Tournament Strategies
After receiving pocket cards, you are immediately faced with a choice: play your cards and either raise or call the blinds, or fold.
Practice Matters
If the pot is small by the river,
If the pot is small by the river, I am much more likely to throw out a small bluff. Suppose the small blind limps and I check in the big blind with 9-5. The flop comes J-6-2. We both check. The turn is the 10. We check again. The river is the K. If my opponent checks, I will usually bet 2/3 pot because it is fairly clear he doesn’t have much of a hand. Notice I could have, and probably should have, bet on the flop or turn. If for some reason you do get to the river in small pots, especially if no one has shown any interest in the pot, try to pick it up.
Determining the amount you should bet on the river as a bluff
Determining the amount you should bet on the river as a bluff is actually just a math problem. The amount you bet will determine the percentage of the time your bluff must succeed. For example, if you bluff the size of the pot, you need your bluff to succeed half of the time to break even. If you bluff 1/2 pot, you need it to work 33 percent of the time. In general, the less you bet, the more often you will be called. Determining the optimal amount to bet is a balancing act, but it will come together with practice. Think about your opponent’s range, determine what percentage of hands will call and then bluff an amount that will induce him to fold a large percentage of his decent, but not strong hands. You should usually bluff the smallest amount possible to get the job done.