The turn.

You're right on both counts.
1. I'm usually perceived super tight, and if I get to SD I have the winning hand like 80-90% of the time, and I rarely bluff (notwithstanding the three HHs I just posted). So when I do pull one off, I don't really mind advertising it to get action later. Nevertheless, keeping my image clean is a good idea.

2. Yes, I was trying too hard. It was an ill-disciplined call, but I was just so card dead that my patience was wearing thin. When I get like that, I press a little and successful or not, it wakes me up and makes me play better. It is still a leak I need to plug.

I doubt you're actually good 80 - 90% of the time when you get to SD -- I'm assuming some harmless exaggeration. But if you're anywhere close to that, you're folding too much on earlier streets. Search for articles on Went to Showdown and Won money at Showdown for more explanation.

Thank you, I will look for that article. Yes, I'm folding way too much on earlier streets. I fold mid pair to any size bet on the flop (pending solid read) etc., even if I shouldn't. I fold to a decent sized raise (very rarely pay off) even if I shouldn't. My MO is basically that I should be the one betting and everyone else should be calling my bets, never (or rarely) the other way around. I'm therefore super exploitable by decent players, but there's only a few of them at 1/2, and I can tell who they are and when they are trying to exploit me.

I'm a newbie to live NLH poker (~135 hours). I somewhat understand proper +EV play, but at this point I'm slowly building my bankroll up. So my goal is to eke out a $100 or $200 a night (at this point if I go home with a dollar more than I brought to the casino, I'm happy), until I have 20 buyins ($5K) (ideally about 40 buyins to really feel comfortable and play solidly). Right now I have 14 buyins. I do have upswings with the odd downswing. I'm not really playing scared poker as I can stack off with overpairs, pull off a couple of bluffs etc., but I'm playing conservative poker and not really value betting/calling light.

Here's a hand I played somewhat poorly, maybe it was a little ambitious to think he would fold, but I tried anyway

1-3, 500 cap, Saturday night

Hero has been playing fairly straightforward. V has also been pretty straightforward and he's shown some tight folds, complaining on how ****ty he's been running for some period of time

Hero had straddled the last 4-5 hands in a row as an unannounced self penance for not doing a shot with the table (I was planning on leaving soon)

Hero forgets to straddle UTG, OFC wakes up with KK, hero limps because MP has been raising everything, getting it in super light, so Hero is going for a nonstandard line

Like 7 limpers (doh)
Flop: 842

BB bets 20
Hero calls (should be raising here and I get myself into trouble later because I didn't)
Folds to SB who x/r to 60 (525ish eff)
BB calls
Hero eventually calls because it's basically the only option at this point

Turn: A
SB bets 90
BB folds
Hero tank jams for ~435

Hero's thought process:
I really only expect V, since he was pretty ABC player, to be x/r with NFDs, combo draws, sets, 2 pair. Based on the way I played my hand up until this point, I look like I have a draw. With the turn being specifically the A, it removes the possibility that he has a big FD. My bet is a big bet in real $ amount, even if it's under pot sized.

This isn't a bluff I would try on most players.

V tank folded A8o

I showed and multiple people said they weren't folding to me anymore (which ultimately is what I wanted, which is why I showed)

V blows up talking about how I played the hand so wrong and should have raised his x/r (?! I guess so he could know he's not good and fold??!?)

Was stuck playing a 1/2 game this morning, typical limpfest. I'd been playing for an hour and a half and only hands I played were limps from the blinds and 2 hands I raised with pre: 86 and 64. Was 1-1 in those pots and never showed down. Quite card dead. Currently at my low point for the session. $78 stack down from my $100 starting stack.

3 limps, and I look down at 52 in the cutoff. I considered raising it, but noticed the button was going to raise so I limped. Button makes it $12. FWIW, most raises at the table had been $7 but I had made it $12 both times I raised previously. The 3 limpers called. I shoved for $78.

Playing 2/5.

EP and MP limp. I raise $25 Jc8c in the cutoff. BB and EP limper call.

Flop ($80) 9s8h4c. BB leads $35 with $175 behind. EP folds. I shove.

BB instafolds. Gotta punish the donk lead.

