| Bluffing |
| There are good times to bluff and there are bad times too. Here
are few simple do’s and don’ts. |
| Don't try to bluff bad players. Bad players often don't know
when they are beaten anyway. So, even though you’re presenting
yourself as having the stronger hand, they simply may not notice,
or care. |
| Don't expect bluffs to work
in low limit games. If it’s
not going to cost much to see your cards, your bet (or raise) is
unlikely to keep anyone from paying to see them. |
| Don’t try to bluff too many players. Select your victims
with care. You may fool some of the people some of the time, but
you certainly won't fool all of the people all of the time. |
| Do bluff when the board
indicates that someone might have made a good hand. For example: when the third of a suit hits the board,
someone might have a flush. If you bet strongly, the other players
may think that someone is you. |
| Do Bluff against good, or
tight players. If you are in a pot
with the type of players that look for reasons to fold - give them
one. Try betting big, to make them think you have a hand they cannot
beat. |
| Study the Opposition |
| This is good advice at any time, but certainly bluffing is best
done when you think you know something about the playing habits
of your opponents. |
| If a player always calls so he can get to the next card, or see
the showdown – it’s probably not a good idea to try
bluffing him. |
| If you have been caught bluffing recently, people are sure to
remember it. Try to bluff again too soon – then don’t
be surprised if someone calls you, just to 'keep you honest'. But,
then again, (and it’s one of the many sweet nuances of the
bluffing game), another bluff could well be turned to your advantage.
Suppose you suddenly find yourself with very good cards, right
after being caught bluffing, you may well find that players call
your bets, rewarding you with an even bigger pot. |
| Be on the lookout for the bluffers |
| In poker, there are some typical bluffing situations. You can
try them and they may well work to your advantage, though experienced
players might recognize the play and turn it against you. |
| One such typical bluffing situation arises when someone sitting
in late position pre-flop, sees everyone before them fold. They
then bet big, knowing that there are, say, just two players competing
against them (the blinds) and that these two hadn't bet because
they’d liked their hands, but because they’d had to.
The bluffer is hoping that the players left in will interpret the
big bet as a sign of strength and simply fold. That way the bluffer
hopes to ‘steal the blinds’. |
Another common bluff comes when a player bets big from last
position, after everyone else has checked. The bluffer has interpreted
his
opponents’ checks as a lack of confidence in their cards.
The bluffer therefore hopes that they will interpret his bet
as indication of a strong hand, forcing them to fold.
|
