Online Poker Bluffing
The old pros of Texas hold-em poker believe that it's just a game of skill and luck. However, most people would seem to believe that poker is just a game of pure chance to get the right cards and win the pot. While this is true in some ways, a pro who is unlucky will minimize all his losses. One technique people use is called the bluff.
So what is a bluff? A dictionary explanation would tell you, "To deceive an opponent by a bold bet on an inferior hand with a result that the opponent withdraws a winning hand". The beauty of a bluff is that you don't have to show your hand to your opponents, allowing you to keep bluffing your hands.
Why bluff? For one thing, it adds a lot of pressure to your opponent, and makes the game way more interesting to play. However, bluffing is a risky business. Novices who don't play poker that often can make easy mistakes that a pro can take advantage of. A common myth is that people who bet a lot of money must have a good hand. Wrong! Normally, new players will see the huge amount of money on the table and instantly fold, even if their hand is great.
How does one bluff? You can go about it in many different ways. For instance, before the flop is even revealed, you could go all-in with your hand. New players will instantly think you must have something great like a pair of aces or kings, and fold. A Pro however, usually thinks it over carefully. Your history of betting style is usually what people consider before calling your bluff. For instance, if you kept making huge bets and ended up losing them constantly, people will probably take a chance that you're bluffing on this hand as well, and call it.
When should one bluff? This is extremely crucial, the timing of bluffing. For instance, let's say you had a hand of a 3 of spades, and 2 of spades. Before the flop, you just call everybody else’s bet. In this case, you could have bluffed, but it would have been risky if anyone called you. Let’s say the flop is a 7 of hearts, a 10 of hearts, and an Ace of hearts. At this point, you can make a bluff. You would bet a huge portion of your chips, or even go all-in. This type of bet would make your opponents assume you have a flush, (your two pocket cards are hearts, and since all three flop cards are hearts, etc) or a possible straight. Nobody with a hand less than either of those would call your bet, normally. However, anyone with a real flush would be compelled to call your bet to see who has the higher flush or straight. Although the odds are generally in your favour for that kind of situation, it's always risky and you can lose it all.
How to tell if one's bluffing? This is the hard part sometimes, because pros can mask their patterns and make them irregular. Average players usually either have a recognisable pattern, or have telltale-signs. Generally, you want to observe those players to see their playing type, and just fold for a few rounds to determine that. It can help you in later games. For instance, if the player makes a huge bet, and always wins cause of the great hand he has, he is most likely a straight-forward player who only makes bets when he has a good hand. This is good because whenever that player bets, you know his hand is better than yours (unless yours is REALLY good, in which case you should call him). Some novices will constantly make bluffs, and usually give away some kind of sign, like tapping their fingers, or scratching their chin. Make note of these when playing against these people.
Hopefully, this article on bluffing has given you insight to help you on your poker games. Good luck! |
