The Poker Basics Of Bluffing Like A Pro | SplitSuit Strategy

[@ThePokerBank]

Want to take your bluffing skills even further? Practice floats, barrels, and overbetting bluffs with the new *Postflop Workbook* out now: www.splitsuit.com/postflop-poker-workbook

[@CanadianLoveKnot]

Constructing a bluff is about understanding what hands your opponent has in their calling range, and what your hand looks like to them. The opposite is true when your line looks bluff, and your hand strength is disguised, such as turned set or a back door flush. That's also a green light to bet large and become more polarized and get hero called.

[@jrviade85]

To get hero called!? 😨 Then the hero will win! Because he's the hero!!

[@josephpatrick2938]

This is Joe F from the RCP forums. The free content you're putting out lately is beyond valuable, Jimmy. Great, great stuff and more people are talking about RCP than were a year ago. Definitely moving in the right direction. As for a book on bluffing: Absolutely! Although I bluff more today that I did a few months ago, I still underbluff and it stems from a lack of confidence at times, especially an overly astute attention to results oriented thinking in a small sample size. A book from you, on this topic, would no doubt clear up my remaining confusions.

[@splitsuit]

Cheers Joe!

[@m.e.taylor9544]

Thank you for doing the 1 percent, it makes the book that much better and opened my eyes to the fact that I was folding way to much.

[@EricA-xd9fn]

(at 2:40) Are the Pikachu and Charizard suited? :P

[@splitsuit]

One is fire and one is electricity - so def unsuited =(

[@nikemolan7191]

@@splitsuit But they were shiny!

[@Aline_Cedrac]

Love it! :D

[@shayreno1461]

The strongest starting hand.

[@eliehaddad4244]

I'd definitely consider buying this book if u make it

[@tobiaskarl4939]

Very good content. Thank you very much. These very fast spoken phrases and metaphors are sometimes difficult to understand for non-native English speakers. The subtitles don't always help either. At the end the content is usually easier to understand. Even the math. most of the hard work is analyzing what you said. 😄

[@acejerouinfigurasin6078]

You can do bluffs if you continue Cbet till you make it. Bluff only works on tight situation or the game is getting aggressive but in the end bluff in a wrong position most probably you will lose a lot and your game going tilt in a long run. The best bluff for me is understand how your opponents play he's card from 2pairs to set to open ended draw or flush draw and for top fair once you understand each player way of playing then you can make your own different types of bluff for different player play.the key here is patience and timing.

[@jeevanjoshy7388]

Yes l want you to write a book and thank you for you're great video's keep it up

[@splitsuit]

Thanks Jeevan!

[@rhyinsdad2189]

James, you are the man. I would love to buy you a coffee when you come to my little town this Summer for the WSOP. Keep feeding me knowledge and I will do my best to apply it to my game.

[@splitsuit]

Cheers! If you are in town, come on down to the Red Chip meetup: gumroad.com/l/rcp2019

[@kingrook8039]

Love these videos man. Keep em coming. Cant wait for online real money poker to come back to mass

[@splitsuit]

Cheers! And yes, online poker in the whole USA would be excellent =)

[@beanbot12]

I’ve always thought that a half pot bet size does not correspond to 33% equity. Half pot raise is 3:1 pot odds which is 25% equity. Am I wrong here? Pot -100 Bet-50 (half pot) Reward = 50(the raise) + 100(rest of the pot) Risk - 50( what you need to call to continue)

[@Aline_Cedrac]

That book would be very much welcome!

[@umasuki2]

Thanks for all your videos. You definitely helped me a lot. A book on bluffing will be really interesting. Lately I am playing some HU and spin tournaments and the very large ranges Preflop implies that there is a lot of bluffing post Flop. I will stay tune to hear what is your next project.

[@splitsuit]

You're very welcome Philippe =)

[@richiem7716]

I love poker but when it comes to percentages, be, etc my mind gets frazzled. Doesnt bode well for me

[@splitsuit]

Don't sell yourself short! It will take some time & work, but the math will bode well for you if you put in the effort =)

[@richiem7716]

@@splitsuit thanks james, bought unfolding poker and am currently unfolding it, ha. Great book and i too would buy ur next one. Great videos too.

