POTD #177 What's a Linear Bluff?

I use a hand from the Super WSOP Main Event to answer a subscriber's question

A programming note: We have a couple special posts coming up later this week, but due to some delays in my writing process, I have had to make changes to my original schedule for this week. Today’s post and introduction were originally supposed to run on Thursday, and the post opens with me being thankful for everyone who has subscribed to POTD, but it is running on Tuesday. However, I do believe you’re still allowed to be thankful for things two days before Thanksgiving, so everything I’ve written below is still true.

InPOTD #172, I wrote “On the river, I thought my bluffs would be pretty linear and I’d rather bluff with hands like 65s, 54s, but also hands like 66 or 77.” In the POTD Discord (which I’ll remind you is free and can be joined here), Premium Subscriber $ila$ asked:

In POTD 172, you talked about bluffing linearly.. I am not familiar with this concept.. can you please elaborate on what this means? Thank you for your help.

I replied:

What I meant is that sometimes on the river you just bluff your hands with the least amount of showdown and sometimes you bluff with blockers and sometimes you bluff to mix kickers. So bluffing linearly in this hand would mean you always bluff 65s, than 54s, than 55, but you might never bluff 77

However, POTD would not be what it is without the subscribers, and especially not without the premium subscribers (subscribe below).

So I figured as a thank you to my subscribers on a holiday (that as a Canadian I technically do not even celebrate, although I will be watching football today), I would find a hand that best illustrates the concept of bluffing linearly on the river, and fortunately I have a hand from almost one year ago that fits the bill perfectly. I hope you enjoy reading about this hand, but also that it serves as a reminder that, if you would like me to do deep dives into specific concepts, I have played so many poker hands that I have likely punted in a fashion that will help me illustrate a specific granular concept, so please subscribe and ask away. I will find a way to answer your question.

2024 WSOP Paradise Event #9 WSOP Super Main Event Day 1A
(5k/10k/10k) (SB/BB/BBA) 500k Starting Stack. Registration is still open.

It folds to an American reg in the SB (500k) who raises to 45k, I (300k) have K♦️5♦️ in the BB and call.

Flop (100k) A♣️8♣️4♦️: He bets 25k, I call.
Turn (150k) Q♦️: He checks, I check.
River (150k) 6♣️: He checks, I check and win with K5 high.