Only ran two bluffs in my last session, 4 hrs 20 min. I'd like to know the bluff frequency of winning players here if anyone wants to share? I was playing TAGish with emphasis on the T and maybe a lowercase "a". I had only showed down top pair or better all night. I don't really count hands, so I cant accurately quote VPIP or PFR stats but it was textbook tight. Anyway, I tend to get people's attention and then not be able to get paid off when I'm this tight so on occasion I'll look to open a pot in position with a marginal hand if I've been card dead for too long. I call it "buying action", so then when I have a hand I still get calls. If I win the hand, great. If I lose the hand it helps my image as long as I don't spew, which I very rarely do (I might GII with a combo draw on the flop). I don't have it in my head how I will proceed ahead of time. I adjust to the board and the Villians. Anyway OTTHs:

First bluff (2/5): Hero (~$800) in CO with 8 6 raise to $30
2 callers, V1 Older WG, tournament player who sees way to many flops, I cover. V2, LP player is all over the place, I also cover.
Flop: (~$95) Q73r
Checks to hero who bets $60. Everyone folds.

Second bluff: Hero (~$1000) in LP (CO or HJ) with AJo raise to $35
Same V1 from above calls, V2 calls, V3 calls. The flop comes 9 high rainbow. Checks around to Hero. Hero bets $70 (1/2 pot was kind of light and a mistake in retrospect if Hero decides to c-bet here, checking is probably best but this thread is not for checking in position). Only V1 calls.
Turn is a Q. V1 checks. Hero decided V1s range was 1 pair or straight draw and bets $200. V1 tank folds. After the tank fold I'm sure it was more than a single draw, either combo draw or pair plus draw.

I realize these aren't "optimal" bluff situations and how badly things could have gone, but I've found if I play super tight and mix in a bluff every 2 hours or so, in position I've been successful. Again, I try to make a read on V and consider board and V strength before double barreling, and I don't really have a triple barrel bluff. I literally cant remember doing this in years. With my nit-ish play style I rarely find myself in spots where I think it would be needed. Is that a problem?

I tend to agree that playing tight at 1/2, while it can be boring, is typically printing money. Even if you're losing value as you say, as long as you can identify the players exploiting your style and adjust accordingly you'll be able to continue to grow your game. If the table gets to tough, just move. As your hours pile up and you drop the newbie title you'll obviously want to continue to add tools to your game (some of which will increase variance but also increase profits in the long run).

WP. Good spot to use your card dead image to gobble up some free $$.

Love it.

Hand 1 really isn't a bluff as we have BD str8 equity if any 4-10 comes. More of a semi bluff and a good board for it.

Hand 2 is moreso, especially the flop. I like the turn bet as that is a great barrel card for us. Overall, seems OK.

Only thing I would say is don't "look" to bluff hands in advance. Rather adjust to spots that look profitable as they come up versus specific players and always IP and deep. Gotta have both those to run multi-street as otherwise you just can't manouver well enough.

Bottom line as always is at levels 5/10 and below, most of our earn comes from betting the living crap out of value hands and not bluffs. I especially need to keep this in mind during dry periods where I just don't get value chances. Getting antsy is my biggest leak and I am sure it is one for others too.

1/3 NLHE, folded to me UTG +2, I open to 10 with A10o

Folded to SB who is a 40-45 year old white guy. Nerdy, knows some poker talk but isn’t applying any of it, and is instead limping/calling with about 80%.

He calls B.B. folds, HU to 9 8 5r flop. Ck, Ck

Turn 3 bring bdfd, he leads 20 and I decide to float. I don’t have a blocker to the FD.

River 2 completing the flush and he quickly bets 25. Feels blocker’ish. My story and hand suck for it, but naturally I make it 110 Bc I’m a fish.

V folds Bc he would rather limp 20 of the next 25 hands than call off 1/3 of his stack here.

Interesting take one Hand 1. I typically consider less than 6 outs while clearly trailing the opponent (8 high) a bluff, but I did have some BD / gut shot / pair draws. I was previously considering FD or open ender a semi bluff. Not sure how to work in more semi bluffs with weak draws but I'll see if I can find any good write ups on it.

Agreed, I try not to look for spots. But when I'm opening light and I get checked to I am more likely to find a spot like this. I try to always account for Villain, board, and position as well. I'm not just bluffing to represent something. I'm bluffing because I believe my V can find a fold given all factors involved.

