Calling the Flop to Bluff the Turn

Texas Holdem is a game where you must have a variety of moves in order to take pots. A key element to Holdem is the ability to bluff. Today we are going to look at calling a bet on the flop in order to take the pot away on the turn.

Let’s assume you called a pre-flop raiser with 8s-2s. This is a garbage hand and totally useless but in this case we are playing our player and not our cards. The flop falls 7c-Qh-7d and you opponent bets into you. You have nothing right now but air. You decide to make the call. There is no reason why you should normally make the call here, but we are playing our opponent and not the cards. The turn falls the 2c and your opponent makes a bet near the size of the pot. You then move all-in. Your opponent sits and thinks for several minutes and then finally folds pocket Kings face up. You collect the pot as you tell him “Nice laydown.”

What happened here? Why did your opponent fold? This falls under the realm of playing the player and not the cards. In order for this type of move to work, your opponent has to be somewhat of an astute player. You can’t use this type of bluff on a player that is too stupid to fold. Basically, you need to have a great read on your opponent. Let’s break down his potential reasoning.

First, the flop came paired. He had an over pair to the flop and bet out. You then called. You then raised all-in on the turn. It looks exactly like you had flopped a set. What type of holding could you possibly have in your hand that you would only flat call pre-flop? If you had a small pocket pair, such as deuces, you might call and hope to see a flop. The same holds true with pocket sevens. A hand that would be more likely to fit this scenario would be a hand such as A-7 suited. If you were in late position, that hand would be somewhat of a reasonable expectation. Chances are that your opponent put you on something like A-7 and made the laydown to your “set”.

This type of move is used best on opponents that you have a good read on. Also, it requires that you make the type of plays that coincide with strong play. For example, if you would have raised all-in on the flop in the example above, he probably would not have given you credit for your set. He probably would think that you would wait and try to slow play.

Bluffing is considered to be an art form by many players. In reality, bluffing is using information that you know about a player and trying to use that information and the element of fear to try and force them to fold. When used correctly, this type of move can help to add more money to your stack. Good luck to you at the tables.

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