[@splitsuit]

@@richiem7716 thanks Richard! Enjoy Unfolding =)

[@djg11693]

If you bet x/y times the pot, you opponent needs to fold x/(x + y) of the time to break even. 1/2 pot size bet means they need to fold 1/(2 + 1) of the time or 1/3 or about 33% of the time. 2/3 pot size bet means they need to fold 2/(2 +3) or 2/5 or 40% of the time. Full pot size bet is the same as a 1/1 pot size bet so they need to fold 1/(1 +1) or 1/2 or 50% of the time. 3/4 pot size bet means they need to fold 3/(3+4) or 3/7 or about 43% of the time. Twice the size of the pot is the same as a 2/1 pot size bet so they need to fold 2/(2+1) or 2/3 or about 67% of the time.

[@thomasrenaud9275]

From far your best video at explaining one of the most important theories of the poker game. Good work mate!

[@synchronium24]

I first read this as "far from your best video". Word order makes a big difference. XD

[@splitsuit]

@@synchronium24 I did too lol

[@splitsuit]

Thanks Thomas!

[@mihavatovec337]

Study yourself when you get the best conbination,memorize it,copy like an actor all the movements,and then use it when you are bluffing

[@shrekthelegend6162]

But wouldnt there be a higher chance of bb having good cards, since everyone else folded, and her didnt? Please answer someone

[@UncleJoeLITE]

Thanks again from Canberra.

[@beanbot12]

I think what would be helpfull is including the pot size when discussing the basic breakeven -%. Reason being is that I can see people interpreting that as betting half pot corresponds to 33% equity instead of a pot size bet.

[@roncapo6712]

I’m a newbie. What does it mean when you say ‘opponent must fold 1/3rd of the time ? ….how do you you know how much your opponent folds if you never played with him before. ??

[@rumba1121]

You need to estimate what range of hands he would have called/raised as he did pre-flop, and how well that range does against the flop. Someone who raised or 3-bet pre flop isn't likely to fold when the flop is AKQ. Someone who just coasted in on their BB probably will.

[@jdnation9326]

How do you actually calculate how often an opponent folds to a certain bet?

[@ekw555]

definitely up (or is it "down", like the kids say?) for a book on bluffing. and happy to proof, if you need a hand.

[@splitsuit]

Cheers ekw!

[@nomsolo9935]

Was LabVIEW used to write Flopzilla?

[@ThePokerBank]

I have no idea.

[@mrburns805]

Hey I have those same chips at 0:38. Pretty solid imo 👌

[@splitsuit]

They are ok. I'm thinking about getting a new set though =)

[@mrburns805]

James (SplitSuit) which ones are you thinking about getting? I paid $3.50 a sleeve for these. My friend paid $2.50 for his and they are much lighter and flimsier feeling. Although I like the clean look and solid feel of these chips, I wouldn’t mind picking up a relatively high quality set either.

[@splitsuit]

@@mrburns805 not sure - I might just go totally custom =)

[@mrbill9294]

Your bluffing book might be interesting if you put some focus on how the typical bluffing varies at different playing levels (2-5, 5-10, 10-25 etc) and different regions and cultures. Like Florida Vs Texas, U.S. vs International.) Discuss bluffing a function of the aggression factor of your player pool.

[@ThePokerBank]

Thanks Bill! I tend to avoid adding things like that into my books since those sorts of variables can change massively over time...

[@Logan619ine-i5q]

I’m sorry I’m kinda new what is a C-bet

[@dylanhalll407]

Betting the pre flop and the flop

[@pokerandtravel6946]

the bluff book sounds interesting

[@jollygrapefruit786]

Online, I win most of my hands just by bluffing. Once you understand your opponents limits, its essentially just a game of seeing how much you can get them to buy in before going in on a steep raise that they will fold on. An important rule that I keep close to heart is that you shouldn't be trying to win a ton of money, but rather just not lose a ton of money instead. If you come out ahead, then you did very well. If you lose 20% of your buy in, then you did okay. Just know when to walk.

[@literaryartist1]

That book would be an incredible resource and asset. Please commit to it.

[@bruceshirey1480]

A bluff book would be awesome

[@macmillerppp]

Your videos have helped me become a much better player. Ever considered streaming on twitch? Would totally tune into that.

[@splitsuit]

Cheers J! I've done some things via Twitch in the past (including writing the book Unfolding Poker), but I leave long streams to the people that have that skillset =)

[@YashDembla]

can someone please tell me what is Bobzilla or Fobzilla he mentioned about using 15 mins everyday

[@moarcoffeeyoutube]

Flopzilla

[@TonyEnglandUK]

I really, truly suck at maths, is that a major league hindrance to my poker winnings potential?

