Semi Bluffing Strategy

Semi-bluffing is one of my favorite moves in poker because it adds greatly to unpredictability without being as risky as straight up bluffing. David Sklanksy said it best when he said that semi-bluffs are great because they can win the pot in one of two ways:

1. By making the opponent fold
2. By improving to a made hand

As great as semi-bluffing is, I also feel that it’s one of the more commonly misused moves in poker. When you place a semi-bluff, you need to have a reason for doing so. Semi-bluffs can cost a lot of money if they aren’t used properly. With that out of the way, let us continue on with semi-bluffing strategy.

Have a Reason for Semi-Bluffing

You should always have a reason or purpose for placing a semi-bluff. And no, having a draw isn’t a good enough reason to semi-bluff. Before you place a semi-bluff, always ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish. Do you want a fold? Are you trying to build the pot because there are several other people in the pot? Make sure you have a legitimate reason before you place that bet.

In 99% of semi-bluffs, your purpose should be to get the opponent to fold. Draws are called “draws” because they aren’t made hands and will miss most of the time. In these cases, you can consider semi-bluffs the same thing as normal bluffs with a backup plan in case the bluff doesn’t work.

As a secondary goal, you should place semi-bluffs to make yourself more unpredictable. By placing the occasional semi-bluff, you can show your opponents that you don’t only bet when you have strong hands. What that does is make it more likely that you get action the next time you have a legitimate hand. The less predictable you are, the more mistakes your opponents make against you.

Know When to Semi-Bluff

The rules for semi-bluff timing are basically the same as for normal bluffs. In other words, you need to make sure there’s a good likelihood that your opponents will fold before you semi-bluff. If you semi-bluff into someone who you know won’t fold, all you’re doing is charging yourself more money to draw and inviting a big raise.

There are two factors I like to have in place before making a semi-bluff:

1. There is only a single opponent in the pot

You’re much more likely to win the pot with a semi-bluff when there is only one other person in the pot. Remember also that the rest of the table is still watching, so you still gain that unpredictability factor without having to force a bunch of people to fold.

2. The opponent is likely to fold

This one is kind of obvious but it’s worth mentioning anyways. Don’t semi-bluff a big fish or someone who appears to like his hand. There’s no purpose in throwing money away with a semi-bluff that’s highly unlikely to work. You’ll never know for sure how likely someone is to fold but you can usually get a pretty good idea by observing the actions the opponent takes.

One extra factor I like to have on my side is the power of position. It’s not totally necessary to have position if you have a single opponent in the pot, but it helps. By having position on your opponent, you can see what that opponent does before you place your semi-bluff. The power of position can never be overestimated.

It also helps to consider your table image before you place a semi-bluff. For example, if you’ve only shown down strong hands for the past hour, the table probably thinks you’re a tight, solid player. In that case, you’re in a great position to place a semi-bluff. If you have won several pots recently without showing your cards, the opponents will be more likely to call your next semi-bluff.

Summary

The primary goal of your semi-bluffs should be to make your opponent fold. Moderation is as important with semi-bluffs as it is with stone cold buffs. The advantage you get with semi-bluffs, however, is that if your bluff goes wrong, there’s still a chance that you improve your hand and win the pot. The semi-bluff is a powerful move and should definitely have a place in your repertoire of moves.