 So, I’m guessing that you’ve come to this article looking for the answers on how to pull of successful bluffs at the poker table. Unfortunately, I am sorry to say that you are probably only going to find half the answers that you are looking for here. This is not because this is a bad article or because I don’t know how to bluff, but because there is no definitive answer on when and how to pull off a successful bluff every time at the poker table. If I could teach you how to make a perfect bluff every time I would, but nonetheless I am going to try and teach you the basics and ideas behind making good bluffs.
As you should know, a bluff is when you make a bet with what you think is the worst hand to try and make your opponent fold. This makes bluffing a very powerful move, as it allows you to win pots where you normally would have lost. However, it should be noted that bluffing is not essential to being a winning player, and you should be careful to not get carried away with the idea that you should bluff on a regular basis. Many novice players fall into the trap of bluffing at every opportunity possible, but this is the best way to go about losing money very quickly. So hold back on your bluffs until you know when to use them, and still only use them sparingly.
Now more to the point, where and when should you bluff? The simple answer is that you should bluff when you think you can make your opponent fold. This answer is incredibly vague, but still it couldn’t be more accurate and true. I cant give you a set of rules like; ‘bluff half of the pot when you have a pocket pair and there are two jacks on the board’ or ‘always bluff on the turn if you first to act and there is a potential flush on the board’, because there are so many factors that you have to consider before making a bluff.
For example, you should ask yourself the following questions before considering making a bluff… How has your opponent been betting up to this point? How many players are in the pot? How sure are you that they will fold? Are there any draws on the board? Do you have any draws?
Before making a bluff your situation should meet all of the following criteria:
- You should be more than 80% sure that your opponent will fold
- You should usually only bluff against one opponent
- You should be sure that your opponent is capable of folding decent hands
Although these criteria may seem a little harsh, you want to always be sure that you are putting money into the pot with the best opportunity to win, rather than lose. It is also preferable to have a hand that could potentially still win even if you do not currently have the best hand. For example, if you have an incomplete straight or flush draw and decide to bluff, you can still win the hand if the right card falls if your bluff is unsuccessful. By having a hand that still has the opportunity to win will reduce the amount of money you lose in the long run when your bluffs are unsuccessful.
One difficulty with bluffing is that on some occasions you cannot be sure if your opponent calls your bluff because they believe they have the best hand, or because they are drawing to a stronger hand. This can leave you a little confused on the next betting round, because you may have the best hand and your opponent is drawing, or you may have the worst hand and your opponent is calling with the best hand. Not knowing where you stand in poker can be very costly, so to avoid these situations you should only bluff when it is unlikely that your opponent could be drawing (unless you are drawing to a strong hand yourself). So if you notice that there is an obvious flush or straight on the board, you should save your bluffs for a better spot.
Furthermore, the best times to bluff are when you have position on your opponent(s). This is because if you acting after them, you are able to see how they react to the cards on the board before it is your turn to act. If you notice that your opponent is checking and playing passively, it is far more likely that you will be able to pull off a successful bluff than if they were being aggressive by betting and raising. This is because a player that checks is normally not interested in continuing with the hand or interested in putting more money into the pot unless they have an opportunity to win. So take note of when an opponent is checking and showing little interest in the hand, but don’t go over the top and bet every time a player checks to you, because remember that you have to be more than 80% sure that your bluff will be successful.
So all in all, these are the basics of knowing when to bluff at the poker table. The majority of the time you should avoid bluffing, as it really isn’t as essential to playing a winning game as you might think. The best way to approach bluffing is to not think about opportunities to bluff, but to think more about playing good poker and playing your hands correctly. Bluffing opportunities will normally make themselves obvious to you as you play, and you should never try to force them. Just remember the simple rules of bluffing and you will be on the right track. The best way to learn how to bluff is to practice, so get onto those tables and start playing some poker…
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