Huckleberry Seed
March 13, 2006
Deception is a vital tactic in poker. Usually,
when a player talks about a deceptive play, he's
referring to a bluff - a time when he represented a hand
of greater value than the one he held. But this isn't
the only deception available in poker - not by a long
shot. If you study your opportunities thoroughly, you
can use the threat of a bluff to engage in another type
of deception, one in which you're trying to convince an
opponent that you are bluffing when, in fact, you have a
great hand.
Say you're playing in a No-Limit cash game and things
are going well. You've been playing actively and
aggressively. You've been firing at a lot of pots, using
a combination of good cards and well-timed small bluffs
to pick up a number of them. To your tablemates, it
seems as if you're trying to capture every chip on the
table. They're starting to grow suspicious and feel
you're getting greedy.
With the table in this mindset, you call a middle
position raise from the big blind. You're holding modest
cards - 6d-8d. The flop comes 7c-4h-Qs. You now have a
gutshot straight draw and check. You're opponent bets
half the pot and you call, feeling that if you hit, you
can win a big pot. The turn is the Tc. Now you have a
double gutshot draw - any 5 or 9 will make a straight.
At this point, put out a large bet. If your opponent
holds Jacks or Ace-King, he'll likely fold. If he's got
Aces or Kings, he'll probably call. And, if so, you'll
know he holds a good hand that he's willing to defend.
The river brings a 9, completing your straight. Now
you can use you're aggressive image to your advantage.
Move all-in, even if the bet is two, three or four times
the size of the pot. To your opponent, it's bound to
look like a bluff. Your bet will seem ridiculously large
and impulsive. If you had the nuts, he'd reason, you'd
bet smaller, trying to get some value. He'll look at his
big pocket pair, feeling that he needs to make a stand
against your relentless play. This deceptive play
where you're actually representing a bluff will
give you a chance to win a huge pot.
If your opponent folds, you'll want to make a note.
You'll know he folded a big hand and might be willing to
make other lay downs in the future. But, you don't want
to push this guy too hard. If you force him to make two
or three big lay downs, he's sure to call you down
later. When he's reached that state of mind, make sure
you have a big hand the next time you play a pot
together.
No-Limit poker offers some great opportunities for
deception. As you develop your game, look for spots
where bluffs and the threat of bluffs can win you big
pots.
Huckleberry Seed
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