The Art of Bluffing

Friday, February 24th, 2005 (Bob Acton)

For those of you who have been following this column, hopefully, you’ve picked up a few things here and there that have improved your game and translated into more wins at the table. If not, don’t be frustrated. Think of poker as a craft which requires much practice to perfect. No one’s game is flawless, not even the pros. But by being able to be subjective and realize holes in your game or areas for improvement, it will translate into more future success. In other words, never stop trying to learn.

For those who know the basic poker strategy such as check raising, betting for free cards, protecting your strong starting hands, etc. it is time to talk about bluffing. If used properly, bluffing can win you a good number of pots in which you don’t have the best hand. For example, I’ve seen players fold sets, or straights if the possibility of a flush is out on the board. One thing you must, and I stress MUST keep in mind is that bluffing is for advanced poker players only, and for higher limits only. Bluffing generally is not an effective strategy against weak players, or low limit games. Why is that? Well, against weak players, the player may not even realize that a better hand exists or may not fully grasp board texture. In these cases, you will often see a bluffer get called down by a player holding a marginal pair when there are obvious flush and/or straight draws on the board. Also, weak players have a habit of becoming like AT&T. All they do is call. As you can see bluffing against these players is not as effective. In low limit games, you will be called too often for the simple fact that it will not break your opponent to call you. They figure, why not call a small bet on the river and see if I have the best hand. In order to bluff successfully, you must be playing against opponents who are solid enough to lay down medium strength hands, if they believe you have a better hand then them.

We are going to talk about the end of the game. When all the cards are out, and you missed your hand. Whether you were going for a straight, a flush, or something else, you find yourself at the end of the game, having nothing but rags in your hand. There are several factors to look at when determining whether to give up the pot, or to try to bluff at it.

Strategy #1. Have you been betting all along?
Is your opponent calling the whole way? If this is the case, bluff often, as it is very possible that your opponents has missed his hand as well. If this is the case, he will nearly always fold. He simply can't call you. He may occasional try to bluff-raise you, but only ultra aggressive opponents will do this. If he raises you, you can think for a few minutes, and then drop your hand, not revealing your bluff. I have seen many players bet and get called on the flop and turn, only to check the river when they haven’t made they’re hand. Meanwhile their opponent missed theirs as well but had a good enough hand to edge them out but there was no way they would have called a solid river bet. I also used to be guilty of this type of betting pattern but have made the adjustment though I need to remind myself from time to time. You’d be surprised how often you win nice sized pots with a busted hand. If you’ve been showing strength all along, don’t become timid on the river for fear of losing more money. Go for it and bluff.

If, on the other hand, you have been calling all the way, the only way to win the pot is to raise your better. He may put you on a slow play, and if his hand was marginal, or he was on the come, he may drop his cards. Of course, you must remember to pick your spots. If you bluff too often, others will catch on and will call you down more often and your ability to bluff successfully diminishes. If you play on sites that you are a regular, this could seriously hurt you financially long-term.

Strategy #2. How big is the pot?
The bigger the pot, the more often you should bluff at it. If, for example, you are playing a 5-10 poker game. If you estimate that your opponent will fold once every 5 times you bluff, and the pot is bigger then $50, you should take a shot at it. You need to watch your opponents very carefully to determine this. Ask yourself a few questions:
Does your opponent often call to the river, then muck his cards?
Is your opponent fairly tight, and when he gets in a pot, usually has a hand?
Does your opponent bluff?
Its harder to bluff a bluffer, as they tend to play a looser, more aggressive style, and will be more likely to call your bet. There are certain players that are more likely to fall for more bluffs. Use your aggressive style and go after them in these situations.

Strategy #3. How good are your opponents?
Ordinarily, but not always, the higher the stakes, the better the opponents. Tougher opponents are usually much more aggressive, but tend to be tighter than weaker players. It is easier to bluff a tough opponent then a weak one. This may seem contradictory, but it is absolutely true. A weak opponent won't know that his hand isn't very strong, and will call a lot more. He won't see the straight and flush possibilities, and won't see a check-raise as a danger sign. He's more likely to call to 'keep you honest', and may just see the big pot, and figure, what the heck, I've already got so much invested. You should not bluff as often against these players. I’ve seen instances where a player bluffs with an Ace, King and Queen on the board only to have a player call and beat him holding pocket 9’s!

Examples of effective bluffs
One of the easiest bluffs to pull of is what I call the pre & post flop raise. Sometimes, you can pull this one off holding absolute rags. Say you are a player in early to middle position and the blinds are at $3-$6 in a no limit hold em game. You raise to $18 pre-flop and have 1 or two callers. The flop comes down Ks – 4d – 9h. The big blind bets $6 and you raise to $18. Many times the board will fold back to you out of fear that you’re holding A-K or A-A and you’ve picked up a nice little pot for yourself. If however, you get re-raised, you can still fold and not reveal your bluffing intentions. I often see players that succeed bluffing with rags showing their cards. I don’t personally do this because I feel the less information you give, the better.

Another effective bluff is when you are isolated against one player and there are 2 cards of the same suit on the board. Your opponent bets and you smooth-call giving the impression you are drawing to the flush. Then the 3rd suited card hits on the turn or river. Your opponent bets out and you re-raise, your opponent may put you on the flush and then fold, again giving you a nice pot.

These are just a couple examples of where bluffing can work for you. Practice them and add them to your arsenal and you will find yourself becoming a more profitable player. Until next time, may the chips fall your way.

Until next time, may the chips fall your way.

(For more poker strategy and tips, please visit the PokerStrategyKing’s website at www.pokerstrategyking.com )

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