The Art of The Bluff

Most players know that poker is usually a game that involves extreme luck to win. The exception to this rule is the art of bluffing. Bluffing is a skill that takes practice and confidence to master completely. It is very vital to know how to use this skill in poker.

Usually when a player is dealt a bad hand he/she only has two options; bluff or fold. A normal bluff will involve the player with the inferior hand raising a large amount to attempt to convince the other players to all fold their hands. The ideal time to lay a bluff like this on the line is when no other raises have been made, and the pot is relatively weak to take. This allows you to deduce that there aren’t any big hands at the table at the moment. By taking the pot down early, you may be able to bluff your opponents and win a hand.

This might seem obvious but you should not try to bluff when there is a lot of action in a hand. If many other players are playing a hand and calling bets, it is much less likely that a bluff will be able to take down a hand. Go ahead and fold your bad hand in these circumstances and avoid being caught in a large trap and losing a lot of money.

Winning hands at home using a bluff are a lot easier then doing so in a casino. Many players exhibit tells of their bluffs, or small body movements or gestures that are irregular from their regular activity at the table. These tells can hint at experienced players that you are bluffing and have no hand to play. In addition, some players may be skilled enough to hide their strong hands and convince you to bluff. By changing their tells slightly they may be able to draw you into a large trap. In general, be careful when bluffing at casinos as a rule.

Online bluffing can be a little confusing as well. You are not able to see people’s physical appearance and movements, making reading a tell much harder for you. The best online tells usually come from the amount of bets made, the time taken to make the bet, and past hands played. Just watch the table carefully and look for hints on when or when not to bluff.

A player should never feel he/she must bluff a certain number of times in a game. If you are dealt a bad hand the best move in most cases is to just fold. If you try to bluff too many times, you will be called one hand and the gig will be up. If you are caught, remember that a good player can still take this bad hand to his advantage. Act like you are bluffing the next power hand you get and hope to trap an opponent into a big hand. But in general, just be careful and selective about bluffing and tread softly.