[@splitsuit]

In short, yes. But poker math is graspable with practice. Check out Qtip's book "Poker Math That Matters" or CORE since there are plenty of math-based lessons and lessons showing how to incorporate the math more easily: redchippoker.com/launch-core

[@draaaven771f9]

Great Video senpai!!

[@jackiehoo4887]

any discount for FLOPZILLA right now ?

[@splitsuit]

I don't believe so - but it's worth every penny!

[@Blakeburke1]

I’d buy the book if you write it

[@splitsuit]

Thanks Blake! It would be a fun project =)

[@Gos1234567]

I find a lot of players will call if they check and you bet,because that does look bluffy but if you bluff raise it looks very strong.Also the drier and less coordinated the board the easier to get folds as they think “What the hell is he bluffing with?”. Don’t triple barrel boards that go rag turn,rag river as they won’t fold the top flop pair or even 2nd pair. Better to bluff on turn hi,river hi run outs Also the general population under bluff raise so as a rule I fold top pair to these on turn and river unless I know the guy is capable of these plays.

[@sasquats666]

Love your videos they are very helpful! I dont really get the first part, why is it better to be 1/2 than 1/3? And something else, I find a big trouble when people call by bluffs and I have to consider if I stop or I continue. Any help on those two is appreciated :D

[@splitsuit]

Thanks Kostas! 1. If you expect folds at 65%, but 1/2 pot requires 33% and full pot requires 50% - both sizes are profitable but the 1/2 pot bet is better since the risk/reward gap is larger. Thought of course, in the real world there is usually a difference in fold-% given the bet size you choose... 2. Most players are reactive (I bet, they called, now what?) and focusing on the points in the video will help you become more proactive (If I bet and get called, here's my future plan on most cards...)

[@sasquats666]

@@splitsuit Thanks a lot that really helped! 1) So the only reason I would go with the full pot is that the other guy has more money or he usually call the small bets. 2)When I want to continue the bluff I usually try to check raise him instead of bet again cause I feel like I look stronger like this, although if he has a strong hand and doesnt fold I lose more money. There are any maths about taking this risk?

[@splitsuit]

@@sasquats666 Cheers! Download my spreadsheets and play with them imo (especially the EV ones: splitsuit.com/sheets )

[@MugenTJ]

Kostas - as a math teacher, it seems to me that poker and basic math go hand in hand. Yet an intuitive feel about risk and reward can be just as good. Meaning, the bigger the bluff bet, the better your hand looks, up to a point, then it start to look fishy, at that point it depends on your opponent own sense of risk/reward, since calling a huge bluff bet is very profitable. So without math knowledge, a good bluff bet is the same a good value bet, depending on who are you up against, their holding , their perception of your play...Don’t you just love poker!

[@rryan916]

Set up a patreon baby. Get that money up front from those that want that book.

[@splitsuit]

I've literally gone through all the setup of a Patreon - I just can't figure out a reward mechanism that I'm in love with and I really don't want another channel that I have to manage lol.

[@iYankrozHD]

Your voice is so goddamn soothing

[@WeeNat313]

I'm just learning to play online, for free of course until i get the hang of it. I kept winning just by bluffing bad hands but I think it was a computer I was playing against lol.

[@jackryanTV]

Sigh called with A high K kicker on the river thinking it was good because I was original 3 bettor but I checked back on flop and then guy leads into 2 people one guy fold I call he leads again for same bet like 40 into 230 and it was a 100% raise but I called and he had a weak second pair. Beating myself up from it

[@andrewmoulton7429]

I'm brand new and I find myself wanting to play every hand and try to make my opponent fold, but the people I play with only play if they have a good hand 90% of the time so I just lose lol

[@AH17293]

It should be easy to pick up many small pots then and give up on pots which you her resistance on. Also try and think of what hands you are trying to fold out and what hands you could possibly have when you are raising in your position given the action and if the story checks out on later streets, especially when the board texture changes

[@tijo12]

Write the book homie

[@FloTo09]

I prefer slow-playing the Charizard card.

[@redone212]

Please write it!

[@SuperKojota]

Do you grow beard to villains dont read your face? :P Can you more record triple barrel bluffs videos and explain how some ranges cover some boards.This theory how much villain foldf(in percentage) dont do any shit for me and other players who plays without HUD.

[@splitsuit]

lol. As for Fold%, that number still exists whether you can see it with a HUD or not. Yes, it's harder to track without a HUD, but that leaves more edge potential for those willing to put in the extra work =)

[@pot_kivach160]

Me: how many percent of time do you fold in these situations? Opponent: 36%. I calculated my BE and I bluff because it’s profitable down the road.

