Bluffing with the Best Hand

There are a few milestone moments in limit poker when you figure out a new concept and start making more money off of it. I remember about a year ago when I first started using the concept of hand protection. Then came rampant check-raising, ram-and-jam tactics and shorthanded play.

I found shorthanded play to be especially valuable because you could get in a large number of hands in crucial situations -- playing hands from middle position, defending hands from the blinds, manipulating pot odds to your liking.

I always thought one of my problems in shorthanded play was that I often kept betting into calling stations. I tried to tell myself the mantra, "Don't bluff a calling station."

But it ain't bluffin' if you got the best hand. And sometimes, King high is the best hand -- especially against a player that's so loose he'll call with anything.

Ed Miller wrote an excellent article on the subject in this month's 2+2 Magazine.

It has motivated me to go back and play some of those shorthanded games to get some practice while I'm burning bonuses and waiting for money to arrive back at the U.S.S. Neteller. It'll be fun! I like no limit games, but I miss shorthanded limit action, which is essential for poker development. I also recently realized that I was playing a little too loosely in these short games -- a few posters on 2+2 said that a 22 percent VP$IP is about right. See you at the $3/$6 and $5/$10 tables on Party.