How To Bluff PERFECTLY

“I guess I should bluff” is not what you want to be telling yourself at the poker table. Today, I detail my bluffing flowcharts that will give even beginner poker players the know-how they need to bluff effectively!
You should always be aware of bet sizing and what different sizes will do to your opponent’s range of hands. In this video I show you my bluff sizing flowchart so you know how big (or small) you should make your bet. I also give you the strategy I use to decide how frequently I should bluff at the poker table!
Bluffing Framework:
◘ Auto-calls: Hands opponent will easily call
◘ Auto-folds: Hands opponent will easily fold
◘ Blockers: Relevant cards that lessens the likelihood or prevents your opponent from having certain hands
Bluffing Frequency Flowchart: (No = Don't Bluff, Yes = Bluff)
1. Is the opponent capable of folding?
2. Do I lack showdown value?
3. Do I have many value hands in my range?
4. Are my blockers highly relevant?
5. Do I unblock my opponent's auto-folds
6. Does my bluff tell a credible story?
Bluff Sizing Flowchart: (No = Small, Yes = Large)
1. Zero showdown value?
2. Opponent have many marginal made hands?
3. Do I block many nut hands?
4. Am I trying to get the opponent off of a strong hand?
5. Am I representing a nutted hand?
Take my free bluffing mastery quiz: pokercoaching.com/bluffingquiz
#pokerstrategy #bluffing #jonathanlittle

[@MichaelTilton]

My advice: In addition to knowing the cues Mr. Little has outlined, if you're not getting caught bluffing from time to time, you're not bluffing enough. You'll want to get calls on your good hands, you ought to have bluffs in your range as well. That means, getting caught for reputation purposes.

[@kenrobinson1188]

I have to say...I've gotten much better at picking my spots bluffing...BUT, when I get it wrong, it gets costly.

[@checkthenutz]

Sometimes you just run head first into the wall. That’s why you gotta keep track of sessions. So you can look back when you get stacked bluffing, at all the other nights where you bluffed your butt off and walked away clean.

[@drdooba5432]

Dats poker baby

[@mikehickmanvloggamessingin3604]

​@checkthenutz. It does not matter what the RESULTS, what happened are, win or lose, it matters whether you made a right decision. In order to know, remember you made a right decision, you need to know the player type, situation, hand history, and need to understand how to play, aka GTO/Exploitative, positional poker, when to bluff, etc, and how to analyze situations, hand history, etc. Then if one knows, does these, those things correctly, and as a result of that, if they made a right decision, then that's all that matters. And if they made a wrong decision, then it's important to recognize, accept that, but not beat oneself over the head about it, and remember to not do, not do that mistake again, and improve, get better, do better next time. That's the secret to winning poker. Easy to say, Not always easy to do, at least for everybody, or everybody would be winning players over the long term, and it's the long term that matters, not short term results.

[@bilyonarelifestile2226]

i was the villain in this spot, and i called Mr Little’s bluff with a pair of deuces

[@connorcrump3825]

@@bilyonarelifestile2226 Doesn't really matter because the money he lost with the bluffs will be made up for by the value gained in his value range for this spot (10's and pocket pairs).

[@ricbelding9307]

This was a very good video and practical set of advice. It's nice to finally get away from all of those 13x13 graph charts and simply interpreting them.

[@UncleJoeLITE]

Thanks for making the logical flow chart. I shall go & try this out right now.

[@georgebabamirza8067]

Great video Ty JL

[@PokerCoaching]

You're welcome, George!

[@Mr.Fluface]

Great video. I am a new poker player and I am trying to learn as much as possible. I plan to sign up on your website but I just want to get to know a little more before I do. Thank you so much !!!❤

[@wolfepakt]

If you're new to poker, sign up and do the free fundamentals couse. Great way to test the site and get a feel for the curriculum and style without spending money up front

[@kaktusrouge]

I hate the term "blockers". It implicitly implies that the opponent can't have certain draws. Why not prefer the term "limiters" or something similar?

