What to do when a bluff goes bad?

[LolotheBunny]

Let's say you're second to act postflop and it is checked to you with 200 in the pot and 3 people. You're early in a SNG with stack sizes of 1000 for everyone. You put out 100 on a bluff and get called by the button. What do you next? Bet again or show your weakness? I've found playing at Royal Vegas that people call your bets on the flop often with nothing and one more bet on the turn pushes them out while a check invites pain, but I don't want to diminish my stack size so early in the SNG. Is it generally profitable to reinforce u're bluff on the turn or concede to the man that had the guts to call or might actually have something.

Does the situation change if you're the button and in best position and the caller checked to you on the turn?

[Krapp]

Generally speaking:
(1) You should only bluff once at a pot and give it up if someone calls
(2) You should only bluff if you have some outs

What you should actually do in any given bluff situation depends on many other factors. However, the 2-points above are good rules-of-thumb

[Humphrind]

You bet 100 on the flop and get called. You want to know what to do on the river? check. If he bets small (40ish) you should check-raise to carry out your bluff. If he bets 200 you should probably fold and know you're beat.

Does the situation change if you are on the button? Yes. You have the knowledge of having him act first.
I would bet that most of the bad bluffs being called out and loosing are from early position.

[bellkev]

i find it tough to bluff from a bad position. i feel you are better off with a value bet that you are willing to lose to get an idea of what the other players are holding.

especially in early tournament play when 2xbb is less then 5% of your stack and you can get an idea of what people playing pre flop.

[michael1123]

When you're in early position and you didn't raise preflop, I don't think a bluff from early position is likely to be successful often. Unless, that is, you are on the blinds with a rag flop, which is my favorite time to bluff from early position, especially when a rag on the board is paired.