Poker Bluffs

By Randall Anderson
Let’s begin by defining what a poker bluff actually is. Bluffing is when you are making it seem like you have a big hand, but you don’t. When is a bluff in poker a good idea? When it is most effective? Let’s take a look.
There are two main types of bluffs in poker. They are the Semi-bluff, which basically means that you are betting on a hand that still has a chance to win, normally a draw, and the Stone cold bluff where you have absolutely nothing.
So why would you want to bluff at all. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons that make the bluff effective.
1. You are on the button - this is always a good place to bluff because you have the advantage of acting last.
2. Not a lot of people are in the pot. Bluffs usually only work when you narrow the field. If everyone remains in the hand the chances of getting everyone to fold are remote.
3. Missed your big hand on the flop. Let’s say you had AK and rags came up on the flop. Now is a good time to bluff because your chances of forcing everyone out of the hand are pretty good.
4. When you are playing against tight players. If the rest of the table is conservative they will likely fold unless they have a monster hand.
5. You are a normally a tight player. If you are usually a tight player than your chances of making a bluff work are very good since most people will think you hold the cards.
What about some reasons you should not bluff? Let’s take a look at some of those.
1. Aggressive players are likely to call. Bluffing works better against tight players that need the cards to play. Aggressive players will call almost anything.
2. There are a lot of players in the hand. As we said in one of the reasons for bluffing above, bluffs work better when there are very few people remaining in the hand.
3. You just got caught bluffing. If you just got caught in a bluff it is unlikely you are going to make the next one work.
4. You can get in a bad habit of bluffing too much. Bluffs work best when they are unexpected, not routine.
5. You can lose a lot of money. Bluffs need to be timely. If you routinely bluff and get called you are going to lose.
The big thing to remember about bluffing is that you can’t call someone all the way and win. You are bluffing to get them to fold. If you can see that your opponent is going to call no matter what you do then bluffing is just throwing money down a dry well. Bluffing works the best in No-Limit games where people have to put big money into the pot to call you. Bluffs don’t work nearly as well in Limit games where it is just another bet to call you. Remember that too much bluffing is going to lose you money. Bluff occasionally with big time effect. Don’t get in a habit of doing it or eventually you will lose.