Bluffing : How and When to Bluff
Bluffing can be very rewarding with good instincts. Bluff at the wrong pot and in a no limit game, it can break you. So how do you determine whether to bluff at a pot? Poker is a great game for many reasons, but one of my favorites is that you can win a huge pot with no cards. It is a bit of a cliche, but you will have heard the words "its not what you hold in your hand, but what your opponent thinks you hold that counts". This couldn't be more true.
The concept of bluffing is to give the appearance that you hold a better hand than you actually do. To do so successfully you need to play and bet in a manner that suggests that you hold a big hand. There are techniques to doing this well and a load of reverse psychology that can be used to get into the mind set of your opponent. Get your opponent to fold a better hand than you hold and you have pulled off a successful bluff.
Now there are good times to bluff at a pot and there are bad times. It is important to understand these times so that you don't throw your money at pots where the situation does not warrant. Remember getting caught on a big bluff doesn't do your table image any good.
When not to Bluff at a Pot
When playing against bad players. They are not skilled enough to know that they are beat. Low skilled players are renound for calling almost anything in the hope of catching a big hand so make sure against these players you get in with the best hand and let them call your raises in hope of catching cards. You will win in the long run.
Following from the statement above - don't bluff (too much) when playing low limit Holdem games. These games are littered with these low skilled players. When you represent a big hand, the less skilled player probably won't notice how you have played the hand. In fact you may have folded the last 30 hands and then raised a hand. A good player would have picked up that you are a tight player and will put you on a monster. A player of less skill really isn't paying that much attention and will continue calling like he/she normally does.
Don't bluff at pots when you are in early position. There are potentially 9 players behind you to go and chances are you will get called. Similarly don't bluff at a pot if there are more than 3 players in the pot behind you. It is much easier to bluff one of 2 people out of a pot. The more players you have the more chance that you will get called which will force you to get involved (potentially) in another bluff - all costing you money.
Here's an important one. Don't bluff too often. If you continually bet into pots trying to bluff players you will start to get called more and more often (hence making it more difficult for you to bluff a pot). Your opponents play the same game and know how often people catch cards (not every hand). You want to bluff every now again when the pot size warrants a bluff. I see players bluff at small pots continuously and then when a large pot comes about that they could have successfully bluff they try to bluff with a huge bet or all in and they get called with marginal hands because people don't trust that they have anything. Be selective where you bluff. If there is not enough money in the pot there is no need to bluff at it. Winning a pot just for the sake of winning does nothing for your winnings.
Don't bluff in poker games where you are playing a very loose table. If you have a couple of calling machines at the table you want to go in with good poker starting hands and let them call with worse hands. Some people have way to much money and not enough sense. Take time to figure out your table before you start to bluff at pots.
Don't start bluffing at pots as soon as you sit down to a table. Play good solid poker and earn the respect of the players. This can be done by trapping a few players with good play. Once they have your respect it will be easier to bluff them out of a pot as they know you know your stuff.
When you should Bluff at a pot
Bluff a pot where the board indicates that someone could have a big hand. If there is no potential on the board and you try to represent a big hand, you are far more likely to get called as no-one will believe you. For instance if there is a potential straight on the board and no-one has bet, take a stab at the pot and try to represent that you have hit the straight. Remember when betting that you need to bet as if you want the person to call so simply going all in is not always the best way to represent the hand. In addition it is much better to bluff at pots when you have cards that you can catch to give you a likely winning hand. this is know as a semi-bluff.
Bluff against tight players. Some players are very tight and are very selective as to what they play. These players will often look for a reason to fold. Give them one. Put in a large bet and put the pressure on them by representing a potential hand that could be made from the board.
Bluff when the opponent's betting pattern suggests the opponent may have a marginal hand that is vulnerable to a greater number of potential superior hands or the opponent's betting pattern suggests the opponent may have a drawing hand and the bluff provides unfavorable pot odds to the opponent for chasing the draw.
Bluff against players that you know a lot about. Information is diamond. Learn as much as you can, take player notes whenever you can and use this information to assist you in deciding when to bluff at a pot. Most online poker rooms offer this feature. In addition you should only bluff when opponents are sufficiently skilled and paying sufficient attention.
If you have been caught bluffing, which will happen as no-one is perfect, you will be more likely to get called next time you bluff a pot. What you will find that regularly happens is that soon after you get caught bluffing you hit a big hand. Put in the same size bet that you bet when you got caught and try to make it look like you are pulling another fast one. It is good to use this move if you catch a big pair. If you get called, bet the flop and the turn (cards allowing) and then check (cards allowing), representing that you do not want to commit any more chips. Your opponent will often put in a big bet and assuming the board has been kind, this represents a bigger pot for you when you re-raise.
Try to bluff when you are in late position, especially when all players have thrown away their cards and there are 1 or 2 players left in the pot. You have a much better chance of stealing the pot.
The Pure Bluff
The pure bluff or more commonly known as the stone cold bluff is a bet into a pot that has almost no chance of improving. For a pure bluff to be successfully the player will need all the players to fold their cards as there is no chance of them making a winning hand. This type of bluff is often used effectively when there is a substantial pot size and there is reason to believe that the bet will make everyone fold. The pot odds for a bluff is the ratio of the size of bluff to the pot. A pure bluff will be profitable in the long run when the probability of being called by an opponent is lower than the pot odds for the bluff.
The Semi Bluff
The semi bluff is more commonly used is the earlier betting rounds when a player has the chance of improving their hand to a winning hand. For instance a player might hold a flush draw post flop. Lets assume that the player holds 8-9 Diamonds and the flop reads 3d - 4d - 10h. It is more than likely that anyone with a 10 would bet into this pot. The player knowing that he only needs one more diamond to make the flush may try to represent that he holds a 10 and bet aggressively into the pot. The bet would be known as a semi bluff (and not stone cold or pure bluff) as there is a chance to improve - but the player is still bluffing as it is still a draw.
This type of bluff is more effective as the player has 2 opportunities to win the pot. By betting into the pot, all other players could fold which would mean that there is no need to catch the flush - wins pot AND if there are callers to the bet he has the chance to hit a flush on the turn or river.
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