No Limit Poker Palace Texas Holdem Semi Bluff
A much more effective weapon to have in your poker arsenal than simply the 'stone cold hope your opponent folds' bluff, is the semi bluff. Everyone sees the bluffs made by pro players on ESPN where that they had 2-5 off suit and took down a pot that had an Ace on the board, by bluffing and getting the other player to fold. However , the semi-bluff is more of a bluff that you make when you hit 'part' of your hand and also you are confident your opponent hit nothing. Let me explain to you what I mean.
You have A-7 suited in the Big Blind and therefore are able to determine a flop. The flop then comes K-7-6 rainbow. You found middle pair with top kicker. This is a hand that you can make a stab at with what I call a semi-bluff. If your opponent(s) doesn't hold a King, your bet causes it to be seem like you do have one, ergo completing the mentality of the bluff. However , the semi-bluff can work to your advantage because you still have 'live' cards or the possibility of hitting your hand if you do get a call. A� You get the very best of both worlds. If another 7 hits on the turn or river you have made your hand. If an Ace hits, you have probably made your hand as well, so you can confidently bet this hand and not be terribly worried if you get yourself a call.
By comparison, on what I call a 'naked' bluff, if you get a call or a raise from your own opponent, you are probably going to have to shut it down unless you think you can bluff him on another street. If you have nothing and he calls your bluff, you are in big trouble. If you are making a semi-bluff, then you do have some options and may want to continue in the hand.
The same goes for hands where you have a big draw. Let's say you are holding 6s-7s (suited) and the flop comes Ks-8s-9h. If you bet here's it a bluff? Sure, you have nothing but a 7-high in your hand. However , it's a semi-bluff because you have an up and down straight draw plus the flush draw giving you 17 cards that may hit your hand. This really is a great time to throw a bet at this pot because your odds of hitting a card that'll make your hand are so high.
Especially in gaple online poker where many times you are never sure what range of cards your opponents will be playing, I like to utilize the semi-bluff higher than a naked bluff. Obviously, this may depend on the game you are playing, or the purpose you have reached in a tournament, but overall, the naked bluff looks great on TELEVISION, but posesses lot of risk when it is utilized in online poker play.
