Bluff Catching

Question 1

What does population bluff w/ that we need to beat w/ bluff catchers?

Answer 1

Weak pairs (3rd pair or lower)

Question 2

When do we ignore (or minimize importance of) blockers when bluff catching?

Answer 2

Against wildly unbalanced opponents -Phil Galfond

Question 3

What bet sizings do we bluff catch and what are bet sizing tells?

Answer 3

1. Bluff catch 40-70% sizings, sometimes 70.1-99.9%
2. Pot bets and Overbets are EXTREMELY value heavy so overfold - only exception is if player often uses Overbets and then they’re likely to have bluffs
3. Small bets = weak hands, big bets = strong hands

Question 4

What are four basics of overbluffed spots (overall lines, board textures, rec line, ranges)?

Answer 4

1. Overbluff into weakness (after PFR skips cbet or after checking 2-3 streets in a row) - Probes/Floats/Delayed Cbets/Raises after previous street checked through (except EP/MP BXB line)
2. High VPIP, BvB or LP makes it much easier to overbluff b/c more air in range
3. Rec: Min raise flop then double barrel is way overbluffed, especially in 3bet pots (43% of time they’re bluffing) - call w/ any pair
4. Boards: Dry, paired, non-broadway, draws miss on river

Question 5

Where do people attack and then overfold?

Answer 5

Raises vs river probes or turn + river double barrel probe (60% folds)

Question 6

What are the basics of underbluffed actions/lines (2 preflop, 3 flop/general, 4 turn/river)?

Answer 6

Preflop:
1. BB preflop 3bets
2. Preflop 5bet jams

Flop & General Postflop:
1. Flop 3bets
2. In 3bet pots - esp. raising & esp. OOP (or likely other situations into extreme strength)
3. Bluffing for their tournament life into bigger stacks

Turn/River:
1. Turn/river for large bets or raises
2. Double & triple barrels
3. Barreling after flop XR (esp. big river bet)
4. River donk jams

Question 7

What are underbluffed board textures?

Answer 7

1. Triple broadway flop/turn/river (especially if villain is EP/MP)
2. River
   
   1. Any Ace high board including Ace on river
   2. Overfold when lots of broadway/middling cards on board and bluffs would be paired
   3. Draw Completing Boards
      
      1. 4 flush turn/river or 4 straight river
         
         1. EXCEPTION: 4 flush river after turn X/X, bluff catch 1/2 pot bets w/ strong sets or straights (often sets or blufffs)
         2. 4 flush: pop folds to 60% of bets so decent bluff spot
      2. Flush or draws completing on river

Question 8

What are four new 11/21 bluff catching concepts? Pot odds, value range, single vs double, high runouts

Answer 8

1. Focus on pot odds needed to auto profit when bluff catching rivers (20%, 25%, 30%, 33%) - don’t think about winning individual hand, think about long term profitability
2. Look for situations where the villains value range is very small compared to the bet size they’re using in that spot (and where they could easily use lots of bluffs for this size and way overbluff) - bluff catch these more
3. Bluff catch one off river stabs and continue to overfold to barrels
4. Bluff catch river probes on high disconnected runouts after a non broadway flop (river bet only reps the high card that hit on turn/river)

Question 9

What are two spots where I need to give up often and be careful not to overbluff?

Answer 9

1. A high boards in 3BPs as PFC after villain skips flop cbet (only stab once)
2. When my value range is very narrow/capped and I can’t represent much

Question 10

What are basics of facing 40%+ donk bets in 3bet pots?

Answer 10

NOTE: Multiway can definitely be stronger.

1. Paired - never trips/full houses
2. Monotone - usually top pair or flush draw. Only flush was pot 3way.
3. Connected - EXTREMELY bluff heavy w/ gutshots, overcards, random weak pairs. RAISE TP+ HANDS. DON’T BLUFF RAISE B/C THEY DON’T FOLD.