[@TheOrangeRoad]

I bet if you could belt out some screams for a metal band

[@splitsuit]

lol

[@darrenbrown7037]

This is very confusing. How could anyone know what percentage of the time their opponent is folding? I understand the higher one bets when bluffing the more pressure is on the opponent to fold if they have a weak hand, but still one could never know how likely it is they are going to fold or not. Every hand and situation is different.

[@jamescollier3]

Lol. Yeah sometimes poker advice reminds me of how the "experts" talk about the stockmarket after an event happens and they "explain" what just happened and why. Lol

[@fezcap]

That is the glaring problem with this video, while it’s overall good info and worth watching it’s missing the most important part. He does a reasonable job of explaining how to calculate breakeven point, he nearly doesn’t explain how to calculate your opponents fold equity at all other than just “running hands on flopzilla” so you only leave this video with half of the information you need.

[@johnshoultz4532]

great beard

[@Rosk03]

Dude packs a shit ton of content in just a couple words... Doesn't blink, doesn't flinch... Damn son, slow down for all of us normal peeps out here. You can make four 10 minute videos out of all the knowledge in your video. I'm downloading flopzilla; and like wtf did he just say ? Reeeewwwwiiiiinnnnd

[@splitsuit]

Blinking is sooooooooooo 2018 =P Happy exploring Roskoe!

[@Rosk03]

​@@splitsuit Thanks James, i'm already making more money at the table with your video.

[@additionaddict5524]

i find myself staring at the beard wondering if it's intentional or laziness defined

[@splitsuit]

A lazy beard has a VERY different appearance lol

[@additionaddict5524]

@@splitsuit fair enough :P

[@ramskullcapital]

You write it...I buy it 🤠

[@splitsuit]

=)

[@mosesjerezs3410]

Charizard! Pikachu! Attack!

[@vincentli6080]

Nuts

[@cata9223]

Legitimately says anybody can wait around for a good hand no skill. Also the adjustment is not getting sticky lol it’s actually bluffing back at them on another hand So, turns out that’s actually how you win at poker? Plus a few blind steals from button and final table every game

[@andymcgowan9819]

Flopzilla don’t run on my Mac.

[@EricA-xd9fn]

I appreciate your presentation, but it often has an over-reliance on 'math' versus psychology. Bluffing is more often about the psychological impact of the Board (scare-cards), recently past hands (bad beats), and opponent stack size(low-ish, but not too low), the personality of your opponent (sticky?). This is where your focus should be. Success or failure on bluffs is 80% within your opponent's head.

[@splitsuit]

But all of those psychological factors you presented have mathematical backing. Too many people say things like "x is all about psychology and feel" as an excuse to avoid putting the work into the math - and that's just not a recipe for longterm success.

[@EricA-xd9fn]

@@splitsuit Still, since you are a 'math-guy', you should appreciate using a flow-chart' approach to bluffing. BEFORE you run numbers, evaluate whether any of the aforementioned psychological factors are in play. You jump straight to a pot-size/bet-sizing calculation...putting the proverbial cart before the horse. If you intend to write a book, I'd take the psychology into consideration FIRST. Still, you are producing FREE content, so THANK YOU!

[@splitsuit]

@@EricA-xd9fn Cheers!

[@EricA-xd9fn]

@@splitsuit ...and don't forget to add a section on 'How to Sniff Out Bluffs' in your book.

[@adamzerner5208]

To elaborate on SplitSuit's point, "psychology" and "math" are totally intertwined. For example, suppose you know that your opponent is on a tight bankroll, just lost a big hand, and is afraid to lose more. That is a "psychological factor", but how exactly does that influence your decision making? It influences your decision making because it increases their folding frequency (FF%). That's how that psychological factor - "they're afraid to lose more" - equates to a mathematical factor (FF%). I want to argue that they are ultimately the same thing, but that's only true if your thought process "ends in math". If your thought process is "they're afraid to lose more, I'm just going to bluff", you aren't actually converting that psychological factor into a mathematical one, so I don't think that it is _quite_ the same thing. But you _should_ be converting it! Converting it just allows you to be more precise in your thinking. For example, say that you think your opponent is comfortable facing "normal" sized bets, but really uncomfortable facing overbets. So say you want to try a 2x pot overbet, because you think that psychologically, they're just afraid of it. Once you start getting in to the math, you'll realize that your 2x overbet needss to work 66% of the time to break even in a vacum, and perhaps a little bit more if you have reverse implied odds due to being pot committed or something. Let's say 70%. Next you look at your opponents range and see that in this particular spot, they will have top pair hands that they fold out, but they also happen to have 2p+ hands 40% of the time. So even though you're right that they are afraid of your 2x overbet and are folding their top pair hands, they happen to have enough nut-ish hands such that your bluff won't be profitable.

