Elite Strategy: No-Limit Hold'em with Vinny Pahuja

February 03 2010, Vinny Pahuja, Michael Friedman

Poker is a game of information so it is in this vein that PokerNews brings viewers a strategy section devoted specifically to helping to develop one’s game. Titled "Elite Strategy," these articles feature the wisdom of some of poker’s top players and they provide viewers with a look at what goes on inside the head of the game’s elite when they are looking to build their stack.

The Player: Vinny Pahuja

After spending five years at Lehman Brothers, one of the world’s premier investment banks, Vinny Pahuja, decided to leave in 2007 because he was tired of the corporate grind and seriously questioned the viability of the markets he was involved in. A regular in the New York City underground cash games since 2004, Pahuja decided to devote more time to his newly found passion: poker tournaments. In less than two years, Pahuja has earned over $800,000 playing the live tournament circuit, and he finished 10th in the 2008 CardPlayer Player of the Year Race.

The Game: No Limit Hold’Em

Turning your hand into a bluff

Because poker is such a situational game, it is very difficult to say with exact certainty that a particular play is correct, incorrect, +EV, or –EV. Turning a made hand into a bluff is a concept that is both underutilized and misunderstood by novices and experienced players alike. It involves taking a hand that under normal circumstances has "showdown value" but for whatever reason, no longer does and thus, creates a situation where bluffing to win the pot becomes the optimal play.

How it can be Used:

Here's an example from live play. In the Foxwoods World Poker Finals World Poker Tour $10,000 championship event last November, a player opened to 300 at 50/100 blinds in middle position with a starting stack of 30,000. I called with a similar stack in the cutoff position with . Heads up, the flop came . The preflop aggressor led into me for 450 and I decided to call in position with bottom pair because (a) my pair of 4’s could easily have been the best hand, (b) I had backdoor straight and flush draws, and (c) I could have outplayed my opponent depending on what came out on the turn and river. The turn card was the , giving me two pair. My opponent now led for 1,000 into a 1,500 pot.

At this point, I was pretty certain that he had an overpair, and there was no reason for me to believe my two pair was trailing. Even if he was bluffing, there were just too many river cards that would kill my action, and we all know how vulnerable bottom two pair can be. I raised to 3,300 and my opponent quickly called. The river was the , counterfeiting my hand. While I was disgusted to see this card, my opponent seemed equally squeamish and quickly checked. Many players in this situation make the mistake of giving up on their hands despite knowing that their opponent now almost certainly has the best hand.

Whenever you are faced with a river decision for a large pot, take your time. Reevaluate your action and your opponent’s action on every street. What type of story is he or she trying to tell? What story are you trying to tell? In every form of poker we are telling a story based on our betting actions; your ‘line’ must make sense to a competent player, otherwise your bluffs will receive no credit.

After replaying the hand in my head, I was certain my opponent had an overpair and on the river held a bigger two pair than I did. If I checked behind and surrendered, I would most certainly lose the pot. So I took a hand (two pair) that would normally have showdown value and turned it into a bluff. I bet 5,200 on the river and my opponent thought for about 30 seconds, said “nice river” and mucked two jacks face up on the table.

In poker, especially in tournaments, you have to find ways to manufacture pots that you don’t necessarily deserve. Turning your hand into a bluff, when used in the right situation against the right opponent, can be an effective tool in your arsenal to win pots with the worst hand.

Pahuja is a member of Poker Players International’s Elite Team, an agency that represents scores of players spanning from Hall of Fame inductees to online superstars.

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