Question 11

What are basics of facing donk bets? 3BP, MW, Small, River Size, Flush Completers, Paired Cards, Overcards, Turn Bricks, Triple Donk, Raising Donks

Answer 11

1. 3bet pot donks are often much stronger: can be sets+, sometimes 2nd pair, sometimes top pair (very often a made hand)
   
   1. Weirdly 3BP donks multiway are often bluffs
2. Multi-way donks are much stronger than HU donks: often 2nd pair, top pair, two pair+, sets, flushes - often stronger the later the street
3. Small (1/4-40%) donks are weak. Turn/river usually mediocre made hands that are trying to pot control for cheap showdown, flop combination of air/draws/weak pairs
4. River bet size after donking turn seems to often give away hand strength. People often check and give up after bluffing turn. Small is weak.
5. TURN FLUSH COMPLETERS: Exactly 50% donk on turn flush completer is almost never a flush and is usually a one pair hand but can be much stronger (straight, two pair)
   
   1. 3/4+ bets (OVERFOLD) are never flushes and are often two pair, trips, straights but can also be total air
   2. Huge overbets are wildcards and can certainly be much stronger
6. TURN DONKS ON PAIRED CARD: 1/2 & smaller usually weak. Over 1/2: Continue with middle pair+, draws (it’s top/middle/bottom pairs, draws, sometimes trips (exactly pot once))
   
   1. River bet size gives away hand strength, people often give up if they’re bluffing
7. RIVER DONKS ON PAIRED CARD: It’s 80%+ thick value (trips, full houses, straights) unless it’s a fish in call/call/donk 1/2 or smaller OR if it’s a fish in a wide range spot (BvB, limped) and flop was checked through
8. BLUFF CATCH OVERCARDS: Turn/River 1/2+ donk on overcard is almost always a bluff (especially in call/call/donk line)
9. OVERFOLD: River 1/2+ donk after draw completed on turn or river
   
   1. Turn 1/2+ donk on a brick undercard or card that is 2nd highest on board (usually top pair / 2nd pair)
10. Donk/Check/Donk or Triple donk line are both way overbluffed and bluff catching is highly profitable
11. BE CAREFUL BLUFF RAISING DONKS: Population only folds to 29% of donk raises so be very careful bluff raising (w/out draws/equity)
    
    1. Raising min donks has the most fold equity (i.e. 1bb donk to 3bb)
    2. People often fold the turn after being donk raised and barreled against but rarely fold to the flop raise

Question 12

What are basics of facing flop donk bets?

Answer 12

1. People never donk HU w/ better than 1 pair so raise strong pairs, overpairs, or better for value
2. 1/2 pot plus donks are much stronger than smaller bets. Mix of top pair, 2nd pair, draws, occasionally 3rd pair, sometimes total air (A high board donks are less capped than other boards)
   
   1. 1/2+ donks HU on A high boards can be VERY strong (sets, two pair, AK/AQ). They also are sometimes random non Ace pairs like JJ on A73 or J8 on AA8 or 54 on A94
      
      1. People seem to always barrel value and sometimes barrel weak pairs
   2. 3bet pot donks are often pretty strong
3. Small donks (1/4-40%) are often weak like total air, overcards or gutshots or 2nd/3rd pair at best, occasionally a top pair
4. Snap donking flop = weak hand or bluff

Question 13

What are basics of facing turn donk bets?

Answer 13

1. Small bets 1/4-40% are generally weak hands that are block betting for pot control. 2nd pair or a draw almost every time.
   
   1. Small river donk after turn donk is the same thing. A mediocre hand trying to get to a cheap showdown.
2. BLUFF HEAVY: 1/2 donk leads on turn on overcard or scare card (flush completer) are almost always total air (A high) and are very occasionally value. It seems like bluff catching this line will be extremely, extremely profitable.
3. VALUE HEAVY: 1/2 donk leads on a brick undercard or a card that is 2nd highest on the board are almost always value hands. Often top pair, sometimes 2nd pair, sometimes total bluffs. Definitely don’t want to bluff catch this line.
   
   1. Pot size donk leads on 2nd or 3rd card pairing are usually TP+ or trips (small sample)
4. River bet sizes are extremely telling: check or small usually means weak and 1/2 or bigger usually means fairly strong with some bluffs

Question 14

What are basics of facing river donk bets?

Answer 14

1. Allin donk jams are underbluffed
2. Donk block bet 1/4-1/3 w/ a top pair decent or weak kicker trying to get to a cheap showdown
3. Donking river for 1/2+ after an obvious draw completes on turn seems to be pure value (sample size of 5)
4. Donking river 2/3+ (occasionally 1/2) when a draw completes on river is 75% the draw, 10% sneaky overpair/two pair/set, 15% bluffs (sample size of 13)
   
   1. It is much more likely to be a bluff if the river is an overcard and a draw completer rather than just a draw completer
5. Donking river 2/3+ on an overcard after calling flop & turn (Fish call/call/donk) - this is very often a weak pair bluffing
6. Board pairing 2nd or 3rd card from flop: bluffed 1/3-1/2 w/ a weak hand (2/2, sample of 2)