[@christianausmuddi91]

I love your videos! Very good summary! Please make a video of when to shove the river and when to go for thin value! greets from fishland-germany :)

[@PokerCoaching]

Thanks Christian! So glad you found it useful

[@jventure1961]

Good one. Thanks

[@philipmehl9355]

This was a great video 👍

[@PokerCoaching]

Thanks Philip! 👍

[@newstandardaccount]

12:15 - we don't block any nut hands? Wouldn't you consider 78 a nut hand? Opponent might play it passively too given his image, but we block some of those straight hands.

[@sammearle]

Do I block “many” nut hands not “any” nut hands

[@JeffKotz]

Thanks for the advice to stop do the example. I'm here to learn from your instructions; I might as well follow them.

[@nibblerdoo]

Can you please make a video at some point going over bomb pot theory? Especially in 9max do we just X-C with our great made hands and X-F everything else? should we ever be betting?

[@yizhu5100]

Try to use this method in tomorrow’s live game. Thx.❤

[@PokerCoaching]

Good luck!

[@emtothedee]

The key to bluffing is knowing that the pool does not meet MDF versus any bet size on the river, no matter what path in the game tree the hand took to get there. At worst, your bluff is breaking even. Happy bluffing kings

[@CamBZ-pl6md]

Suuuuuuper underrated comment. Most dont even know what mdf is let alone how one meets the frequency

[@utkarshkaniyar6210]

Ehh, no decent player will defend with less hands than MDF, seems kinda like a generalized statement that won’t against even the most barely competent players.

[@mikehickmanvloggamessingin3604]

Even tho I don't know what the term MDF means, I probably understand the concept what MDF means, whatever it is. It sounds like talking about Pure GTO frequency, in relation to pot odds, with no consideration of exploitative poker conditions(AKA do they call or fold too much) If that is what that talking about, then according to pure GTO, it does not matter what the other player does, or does not do, etc, as all that matters is if your bluff will work a certain percentage of time relative to pot odds, etc. According to that, if your pot odds, is 3 to 1 pot odds, then your bluff only needs to work 1/3 of the time to break even. Anything better then that, like working 2/5 of time, and the bluff is profitable long term in that that specific, long term scenario, no matter what your opponent does, etc. While that concept does work, etc, GTO + Exploitative poker is better then pure GTO, and pure exploitative by themselves. If one uses elements, and combines elements from both pure GTO, and pure exploitative poker, they will have a higher win rate then those that either practice just pure GTO, or pure Exploitative. While pure GTO, doing everything according to pure GTO frequency, and nothing else matters, while that is technically unbeatable in theory, and in practice, it can be, often is hard, harder then pure GTO+pure exploitative, and harder then pure exploitative, and is not as profitable as GTO + Exploitative, not as profitable as exploitative.

[@CamBZ-pl6md]

@@mikehickmanvloggamessingin3604 you basically explained what it is, MDF is minimum defence frequency. Do agree with what youre saying btw about combining both approaches but i would assume that’d be a given for anyone aware of both. That said the point is definitely valid.

[@connorcrump3825]

@@utkarshkaniyar6210 The solver actually NEVER calls more than MDF and sometimes even calls under MDF. It is kind of a misleading concept as there is really no reason to ever call more than it so it really should be called maximum defending frequency. PokerGiraffe did a video on this. Calling more than MDF makes the opponents bluffs -EV and they can exploit you by simply not bluffing as much but still gaining EV from their value range with the extra calls. By calling at MDF or slightly below, the opponent has to have some bluffs in their range or they are losing value. Obviously nobody plays perfectly and you should always try to exploit but just theoretically speaking calling over MDF is actually a mistake on the river. Basically this way of looking at is the MDF is the maximum you can call where your opponent still has incentive to bluff. In solver land, no equilibrium has ranges where there are no bluffs.

[@carterbutler2535]

Arent you not supposed to vary your bet sizings based on the value of your hand? Or does rhat rule only really apply to value betting not bluffing?

[@rickyhadrian5165]

Everytime i bluff in the good spot, people always called me with really weird second pair or two pairs when flush and str8 gets there, i don't know if i have a really huge live tell or what but hope.this video will actually help me out, because i almost never run good and my raising hand never hit the board.

[@unfrostedfortnite8133]

At least at the low stakes, you will often run into opponents who will call you down with a lot of weak pairs and random two pairs even when all the draws make it. IMO bluffing is less effective at low stakes where your opponent will likely not even be considering what hands beat them at the river.

