Reaction to being bluffed?

[AlamedaMike]

I was bluffed off the best hand yesterday. It has happend before and it will happen again. I shook it off but vowed to keep an eye on this player.

I had and raised first in an 8/16 game that was fairly aggressive. I was MP and I got one called LP - the blinds gave it up.

The flop was low with one heart - something like and I was not in the mood to bluff at it - this was a clear mistake since I might have the best hand and should have bet.

Any event he bet and I called. The turn was and I now had a flush draw, I checked and called.

The river was missing my hand, I checked and folded to his bet. I could not see calling here with Ace high with any kicker less than a King and even then any pair beat me.

He showed his buddy his cards and then showed them - .

I said nice hand. He racked his chips and left since he figured that I would pound him if I could. The players generally try to stay out of my way. This is a topic for another thread - how to get paid off more.

So, I wondered if I could have played the hand better? It did not put me on tilt but, of course, I did not like him showing his bluff.

Which is worse on the river, folding or calling? If he had anything calling would make me feel worse, I think.

How do most people handle getting bluffed and then shown the bluff?

[jeffblinder]

i just try to laugh it off, but inside i'm usually fuming!

[Dogs]

When people show me a bluff, I assume it's for one of a few reasons:

1) they are setting up a future hand, trying to encourage callers when they are ahead.
2) they think it may upset me and cause me to tilt.
3) they are patting themselves on the back, showing everyone how smart they are.

If they are a good player, it will be either 1 or 2. If they've done it a couple of times in a short time span, I'll be very wary of 1.

If they are a bad player, it will more likely be 3. We don't have much information on villain, but this:

[ResumeMan]

Well in this case, it wasn't much of a bluff, really. You didn't get pushed off a good hand by a devious trickster. Granted he had absolutely nothing, but then again so did you.

You went wrong on the flop IMO. You say you weren't "in the mood to bluff at it." That's fine, but check/calling is still your worst option. What exactly were you hoping would happen by doing that?

On the flop, you should either make a continuation bet or give it up. Your check announced clearly that you had whiffed, so your opponent could hardly be blamed for trying to take the pot away. And the pot was pretty small -- around 5.5 SB if I read your description right, so you aren't sacrificing a lot by walking away from it. If you don't want to fight for it, just let it go. But I think a CB would have had an excellent chance of winning it.

Regarding your actual question, honestly I don't think I get shown the bluff very often. I don't think it bothers me too much when it happens, but I do note the play and try to remember that tendency and try to adjust for it.

[ResumeMan]

[Piemaster]

I think that by checking the flop, you were really commiting yourself to showdown, especially in an aggressive game. So many players these days will virtually bet automatically when you check to them.

It never feels good to get bluffed off a hand. The way I always look at it is that it is better to get bluffed and shown the bluff than to get bluffed and not shown the bluff. You are effectively being given free information, so file it away and move on. As you move up the limits it is innevitable that you will get bluffed on hands from time to time, even in limit hold'em. It is just something yhou will learn to live with.

[AlamedaMike]

[AlamedaMike]

[poker_Elmo]

In NL, act calm but say "I will have to get you back for that".

Then never bluff him all night, but make oversized value bets.

NSXT2 (who seems like a complete donk, but apparently has good results) bluffed me in a tourney recently and showed. I made a comment to him. Then about 6 hands later I got AQ and CC his PF raise. The flop was AQ4. I checked behind on teh flop, and overbet the turn and river 1-1. He check-called both the turn and river for big bets. He had 77. I got back all the chips and a lot more, all from him thinking I would want revenge.

The other thing, you often see donks show a bluff, then try to keep bluffing. After I catch them by calling down with more marginal hands next time, I want to say: "Donkey, when you give me the information that you make crazy bluffs, don't expect me to fold next time." I don't say it, as I want them to lose the rest of their stack too, but I am thinking it.

[ResumeMan]

[jfletcher]

If I have been bluffed, usually I just say "nice hand" and move on. Most times it was a good play on his part. I like to think it has to be for me to fall for it.

It's just like any competition. Sometimes you have to tip your cap to the opponent and congratulate him for a good play. It would be the same if a guy slowplayed me very well and trapped me.

I won't tilt if I get outplayed. I'm more likely to tilt (and still not likely) if I outplay someone and he wins anyway.

Now, if the guy chooses to taunt me, then I have to decide if he's just a jackass who I'll trap later or if he's a good player who is trying to trap me later. That's just another element you have to decipher, like everything else at the table.

The bottom line is I would never show a bluff in a serious game, not even with the idea of getting more action later. You are going to get more weak hands than big ones, so I'd rather have my opponents believing my weak ones are strong than my strong ones are weak.

[Primitive]

Mike:

Even though this was probably a donk getting lucky: Check your live game for physical tells.

A lot of PF raisers gives out a small tell (nod, blink, drop of the lower lip) showing if the flop hits or misses them.

[taz115]

I agree with a lot of what is being said here about just not worrying about it and making a note for later.

A little advice on the hand, A8s in not a terrbily good hand in MP in an aggressive game. Whether you choose to play it or not is abitrary but you shouldn't raise preflop with a hand that you are unwilling to bet first in on the flop against only 1 player. Raising preflop and check-calling on the flop when you miss is going to lose you money in the long run.