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 know 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 the worst cards possible. 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 (without being too obvious). There are techniques to doing this well. Experienced players use many tricks, reverse psychology, you name it, to get into the mind set of their opponent, and with practice, you can be doing this too. 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 times when you should stay clear. It is important to understand this so that you don't throw your money at pots where your chances of getting away with it are very low. Remember getting caught on a big bluff doesn't do your table image any good.
When not to Bluff at a Pot
Don't bluff when playing against bad players. They are not skilled enough to know that they are beat and often they will not pick up on all the information that you are shoving down their throats!! 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.
Following from the statement above - don't bluff too much when playing low limit 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 with a monster hand. To anyone with a moderate sprinkling of cells in their heads, this would have been picked up, would have put you on a big hand and got away from it. 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 nine players behind you that may have you beat and chances are you will get called (which isn't what you want when bluffing). Similarly don't bluff at a pot if there are more than three players in the pot behind you. It is much easier to bluff one of two people out of a pot, any more and you vastly increase your changes of getting called. A common mistake that players make is bluffing at a pot with three, four or more players in the pot as they see the pot size warranting the play. All that happens is that they get called and end up making a second bluff on the turn (or third on the river). You may get away with it now and again, but you are taking more risks than you need to.
Probably the best advice is not to 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). A bluff is meant to be believable so the more you bluff the less believable it appears. Additionally, make a bluff when there is something to steal. I see players all too often making continued bluffs at small pots 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 believe that they have anything - it then becomes a coin flip or worse. 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 games where you are playing a very loose table. If you have a couple of calling stations at the table you want to go in with good starting hands and let your opponents call with worse hands. Some people have way to much money and not enough sense. Taking time to figure out your table before you start to bluff will only save you money and direct you as to when you can get away with it.
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 will see you as a good player. Keep in mind, it is just as easy to lose face so remember the advice, don't overdo it.
When you should Bluff at a pot
Bluff a pot where the board (see board cards) indicates that someone could have a big hand and there are only one or two in the 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 have anything. For instance, 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, assuming that there is enough money in the pot. 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 tight and as such are very selective in the hands they get involved with. These players will tend to stick to the premium poker hands. 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.
You also want to bet out 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.
Make a play against players that you have information about. Information is highly important in poker as it gives you insight into how someone plays. 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 with your hand in the cookie jar, which will happen, 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 and try to make it look like you are pulling another fast one or are on tilt. 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-raise. Your opponent will often put in a big bet and assuming the board has been kind which represents a bigger pot for you when you re-raise.
I mentioned playing position early in the article - you should be trying to pick up the blinds when you are in late position, especially when all players have thrown away their cards and there are one or two players left in the hand. You have a much better chance of stealing the pot as there are less players to play that may have a good hand.
The Stone Cold Bluff
The pure bluff or stone cold bluff is a bet into a pot where there are no cards that could come to improve your hand. For a pure bluff to be successful, 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 play 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. This play will be profitable in the long run when the probability of being called by an opponent is lower than the pot odds (see guide on calculating pot odds).
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. With this hand, you would only need one more diamond to make the flush and may try to represent that he holds a 10 and bet aggressively into the pot. The bet would be known as a semi bluff as there is a chance to improve - but the player is still bluffing as it is still a drawing hand (is likely behind unless he catches cards).
This type of bluff is more effective as the player has more than one opportunity to win the pot. By betting the pot, all other players could fold which would mean that there is no need to catch the flush. If there are callers to the bet then there is a chance to hit a flush on the turn or river or make runner runner to make the straight.
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