Bluffing

When you first start playing poker you really want to pull off a big bluff and think that it is an integral part of the game, but the truth is that bluffing is a really overestimated element of the game. Rather than one brave player coming over the top of another with nothing but air, most poker hands are actually a case of two players with real hands trying to get the maximum from the other at show down.

If you are going to bluff you have to pick the right spots and the right opponents. First of all there are a lot of players who simply do not fold often enough ever to justify bluffing. Particularly at the low stakes, most of the time bluffing should not be an option because there are too many calling stations, so the best strategy is to wait for good hands and bet big with the hope of getting called. If you are going to bluff, make sure you have studied your opponents well and already witnessed they have the ability to fold a hand.

The best times to bluff are when you have reason to believe your opponent doesn’t have much of a hand, this may seem obvious but you will learn there are times where it is more or less likely that your opponent is strong. If your opponent has entered the pot from early position, the chances are they have a decent starting hand but if they are in late position or in the blinds, they are more likely just to be playing because of their position. Likewise, if the flop is JQK, then bluffing is a bad idea because there are so many combinations of hands that will hit it. If the flop is dry like K72, not many hands hit that flop so bluffing could win you the pot more often. Finally if you have position and everyone checks, now is a reasonable time to bluff because unless they are being tricky they have signalled they don’t have a monster because they would have bet.

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