Hey!
Would you say feel is the most important part of NLHE esp. online?
And when you make bluffs, do you think how you will try to rep the top of your range while being creative with the board texture while also taking account how often your opponent will have the top of his range in that spot? If the top of his range only account for a small percentage of his hands in that spot, then I would pull the trigger. I also think how often my opponent has thin value hands or air in this spot, so I would bluff light sometimes without taking board texture into account.
In other words, do you rely on constructing ranges and analysis in general most of the time when
bluffing, or you usually go off feel?
Alot of bluffs I make, I sometimes go off feeling a situation, but also think of board texture and opponent's loose tendencies. I can rep 2 pair or a straight on a 3 card straight turn for example (I think the range my opponent would put me on preflop, like what kind of connector cards I play). If 3 flush turn, obviously rep a flush. etc. I take preflop action into account so my story would make sense when I'm bluffing. The devil is in the details. And sometimes I don't try to rep something, I just feel my opponent ranks to have a wide range of nothing so I'm counting on that when bluffing. Sometimes I'd 3 bet or 4 bet with air just because I feel my opponent doesn't have much. Rebluffs are what I usually feel out.
MOST of the time, I go off analysis not feel. It pretty much boils to great timing for me and percentages of opponent's range. Occasionally I get caught, but most of the time over a large sample size, my opponent (not talking about 1 particular opponent, I'm talking the huge volume of hands and what my opponents would have) won't have the top of his range there. But man, when your opponent has the top of his range in the hands in which I get caught, they feel the worst. A part of the game tho. No such thing as perfect poker.
And another thing I emphasize is to always push past one's inhibitions. Would you stress the same?
For example, pushing past the fear of being called by forcing yourself to bluff. Even when you get called, then good, since it'll aid you in getting over your inhibitions. Another example is the fear of being wrong on a thin call. Make the thin call anyway. If you're wrong, even better, since it will help you get over your fear. I genuinely feel when you get over your fears that inhibit you, your game becomes so much better because you're able to think objectively and with great clarity that you didn't have before and you never feel like you're forcing anything since those inhibitions are no longer weighing on you.
And another thing I would emphasize is balancing ranges. Play your ranges in orthodox and unorthodox manners, which I got from Doug Polk's videos (he said he got it from somebody else). Sometimes if your drawing but don't hit on river, you can bluff your way out of there because your opponent has history with you where you've taken the same line with a value bet/raise holding the top of your range.
And self awareness!!! Sometimes our ego's inflate our sense of our own skills. We feel highly of ourselves and very stubborn even when we're not as good as we think we are. I used to fall prey to that, but self awareness has allowed me to always look at myself objectively.
I also want to get your thoughts on self awareness, pushing your inhibitions, and balancing ranges. I thought you should know why I think they're extremely important, so you can give me better feedback on those subject matters.
Sorry for the long post lol. I figured I get everything down at once if a pro was to respond, so I can get the most feedback all at once.
Thanks for the read!
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