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Free Online Poker Guide To How To Semi Bluff

December 4, 2010 at 11:25 am | In Play poker online for free | No Comments
Tags: free online poker, free poker games, free poker online, free poker tips, how to play poker for beginners, play online poker for free

In this free poker games article we’re going to look at the art of semi-bluffing.

A good place to start is to define what a semi bluff actually is. A full, or stone cold bluff is when you have a hand with no potential at all. But if you bluff where you have a bit of something and that’s what we call the semi-bluff.

For example, when you have a hand like Ad-Kd at a board of 6h-7h-8s-10h and you bet large or raise your opponent?s bet large, you are executing a pure bluff.

This is due to the fact that the hand didn’t get better with the Flop and got even worse at the Turn. But if you put your opponent on a weaker hand like A-Q or even a draw like A-J, then you can push him out of the pot by betting substantially. This big bluff is the only chance you have should you choose to go for it rather than fold. If he calls your bluff, then your A-K can’t stand much pressure.

Now lets say you have 7-6 and the Flop shows 5-4-J. Your opponent checks. You reckon he might just have a raggy Jack so you check. Your intention is to fold if your hand does not improve and/or if he plays aggressive, but your primary reason for checking is to catch a 3 or 8 and nail the opposing A-J, K-J or 9-9 later on.

However, suppose your opponent checks and you bet? In this situation betting has two purposes. Increasing the pot if you manage to improve to your Straight is one. Two, of course, is to nail your opponent. If he’s got nothing then he’s out of course. (With 9-9 he may move out.)

But what if he has the Jack? If he had a weak Jack (say, J-8) he may put you on a bigger Jack, say, A-J, or K-J and he may move out. Because you bet (or raise) it indicates that your pocket cards somehow fit the community cards.

Now, he may call, and you proceed to the Turn and the River. You figure out now he may have A-J or K-J. Or he may continue with 9-9.

If your hand doesn’t improve yet on the later rounds then you can pure-bluff your opponent all the way or stop.

If you hit your straight though, what then? It could be that he was putting you on a weaker Jack post the Flop (such as J-8) or he might raise with A-J or K-J. He has no idea that the Straight was completed!

He does not realize at all that the 3 or 8 made it for you. You can now crush your opponent. This is the semi part.

Here you can now win in two ways: Through the “bluff” part, your opponent will fold and you still have the pot. Or through the “semi”, both of you will show down your hands, and you win a larger pot.

Also, you can check and check until you complete the Straight, but you show your opponent your hand. The next time he will play with you, he might be scared if a similar situation arises.

If you semi-bluff, however, you still show your opponent if he decides to continue, but additionally, you can make your opponent fold so he cannot guess what you have.

Overall lesson? You can be more unpredictable with semi-bluffing so get practising! And what better place to play poker online free than http://www.NoPayPOKER.com where you don’t have the fear of losing money like you do at on money sites or live tables yet you can still win real cash on risk free free poker games.