Quote:
Originally Posted by DumbosTrunk
Hi all,
I see this happen all the time - there is an all in preflop or postflop and a small or nonexistent side pot and one of the active players with money behind bets without a good hand to create a side pot, in effect bluffing into a dry side pot.
Is there a valid strategic reason behind bluffing into dry side pots? How should we adjust our response when so many villains are playing this way?
Thanks,
DT
So..."all the time"?
"So many villains are playing this way?"
You shouldn't be seeing it THAT much. Maybe if you're playing super low stakes against total rec-fish. But not against a player pool with average decent regs.
As others said, in theory, bluffing into or creating a dry side pot isn't really a thing, in theory, but there are some exceptions that do come up, mostly conforming to the situation described - we think we're ahead of the player who is all-in, but we want to fold out the player who is not all in.
Situation could be that the AI player has a set, and we've got a pair + the 4th nut flush draw, but the other opponent likely has a higher flush draw, so we want to drive him out. Otherwise, we're drawing dead, and can't win no matter what the run out.
It could also be that we think we're losing to the all-in player, but we can get value from the player who isn't all-in. I've run three-street bluffs on guys I know will call me light, to recoup from the side-pot what I know I'm losing in the main pot to the guy who jammed bottom set over my c-bet on a monotone flop.
Had one hand - AhQx on a XXXhhh flop. I c-bet, short-stacked rec-fish kid jammed (never a bluff), frequent nemesis calls, I over-call, barreled turn on a brick to create a side pot, and barreled river to win the side pot. Basically broke even.
I had one last week - short-stacked player opened to $15, I 3B to $50 with JTs, and got two cold-calls, before the initial raiser 4B jammed for another $100 on top. I couldn't flat call for another $100, giving my other two opponents good pot odds to come along, and I didn't feel like folding, so I 5B re-jammed for $500, creating a side-pot.
Reasoning was just what you'd expect - JTs isn't going to be in great shape against 4 opponents, but can't be too much of a dog against a short-stacked opponent's jamming range, if we're heads-up. If my other two opponents fold to my jam, which they should do almost all the time, I isolate with $100 in dead money in the pot, potentially winning $250, and limiting my loss to $150.
Reveal - one of my other two opponents tanked for a solid minute before flicking in the call, sitting on $400, almost making me vomit all over the table. I completely miss. The AI player scooped the main pot with 99 (so, yeah, I was flipping with him), and the other opponent scooped the side pot, doubling up through me with AJs, winning with ace-high.
I wanted to lay down in traffic.
Last edited by docvail; 04-25-2024 at 06:33 PM.