A good bluff blocks your opponent's strong hands and unblocks the hands they'd fold. Learn the principles of bluff selection preflop and on the river.
"Aren't bluffs just made with weak hands anyway?"
True, but which weak hand you bluff with determines your profit. There's a clear reason why solvers choose A♠5♠ as a 3-bet bluff and fold K♠J♦.
Say you're holding the A♠. That means only 3 aces remain in the deck.
AA combos: 6 → 3 (50% reduction) — Blocked!
AKs combos: 4 → 3 (reduced) — Blocked!
AKo combos: 12 → 9 (reduced) — Blocked!
KQo, KJs, QTs, etc.: Unaffected — Unblocked (fold range preserved)
Just holding the A♠ significantly reduces the combos of your opponent's AA, AK, AQ and other premium hands. At the same time, since you don't hold K, Q, J, or T, your opponent's foldable broadway hands (KQo, KJs, etc.) remain fully intact.
UTG opens, and you're considering a 3-bet from HJ (NL500, 100bb, 6-max).
| Criteria | A5s | KJo |
|---|---|---|
| Blocker effect | Holds A → AA -3 combos, AK/AQ each reduced | Holds K, J → Blocks KK/JJ but doesn't block AA |
| Unblocker effect | No K/Q/J/T → Fold range preserved | K and J block fold hands like KQo, KTs, QJs |
| Bonus | Suited → Nut flush draw possible even if called | Offsuit → Poor equity realization if called |
| Verdict | ✅ Optimal bluff | ❌ Terrible bluff |
20bb near the bubble. CO opens, and the BTN must decide: shove or fold.
ICM pressure causes CO to fold many hands. BTN's bluff must maximize CO's fold frequency.
| BTN Hand | Blocker Effect | Unblocker Effect | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| A♠4♠ | Blocks AA, AK, AQ | Broadway fold range preserved | ✅ Good bluff |
| K♣J♦ | Only blocks JJ, doesn't block AA | Blocks fold range: KQ, KT, QJ, etc. | ❌ Bad bluff |
| 7♥6♥ | Doesn't block premiums | Broadways fully unblocked | ⚠️ Decent (good equity) |
Board: K♠T♠7♥4♦2♣
Two spades appeared on the flop (K♠T♠), creating a flush draw, but it bricked on the turn (4♦) and river (2♣). BB has been calling down from the flop and has reached the river.
BB wants to bluff the river against UTG. BB's range includes hands that called the flop with a spade flush draw and missed.
| Choice | Effect | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| ❌ Q♠9♠ (missed flush draw) | Q blocks QJ, QT, etc. — hands UTG would fold → Reduces fold equity | Bad bluff |
| ✅ 8♠3♠ (missed flush draw) | No broadway cards → UTG's fold range (weak broadways) preserved | Good bluff |
UTG is deciding whether to call BB's bet. Board: K♠T♠7♥4♦2♣
| Choice | Effect | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ A♦J♦ (ace high) | No spades → Doesn't block BB's missed spade draws (bluffs) → Opponent is more likely bluffing | Good bluff-catcher |
| ❌ A♠9♣ (ace high) | Holds A♠ → Blocks BB's A♠x♠ missed draws (bluffs) → Opponent is less likely bluffing | Bad bluff-catcher |
Bluff Hand Selection Checklist
Original: GTO Wizard Blog — Barry Carter
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