[@johnnytwotimes7854]

Some players are calling stations who will just never fold, you should basically never bluff against those types of players

[@TrentonO3000]

Here's a good way to tell: Do you catch your opponents checking you out before they make a decision? If so, they're probably looking for a read/tell. If so, note WHERE they're looking. Most people think they're giving a tell away on their face, but often it's something else like the hands (trembling/bet timing), chest (breathing), or legs (bouncing). If you're not noticing your opponents sizing you up when bluff-catching, you're probably running into scenario #1 in the flowchart more often than you think.

[@connorcrump3825]

Yeah against that type of player the first question in the flowchart is the most important. If they never fold just don't ever bluff and you win. Not as fun and you gotta be patient though.

[@diamondinvr]

I play with friends every now and then. I've noticed that none of them ever play hands unless they have something (we don't allow preflop betting). How would you play against that? There is 8+ of us so someone always has something (generally)

[@wolfepakt]

Personally? I would run from that game..... basically nothing but bomb pots? No thanks

[@PO-Dunk_din]

Would it have been wrong to bet the turn? I would have bet the turn in order to sell my bluff on river. I would want villain to believe I had a 9 and was attempting to squeeze value out. Might even get a 10 x to fold if they are weak

[@jenghiskhan69]

Sometimes it’s strong to check and then bet if u understand

[@PO-Dunk_din]

@@jenghiskhan69 yes I do understand that. But this is a weak tight player . If we were to actually have that 9 checking turn then betting thin value would be lost on this person. Triple barrel bluff is hard to pull off but here I think it would fit. Giving the conditions.

[@nhynyx]

@@PO-Dunk_din If he's weak tight then he won't know he's supposed to be leading turn a ton on that 9. Pop way under leads turns in this spot with trips anyways. In theory vs those playertypes, we should have a 0% betting range on the turn. Pop will have almost full weight 9x in this spot when they chk turn.

[@christianausmuddi91]

Like giraf would say: If they check, you bet. If they bet you fold! haha! I would maybe also bet the turn 75% and then give up...

[@jonpaxman]

I don't understand the rationale for zero showdown value tending to bet big. I would have thought if you have zero value, there are more hands that beat you which can fold to a small bet. The example of betting small with ace high i also don't really get. If you're getting looked up by king high at any kind of frequency then surely it's not a very good bluff.

[@robintsounis]

👏

[@PokerCoaching]

Thanks!

[@justinhart7172]

Why he diss Kessler?

[@AlanBurr-nu5tm]

Garrett A.

[@DefiGuy808]

🤙

[@Hyperborean_2]

If I 3 bet preflop how do I tell a credible story whit that river?

[@Tootbook]

Poor allen

[@kevinmclain6741]

Perfectly?

[@aboveaverage3748]

Know your enemy!

[@user-iq9xg9lv9v]

Especially if you are playing $1/$2 games in casino, be careful about bluffing. Your whales, maniacs, LAGs are calling you a lot of times even on Ace high or a weak pair.

[@pixlize]

First?

[@michaelmaitland3126]

If my opponent will never fold, then I will never bluff. But you said I have to bluff to be a winner. What do I do?

[@mikehickmanvloggamessingin3604]

The statement that have to bluff is USUALLY True in General, meaning there are situational exceptions, like when a opponent never bluffs. That said even against a opponent that never folds, they are a opponent that ALMOST never ever folds, as about, around 1 time in about around a 1000, they do fold. So you thinking they never fold can be just your perception, and can be right or wrong. Also because of the above, and even if they dont ever fold, you need to get caught bluffing once in a super great while against a call station, because doing that can make it seem like to them that you bluff more then you do, and can get your made hands called, which can make you more money then you lose getting caught bluffing into a call station in a rare while. And so that's why you have to bluff to win at poker, it's just that against call stations, you rarely bluff, but still have to bluff on rare occasions in order to win or win more.

[@dbb1064]

if they never fold get a good hand and go allin

[@YourPalJamieEllis]

Show me someone who says getting a big bluff through isn't their favorite part of poker, and I'll show you a damn liar.

[@christianausmuddi91]

Triple up with the nuts feels also very good 😇😛