Advance Strategy. Bluffing. Definition for a Bluff: When you are sure that your hand is not the best hand at the showdown or when your hand has no value before the showdown and you bet, this is a bluff.
When to bluff? When you think that the odds of making the other players fold are greater than the pots odds offer, then you should bluff. For example, if there are $20 in the pot and your bet is $5, if think that you can take the pot more the 20% of the times; you should bluff. Try to get caught bluffing once in a while to vary your game and image, but on the other hand do not show off with your bluffs too much. It makes your opponents focus on how to beat you.
Important things to consider before bluffing. Knowing your opponents is crucial. Are they capable of folding? What is their game style? What is your image at the table? Have any of your opponents been bluffed lately? Reading hands and Poker tells: If you can analyze the previous bettings in this hand or if you saw something that makes you think your opponent is weak, go ahead and bluff.
Check for signs of strong hands before and after the flop and check for other psychological signs before you decide whether to bluff or not. Look at the size of the pot. If the pot is big and your opponents are committed to it, your chances of success are small. Look at the board. If the community cards are Jack of Diamonds, Ten of Diamonds and Nine of Hearts and you are playing against many players, you should not bluff because chances are someone is holding a hand that is worth paying. On the other hand, if the board is King of Spades, Eight of Diamonds and Two of Hearts, it is probably a good sign for a bluff.
Look at your opponent's stack. If one of the opponents is short stacked compared to the pot size, he will probably call your bluff. On the other hand, if you have a marginal hand, such as in Eight and a Seven and think that the short stacked opponent is weaker than you, bluffing could be a smart move. If there are three players in the hand a good player would not call the bet because he knows that the short stacked player will call your bet.
Your Image: Sometimes if you want to make it harder for you opponents to read your game later on, it is a smart move to bluff even if the pot odds do not justify it. On the other hand, it is a smart move not to bluff even when the pot odds do justify it if you want to preserve your tight player image for later. Bluff only when the pot is big enough and due to your tight image you think no one will call.
How many opponents are still in the game? As the number of opponents rises, your chances of taking the pot decrease. For example, the flop is King of Hearts, Nine of Hearts, Three of Diamonds; the turn is Seven of Spades and the river is Four of hearts, bluffing against one opponent when taking the previous consideration mentioned is probably a good move no matter what cards you have. Another example of a natural bluff is when the board got paired and you think the chances of someone having that card are relatively small.
Learn and share Texas Hold'em Videos for free, myholdemtips.com.
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services