{"id":2019821,"date":"2022-01-21T17:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T17:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/?p=2019821"},"modified":"2025-12-29T14:26:41","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T14:26:41","slug":"when-should-you-bluff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/when-should-you-bluff\/","title":{"rendered":"When SHOULD You BLUFF?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">GGPoker Super Millions Final Table<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At most final tables, you will find a clear chip leader leading the pack and often influencing a lot of the action at the table. However, every now and then, the stacks will be evenly matched, forcing the remaining players to outplay each other if they hope to take down the top prize. At this <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/hero-call-to-win-1000000\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"GGPoker Super Millions Final Table\">GGPoker Super Millions Final Table<\/a>, three players remained with almost identical stacks, putting the pressure on to make a move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Game:<\/strong> GGPoker Super Millions<br><strong>Blinds:<\/strong> 80,000\/160,000<br><strong>Stack Sizes:<\/strong> 53 Big Blinds Effective<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"When SHOULD You BLUFF? GG Poker Final Table\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3xmz9iv8J3M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>This video comes from Jonathan Little\u2019s YouTube Channel. If you would like to stay up to date with more video content such as this, including hand breakdowns from Hellmuth vs Dwan, Daniel Negreanu, Brad Owen, and more,&nbsp;check out the channel!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Something&#8217;s Gotta Give<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>All holding between 8.3 and 8.7 million chips respectively, Joshua McCully, as well as Nenad &#8220;O O L&#8221; Djukic and Ognyan &#8220;fizoka&#8221; Dimov, were even stacked and ready to make some moves to achieve <a href=\"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/poker-sites\/ggpoker-review\/\" title=\"\">GGPoker<\/a> glory. On the button holding K\u2660-Q\u2666, Djukic raised it to 352,000, drawing a\u00a0three-bet\u00a0from Dimov, who made it 1,401,960 holding J\u2666-10\u2666. Assessing Dimov&#8217;s three-bet, while J<span style=\"color:#ff0004\" class=\"has-inline-color\">\u2666<\/span>-10<span style=\"color:#ff0004\" class=\"has-inline-color\">\u2666<\/span> can be used to reraise, ace-x hands that block more premium hands would be more preferable to use for three-bets. After a fold from McCully, Djukic was left to decide what to do with their K\u2660-Q<span style=\"color:#ff0004\" class=\"has-inline-color\">\u2666<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It may certainly feel dicey calling with K\u2660-Q<span style=\"color:#ff0004\" class=\"has-inline-color\">\u2666<\/span>, however, it really is the only viable option when facing opponents three-betting with a strategically wide range. A four-bet would have been extremely vulnerable as Djukic&#8217;s K\u2660-Q\u2666 would not have been strong enough to challenge A-K hands or high pocket pairs. When neither folding or raising is are profitable option, all you can really do is call and hope for a favorable flop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Flop Full Of Potential<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Pot:<\/strong>&nbsp;3,023,920<br><strong>The Board:<\/strong>&nbsp;J<span style=\"color:#ff0206\" class=\"has-inline-color\">\u2665<\/span>-10\u2660-2\u2660<br><strong>Effective Stack:<\/strong>&nbsp;47 Big Blinds<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Dimov would nail a strong two pair on the flop, they would still be vulnerable to Djukic&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/how-to-play-draws\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"open-ended straight draw\">open-ended straight draw<\/a>. With a stellar hand, Dimov wanted to bet on this board, but what was the ideal sizing? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the top two pair, Dimov should have pondered what strategy would allow all of his chips to find the pot by the river. Betting too big on the flop often results in opponents being pushed out of hands even though they can still be squeezed for equity. Betting small incentivizes opponents to call with hands you beat, and by keeping them in the hand, you get two more streets to extract even more value. Betting 846,698, Dimov drew a call from Djukic, who looked to hit a straight on the turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Game Over<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Pot:<\/strong>&nbsp;4,717,316<br><strong>The Board:<\/strong>&nbsp;J<span style=\"color:#ff0206\" class=\"has-inline-color\">\u2665<\/span>-10\u2660-2\u2660-J\u2663<br><strong>Effective Stack:<\/strong>&nbsp;41 Big Blinds<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is likely that Djukic did not look at the J\u2663 on the turn favorably, but even so, they had no idea just how crushed they were with Dimov&#8217;s completed full house. Much like the flop, Dimov was in a spot where they had to figure out what strategy would induce their opponent to invest chips. In such spots, there are two potential strategies: checking to induce bets that would be called, or betting small to continue extracting as much value as possible. If Dimov were to have checked and bet