Bluffing in Poker - How to Bluff in Poker -- Bluffing 101

From Toby Bochan, former About.com Guide

Many players make the mistake of thinking that bluffing means that every X number of hands, you must pretend you have a big hand, no matter what he/she has or what other players appear to have. That technically may be bluffing, since that player is trying to represent a bigger hand than they have -- but if you don’t pay attention to the other players and pick your spots, bluffing can be a costly part of poker.

Remember: While bluffing is an essential skill to learn, it is not a mandate or rule of poker. Poker does not care how much or how often you bet. You will not be measured by how often you bluff, but by how often it works.

The Best Times to Bluff are when you can meet at least one of the following conditions:

• You are in late position and no one before you is representing a strong hand
• The board cards or cards you have showing make it possible for you to represent a strong hand
• You have a table image of a rock
• You have read other players' tells and sense they are weak and will fold to a bet or raise
• You are facing only one opponent

The Worst Times to Bluff are:

• When you know a player still in the hand is the kind who never folds
• When a player has so much money in the pot that your raise or bet will not be enough to force him to fold
• There are still many players in the hand

Previous

• Bluffing Basics: What Does it Mean to Bluff in Poker?
• The Two Basic Kinds of Bluffs
• Bluffing Dos and Don'ts: When to Bluff, and When Not to

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