Jonathan Little Attempts a Gigantic 2x-Pot River Bluff
Bluffs can be fun sometimes, and when attempted they create some interesting hands afterwards to analyze. I've been sharing a few attempted bluffs lately, and today have another one to discuss.
This hand comes from early in a European Poker Tour event. The blinds are 100/200 with a 25 ante, and I'm on the button with about 25,000 when I'm dealt J♥10♥. A European player who looks to be in in fifties and is tight-aggressive raises to 525 from the hijack seat, and I decide to call from position with my suited connectors.
The flop comes 8♥4♠2♦, my opponent continues for 600, and I decide to call. The turn then brings a heart — the 6♥ — giving me a flush draw. Interestingly (because the board is still all low cards) my opponent bets again, this time 1,300. I decide to raise to 3,000 and he calls, and when the river brings the 8♦ my opponent checks.
Here I am again with total air on the river. How does this always seem to happen?!
I decide to bluff — and bluff big, going all in for more than twice the pot, and more than what my opponent has left behind. Take a look and listen to why I made that decision and to find out what happened:
When you attempt a bluff, you always want to figure out which part of your opponent's range you are trying to make fold. If you are trying to make your opponent fold an overpair, you should usually make a sizable bet.
When is the last time you made a 2x-pot river bluff, and what were the circumstances? Share in a comment below.
Jonathan Little is a professional poker player and author with over $6,300,000 in live tournament earnings. He writes a weekly educational blog and hosts a podcast at JonathanLittlePoker.com. You can follow him on Twitter @JonathanLittle.
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