[@aldusnakius3358]

Thank you for draining your brain in those videos but do you ackowledge that the group of ppl you addressing to are mostly micro and low stakes players? So this bluffs can only blow our bankrolls in time unless we find ourselfs in super weak tables.

[@mero40k]

Lol pls show me the games where people need 2p+ to call turns

[@splitsuit]

You really can't think of a single player in your game who is overly-nitty against large turn bets?

[@mero40k]

@@splitsuit Dont see it often brother. I do adjust by overbetting turns vs perceived draws. Was basically printing money in Durant OK by doing this (upwards of 1.5x pot) when I was there because they literally never fold fd's. Did it again last weekend in my local and posted an $800 hourly over 3 hrs. Maybe it works more in games like the Commerce or Bellagio 5-10 when we get a bit deeper, like 300BB+ /shrug

[@lelio422]

But the 1st gen shadowless Chari is the Ace of Spades. Can't lose with that monster

[@delovunnblackmon593]

👍

[@potatorekt7046]

Don’t do that shit at low stakes, at least where I play, I had people 3 bet with 97o, and called my 4X size 4 bet all in with aces lol, people who called all in with a gut shot on the turn. When I flop top set on 2 7 8 rainbow board and bet, had 2 people went all in with only god knows what they have. Bluff? Nope, not against low stake calling stations.

[@Prometheus7272]

Potato Rekt Against fish the Tight Aggressive reigns supreme.

[@rcinc1460]

Yes this is a misleading title.

[@garyfox8701]

I fold virtually every hand... unless I'm winning. Then it doesn't matter how hard you bluff... that's not even bluffing... that's merely pretending! I've never ever lost a hand I've folded... just saying.

[@splitsuit]

You've also never won with a hand you've folded...just saying 😄

[@moonbull3137]

Bruh, I do not understand

[@splitsuit]

Bruh, ask an actual question if you actually want to understand something.

[@mekanarazmedov1786]

100% talking about water. 0% constructing bluff ranges. Wasted 13 minutes of my life.

[@splitsuit]

A 101 video isn't going to go deep in range construction. I'll give you a sweet tip to offset "wasting 13 minutes of your life" though...spend 5 seconds reading a title and if it includes a word like "basics" don't watch it if you want advanced content.

[@mekanarazmedov1786]

@@splitsuit , your title also includes "like a pro" and pros have more or less sophisticated ranges. I hoped to get some idea when to bet/raise with gutshots and when not to. On what boards to bluff with high cards and what holdings make your hand better bluff candidate. These are not necessarily advanced concepts. On top of that you didn't even do good job of explaining basics. You could at least say that hands with worst showdown value make good bluffs. You could also say that hands that don't lose equity on multiple streets are good bluffs. Also you could say that backdoor draws are good bluffs. Or card removal effect. How about betting more aggressively when we have range advantage. These are very, very basics of bluffs and you didn't mention none of them. You talked about balance and said nothing on how to balance your range. And worst of all, your whole video is somewhat misleading and can lead your viewers to make bad plays. You talked about bet sizes and didn't explain when to use smaller bet size and when to go big. You used flopzilla to guesstimate folding% and didn't give villain raising range. Villain could raise some gutshots and bottom pairs as a bluff and suddenly your bluff is not profitable. According to your analysis on Kc9h7c2s board we should bet 100% of our range with pot size bet. Good way to burn your money. You also said there is no difference between Q high bluff and 5 high bluff when in fact a lot of time there is a big difference between them. Anyway, I just made a mistake watching your video and since I'm looking for advanced concepts I will just skip your videos. Hope your bluff book will have "Not advanced concepts" and will not include "pro" in the title.

[@octopusslayer7621]

Maybe not so pro, eh?

[@nandexzzpedrerol1720]

why this guy speaks so slowly ?? and why he is not famous in poker?

[@splitsuit]

Thanks Nandexzz! As for speed, hit the little gear icon in the bottom of the KZbin player > Playback Speed > 1.75x - enjoy =)

[@user-eb5iy5fv6p]

this is so cringe I can't watch the video directly