into, check-raising all-in would have been overly aggressive as it would have forced Djukic to fold out all <a href=\"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/quiz-do-you-know-when-to-bluff\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"potential bluffs\">potential bluffs<\/a>. Keeping Djukic in the hand provides another street for value and allows another opportunity to bluff, especially if the river card is favorable. Dimov elected to check, leaving Djukic with their own decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While we have the benefit of knowing what their opponent had, Djukic did not, requiring them to consider the best course of action for having a shot at winning the hand. Considering this as a bluffing opportunity, Djukic should have been cautious as Dimov could have been checking to <a href=\"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/how-to-play-pocket-jacks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"protect the jacks\">protect the jacks<\/a> in their checking range (which was the case). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A large bet would have only been called by better hands. At this point, Djukic only had a pair of jacks with a king kicker, leaving them extremely vulnerable. Returning the check would essentially be giving up on the hand; making a small bet on this turn allows Djukic to not only represent a jack when their opponent does not have it but also sets up a potential bluff opportunity on the river. Djukic would make a quality play, betting small for 1,211,329, drawing an ominous call from Dimov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Bluffable River?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Pot:<\/strong>&nbsp;7,139,974<br><strong>The Board:<\/strong>&nbsp;J<span style=\"color:#ff0206\" class=\"has-inline-color\">\u2665<\/span>-10\u2660-2\u2660-J\u2663-6\u2660<br><strong>Effective Stack:<\/strong>&nbsp;33 Big Blinds <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 6\u2660 on the river provided a bluffable card for Djukic, who was still blissfully unaware of Dimov&#8217;s jacks-over-tens. Checked to by Dimov, Djukic had to decide whether or not to attempt the bluff representing a flush. Considering Djukic&#8217;s range, there are a lot of busted draws, jacks, and, more importantly, flushes. Djukic had a very bluff-heavy range, making this spot great for potential over-bluffing, as opponents must consider the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-icm\/\" target=\"_blank\">Independent Chip Model (ICM) implications<\/a>. Even though they were dead to rights, Djukic&#8217;s only option was going for the bluff. After putting all of their chips in the middle, they were likely dismayed when Dimov snapped, calling, revealing the full house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though they lost the hand, Djukic played this spot to the best of his ability and still took home a substantial third-place prize. You must not get discouraged when you make good, strong plays that ultimately get beaten, it is all a part of the game! Kudos to Ognyan Dimov for a fantastic slow play and for taking down this Super Millions event.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GGPoker Super Millions Final Table At most final tables, you will find a clear chip leader leading the pack and often influencing a lot of the action at the table. However, every now and then, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":2517241,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[877,16,41],"tags":[899],"class_list":["post-2019821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poker-basics","category-poker-strategy","category-tournaments","tag-hand"],"acf":{"peak_live_date":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/PN-308-GGPoker-33-When-To-Bluff.png",1280,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/PN-308-GGPoker-33-When-To-Bluff-373x210.png",373,210,true],"medium":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/PN-308-GGPoker-33-When-To-Bluff-746x420.png",746,420,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/PN-308-GGPoker-33-When-To-Bluff-768x432.png",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/PN-308-GGPoker-33-When-To-Bluff-1024x576.png",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/PN-308-GGPoker-33-When-To-Bluff.png",1280,720,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/PN-308-GGPoker-33-When-To-Bluff.png",1280,720,false],"author_image":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/PN-308-GGPoker-33-When-To-Bluff.png",100,56,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Jonathan Little","author_link":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/author\/jonathan_little\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"GGPoker Super Millions Final Table At most final tables, you will find a clear chip leader leading the pack and often influencing a lot of the action at the table. However, every now and then, [&hellip;]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2019821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2019821"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2019821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2545235,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2019821\/revisions\/2545235"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2517241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2019821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2019821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2019821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}