Table Talk....The Oblivious Bluffer

One thing that is hard to get over in a good game of hold em is when you beat yourself. Those of us that play regularly also play with many different types of players. But there are always beginners who bluff with out knowing it. They are oblivious to the consequences and the rewards alike.

We have saying at my regular friendly game and that is beginners without a clue, have the upper hand. Because you just can't play someone who doesn't know how to make the right plays. You can't slow play them and you can't bluff them. It is one of pokers craziest quagmires.

And then there are the players that are starting to get hold of the game, but understandably make plays they shouldn't. Or better yet, they don't make plays that they should be. And for some reason they pull it out. They semi-bluff and they fully-bluff and they accidently bluff. With an undeniable ignorance for their plays mixed with luck and an occasional good hand. Well let us examine this problem from the ground up and try and fix it.

First hand. This player, we will call him or her Pat, might make you more confident, but we should also be weary. Now, they get into a hand. You bet a reasonable sized bet resulting the other players folding away. Pat calls of course because Pat wants action. You check after the flop. Pat check. You bet after the turn. Pat calls. You bet big on the river trying to shake the newbie because you haven't hit anything. And once again like your very own shadow. Pat calls. And wins with a pair of twos.

Second hand. Pat feels good with chips and raises out the gate. Everyone folds, but you call out of curiosity and need for vengeance. Flop comes. You hit the mid pair. Pat raises again. You hesitantly call. Turn comes. Pat checks. You check. River. Pat raises huge. You fold. Pat shows. Nothing but high cards that looked good, but had no value in the hand. You're pissed.

It's as if they bluff, without doubting a winning hand, and in the process scare out players. And on the flip side. They only call when they have the goods without knowing it, and in the process eat away others chips. These players go against rules three and four in Toby Bochan's "Top 10 Poker Tips to Make You a Better Player & Improve Your Poker Game."

3. Don't Bluff Just For Bluffing's Sake
A lot of beginner's understand that bluffing is a part of poker, but not exactly how. There's is NO rule that one must bluff a certain amount or at all during a poker game, but many players don't feel like they've won unless they've tried a poker bluff. Bluffs only work in certain situations & against certain people, and if you know a player always calls to the showdown, it is literally impossible to bluff that player. It's better never to bluff than to bluff "just to bluff."

4. Don't Stay in a Hand Just Because You're Already In It
Another common mistake beginners make is to think that "Well, I've already put that much in the pot, I have to stay in now." Nope. You can't win a pot just by throwing money at it. There may be cases when pot odds warrant a call, but if you're sure you're beaten, and there's no way your hand can improve to be the best hand, you should fold right away. The money you've already put in the pot isn't yours anymore, and you can't get it back just by playing a hand all the way to the end.

So how do we beat the oblivious bluffer?

Keep playing them, keep playing them, keep playing them. You will come out on top more often than not. Don't beat yourself. But only be semi-aggressive. Just aggressive enough to where you build chips when you are right, and don't lose too many when you are wrong. And after a few too many hands, Pat will begin to tire. In the end, you will win a majority of the time.

It's fool proof.