Poker Bluffing

Bluffing is one of those poker tricks that either makes you truly good or really bad. The difference frequently lies in knowing how and when to bluff. A poor player might as well just give you his money, not that he has a tell, but rather he just picks the wrong times to bluff. On the other hand, a great bluff is a thing of beauty. You don’t see it coming and if by chance you do, it doesn’t matter because the situation makes calling the wrong play anyhow.

Like any poker play, bluffing is properly all about overall expectation. You are not trying to win a picky hand, you are trying to make the play that offers you the maximum expected profits over time. Developing a strategy or total approach to bluffing is a key element in your overall game. Some tips and common mistakes will always help you in forming your own ideas on how and when to bluff.

Sometimes a kaput bluff is not a bad thing. You don’t have to win each and every bluff to make it worthwhile. Try to think of bluffing as risk vs. reward. In most cases, your risk in a bluff is one bet to win several. So a single successful bluff makes up for one or two unsuccessful attempts. Even when you do get caught, it may get you a few extra callers the next time over when you have a strong hand.