Bluffing is to poker what ice cream is to cake. They should always be seen together when the game is on. Bluffing in poker is a time honored way to play, although some players are seen to be better at bluffing than others. A truly conservative player should bluff every now and then just to keep his other players honest. If he is caught bluffing one time, so much the better, as his reputation as a rock will be suspect for the rest of the evening.
Bluffing is an art form that can easily be studied these days by watching tournaments on TV. Since we can now see what each player is holding, the bluffer is exposed and the way they set up the bluff can be studied in great detail.
One thing becomes quite obvious to all who study bluffing. Courage and the willingness to be called and lose a large amount of chips is part of the play. The bluffer must fire more than once to make their bluff seem like a strong bet backed by a strong hand. One bet is rarely enough to carry out a successful bluff. A serious bluff typically takes two or three wagers to carry off. The willingness to lose is critical to a good bluff. Those that try it with half a heart are destined to fail and will not be believed if they try it again. Some players try a bluff early in the game to set up very conservative play the rest of the evening. They really would like to get caught bluffing as their conservative play from then on should get called to see if they are bluffing again. Another factor in bluffing is never try to bluff a calling station as this type of player cannot stand to fold and will call almost any bet. They have to see what you have. It seems to be a compulsion with this type of player.
The player setting up a bluff must bet as if they have a strong hand from the outset. They must follow it up with raises and oversized bets whenever possible.
If you get reraised early in this scenario it may be wise to quit the bluff as you may be running into a strong hand. Bluffing is better done when you feel a sense of weakness in the opponents. A raise followed by a reraise is clue enough that one of the players has a hand they are willing to call with and your bluff will be defeated. It is not the best of bets to try to bluff a player that is showing signs of a strong hand.
A bluff can be aided by the lay of the cards from the Flop on. A player can suggest that they have a flush or a straight if they bet heavily after the cards are dealt and without hesitation. A player with a large pair facing a board that could deliver a flush or a straight will be hard pressed to call a large bet or raise in this situation. This situational betting can be done at almost any time and is quite effective against weaker players. However it is unlikely to work against the designated calling station.
A player who never bluffs is playing way to tight and will have a hard time getting value from good hands. Those that are reluctant to gamble will not get the calls that a bluffer or looser player will get. A tight player who sits and waits for the nuts to call a bet is destined to see a series of small pots. Other players will not give a tight player any gamble if they can avoid it in the play of a hand. A known bluffer will get action. You have to give action to get action.
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