Post oak bluff
A post oak bluff is a form of bluffing where a player makes a small raise to give the impression that s/he has a strong hand and would go on raising further, if other players call or raise the amount. The whole idea behind the post oak bluff, as in the case of any other bluff, is to present the idea that a player has stronger or weaker cards that s/he actually does. In this case, the player always has poorer cards and pretends that s/he has a strong hand.
By raising the pot by a small amount, the player actually gives the impression of a strong hand whereas if someone decides to call the player, for a showdown or simply to take the round further, the bluff can simply be folded if the player doesn’t wish to continue. Thus the loss incurred is also small due to the small amount raised.
With this bet, the player actually tries to show that s/he is using a luring bet for the other players. By using this luring bet, which others might follow, the player would go on to win a bigger pot due to the better cards. But the post oak bluff merely acts as a luring bet and counts on the fact that other players will recognize it as a luring bet and fold.
There are certain conditions under which the post oak bluffs work best. Firstly, a player needs to have seen an opponent use a luring bet and that gives the other players an idea too, that someone has already been using the technique. The other condition is that the other players should have seen the player place a luring bet successfully, earlier in the game. This keeps the doubt in the other players’ minds that if a player can do it once, s/he may do it again.
Other players should have folded to a small bet. If this case is also true, then it means that the other players are unlikely to take up his small bet because they may understand the overall danger of losing more, by going into a luring bet.
The term has even gone on to get a derogatory meaning in the world of poker and is often used to denote weak play or an overcautious approach where a player plays in a cowardly fashion.
Forrige begrep: Post dead, Neste begrep: Post
