bluff with the intention of betting the river most of the time. If my opponent folds, that is great, and if he calls, I can improve to a premium hand on the river, and when I don’t, he may fold to my third barrel.

Notice I would play my premium made hand in exactly the same manner, making it impossible for my opponent to know if I am value betting or bluffing. As on the flop, if I bet too large, I will not know if I should continue bluffing on the river because I will not know how wide the opponent’s range is. By betting somewhat small, he may still call with underpairs and weak aces that I can likely bluff with a big river bet.
My opponent thought for a while before calling. The river was the 2.

Sticking with the plan, I have a mandatory bluff, especially since the obvious front door flush draw came in. I bet 10,000 into the 17,200 pot.

This is where you want to use a sizable bet to “ensure” your opponent folds all hands worse than a strong ace, which ideally will not be in his range because he would bet them on the flop. If the opponent’s range is capped at weak aces, he will likely fold his entire range, making the river bluff extremely profitable.

Notice that this situation would be much rougher if I knew the opponent’s range was stronger, which would have been the case if I used larger bets on the flop and turn.
My opponent thought for one second before throwing his K-K into the muck face-up. It is nice when a plan comes together!

I created a simple flowchart to help you bluff like a pro. This flowchart has 11 questions you should always ask yourself when deciding if you should bluff. I also recorded a short video that shows you how to use this flowchart by going through two hand examples! ♠

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Jonathan Little is a two-time WPT winner and the 2024 PokerGO Cup champion with nearly $9 million million in live tournament earnings, best-selling author of 15 educational poker books, and 2019 GPI Poker Personality of the Year. If you want to increase your poker skills and learn to crush the games, check out his training site at PokerCoaching.com/cardplayer.