Semi-bluffing from early position

Do you guys prefer semi-bluffing from early or late position? I was reading the theory of poker and Sklansky advocates semi-bluffing from early position because of the possible check-raise and of the added advantage of just taking a free card. Sandbagging is a pain in NL as well but there is not as much check raising because it’s easier to fold out opponents with a normal raise. The disadvantage of semi-bluffing from early position is that you are often re-raised and you are forced to pay more than you normally would for your draw. If your in late position then if everyone checks then this is a good indication that nobody has anything and people will fold or just call you. What do you guys prefer?

I find that in general, there's often a fuzzy line between semi-bluffing, and betting for value. It really comes down your intent, which is of course, is directly related to your position and number of people left in the hand.

Haven't given too much thought to whether I'd be more likely to semi-bluff up-front?


Interested in what othes think?

Depends on the flop

Lets say you have Ts8s, and the flop comes down 9s5s3h. You're trying to fold out the high cards here, raise this from early position to make it look like you caught a piece of that 9, maybe with K9 or A9. From late position take your free card and see if you hit the nuts.

Same hand, the flop comes down AdJs3s. Someone probably has TPGK and probably isn't planning to fold, but if it checks around and there are only 1 or 2 in the pot, this is a good place to try a pot steal from late position. Early, you're probably betting into a caller, giving you poor odds.

Also, in multiways, I raise early in hopes of getting enough callers to give me odds, and check late for the free card.

if you are really curious, make a table that has the two options on the top and write down all the positives and negatives about each option, see which one out weights the other one and by how much. If you do this please post your findings, i would be interested.

I find semibluffing generally works best HU when you're first to act, and in a multiway pot, when you're checked to in MP with one or more people still to act behind you. I agree that in LP sometimes it's best to take a free card, especially if you're going to feel compelled to try to take the pot away on later streets if your draw misses (if you havesomething like middle pair, you are drawing at two-pair or trips).

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Originally Posted by Ripptyde

I say again

Sklansky is a TOOL

my ass has hives from wiping it with the pages from his useless rag of a book

Sklansky is far from a tool; he's the smartest poker player out there I'd say. I bet he could statistically justify why your strategy is effective--not to mention eliminate some leaks (just from a few hand-histories of yours I can see you play too many hands, don't give up the pot easily enough, and make some very poor pre-flop calls). I would be very suprised if you would run over him HU. I think it's more likely he would crush you.

That's no offense towards you, but I think you're criticizing Sklansky very unjustly. He is a poker genius. His stuff is dry as hell to read, but I defy anyone to truly understand and apply the concepts and strategies in his books and be a losing player. Maybe you don't think his work is any good because, AFAIK, he hasn't written anything about SNG single table tourney strategy. As I know you've discovered, the strategies neccessary for success are very different when moving from low-limits to high-limits, ring games to shorthanded games, tight games to loose games, SNGs to MTTs to cash games.

Originally Posted by aleksandr

Lets say you have Ts8s, and the flop comes down 9s5s3h. You're trying to fold out the high cards here, raise this from early position to make it look like you caught a piece of that 9, maybe with K9 or A9. From late position take your free card and see if you hit the nuts

I don't see how you can hit the nuts on the turn here. Unless have you removed all the spades higher than Ten from the deck?