Part: Part Eight - Making Moves
A blocker bluff
River
You raised pre with A♠K♦, c-bet the Q♠ 8♠ 4♣ flop, checked back the 2♥ turn, and the river is the 7♠ - a third spade. You missed everything, but you hold the A♠. He checks.
The flush completes, he checks, and you hold the nut-flush blocker. Best?
WhyBluff. Because you hold the A♠, your opponent almost never has the nut flush, and his pairs and busted draws struggle to call a big bet on a three-flush board. Betting credibly represents the flush you're blocking - the ideal river bluff.
What happensYou bet 3,800; he folds. The blocker bluff gets through.
Holding the ace of spades meant your opponent rarely had the flush you were representing - so your river bet folded out his bluff-catchers. Blockers turn missed hands into the best bluffs.
Bluff rivers where you block the nuts you're representing - holding a key card means the opponent rarely has the hand that can call.