To your last point. There aren't a lot of 5/10+ games here. Once casino has a pretty regular 5/10 or 10/10. The others typically max at 2/5. I accidentally sat a 2/5/10 once where I asked for 2/5 and was mis-seated. I thought the straddle was voluntary until it got to me lol. Then I decided to play for an hour for the education before I moved. I made about $80. I found that 3 or 4 of the players were 2/5 regs and the game didn't seem to play much differently (except for the starting bet sizes and stacks). The 2/5/10 here has a max buy of $3k. So if the players are almost half the same shouldn't I start using more advanced concepts at 2/5? I hear that advice a lot (at that level just play ABC), and I'm not in a rush to out level myself, but I do feel that knowing and employing advanced concepts will help my game at any level...?

It doesn't make much logical sense for me to limp/shove from the CO. Sure, if someone was highly observant then they might notice that the button was raising before I had acted but aside from that I'm not repping much. Just low/middle pocket pairs and complete bluffs..maybe JT type hands. Because of that I'd expect this to be called at higher levels.

The play of 1/2s can vary quite a bit. This particular 1/2 plays small and somewhat nitty. The room spreads a 1/3 with the same $100 min buyin so most players that don't want to nit it up will play that game. It was kind of funny because when I shipped $78 in the middle there were gasps throughout the table as if I just put this huge sum of money into the pot. The button kept saying that it didn't make sense, which it didn't. However, I don't think he could wrap his mind around a player putting that much money in the middle without a real hand.

To the bolded of course. That being said, IME until you get to $10/$25, there is rarely a live game where taking exploitable lines still isn't the best strategy to get the $$. Sure you might find exceptions, but I can count one one hand the number of 5/10 or below games where I actually thought using advanced concepts was better than mostly straightforward play.

Bingo. He couldn't and 99% of the player pool can't at that level. That is why it is such a good play in the right spot.

I guess you know your game, but:

1) $78 stacks go in trivially in my loose 1/3 NL game, especially with $50 already in the pot; not sure what a $78 stack is considered in a 1/2 NL game but I doubt it's considered a huge stack that never goes in without a monster.

2) At a typical lowstakes passive limpfest, we can see some pretty big hands limp/called that are never folding (AK is a drawing hand don't ya know, I hate JJ, etc.).

Gmeh,imoG

Please tell me you showed? Pretty please?

As I stated, this casino offers both 1/2 and 1/3 with the same min buyin so everyone not comfortable playing 2/5+ that wants action plays 1/3. I'm sure at times the 1/2 games here are action but this particular game was just a huge limp fest...limp try to hit flops, bet if you hit and check if you don't.

I had the smallest stack at the table, although not by a lot. There were no big stacks It's not that $78 is a big stack or that there is $50 in dead money out there...they aren't thinking about that. They are thinking whether they want to risk $78 on their hand..ie do they have a $78 hand.

I agree completely. However, a lot of these players had a VPIP over 50. They were just limping everything trying to hit something.

Also, it should be noted because of the dead money a call by AK isn't that terrible...close to EV neutral in fact.

Of course. Gotta show. One of the players said he could tell I was scared..lol

FWIW, I may bluff more than any other winning live player on the planet and bluffs like this are not that rare for me especially when I play against the type of scared money or face-up players you find at 1/2 and 1/3. It doesn't hurt that I run really well in these spots when I'm called.

Deja Vu.

This may be the worst bluff Ive ever seen. Player is a semi decent player.

5 way limped pot.

Flop ($25) Kd8dQs. BB is the "normally" semi decent player. She bets $20. Donk calls in EP. I call in MP with JcTc. SB also calls.

Turn ($105) Jh. BB bets $90. Donk calls. I fold and SB folds.
River ($285) 8c. Donk has $110 left. BB shoves. Donk calls with AK. BB has Ah5d. WTF?

This is the worst you’ve ever seen? A bit dramatic I think.

Flop and turn are major spew obviously, but river seems okay. At that point he’s just trying to fold busted diamonds and JT/QJ if he’s lucky.

Since almost all of our double barrel bluffs block his river folds, and this hand doesn’t, it’s actually probably one of the best hands we can choose to bluff river.

But what was the point at all? Its a limped pot with $25 in it. The BB has zero reason to do anything but check/fold. There's no way a flop bet is getting thru on that flop. Then after 3 people show they are interested in the pot by calling the flop bet, the BB still fires again on the turn? The board got even worse on the turn when it comes to expecting everyone to fold.

Maybe its not the worst bluff ever, but its at the top of my list of worst times to ever even get involved in a hand and try to bluff out a crowd of people.

The only thing I can think of is that she misread her hand as A5dd (flopped nut flush draw, picked up gutshot on turn).

GcluelesshandreadingnoobG