A risky tactic, bluffing in poker is not something to apply
regularly. But for that extraordinary chance to take down a
big pot at poker night, you might just be able to bluff your
way through. Here are some suggestions for successful
bluffing in poker.
!! Steps !!
Understand the stakes. Bluffing can go wrong and cause you to lose a
lot of money and possibly face! By betting money into a pot that you
know you're not necessarily going to win, you're taking a big risk.
On the other hand, sometimes opportunity strikes and seems so
winnable, and the other players so "bluffable", that it's worth the
risk. It is worth understanding from the outset that bluffing is a
lot less common than shown in the movies; in most cases, you do need
to have good cards.[1]
* Don't put the whole game in danger on a bluff. Losing everything
you've carefully won through the game isn't good sense.
* Attack stacks only when the time is right, and pick shorter
stacks.
* Bluff when it's worth doing so but also when the stakes are
highest; bluffing works best in higher stakes because the
pressure's on!
* Talented poker players acquire their skill from thousands upon
thousands of hands of experience. If you continue to play poker
with discipline and an open mind, your chances of bluffing
successfully should increase consistently. A good bluffer is a
good story-teller and "makes it real".
* The best bluff is one where nobody knows you've bluffed and you
don't get caught![2]
Understand how to read the tells. "Tells" are important - they're
the analyzing side of playing poker. Not only does a good knowledge
of tells tell when someone else is bluffing, knowing common signs of
bluffing will help you to try and avoid your own unconscious
giveaway signs. And listen to other's advice about when they
consider you're bluffing; being consciously aware of your
subconscious tells can be used to your advantage by forcing the
"bluff" tells when you want someone to think you're bluffing but
you're not!
* Watch how chips are put down. They can be placed down gently,
counted down, banged down, slid forward, etc. If a player bets his
chips very strong and far away from himself, it can mean that
subconsciously their chips are going away from them, and they
might be bluffing. On the other hand, a person betting closer to
themselves can subconsciously mean that the money is coming back
to them.[3]
* Watch the body language. Look for eye twitches, lip movements,
scratching, flaring nostrils, holding of breath, and hand
movements (such as covering parts of the face). All of these
things can indicate bluffing.
* Shaking is considered to be a sign of weakness.
* Watch for signs of disgust with your opponent's hand.
* A chest that is heaving or breathing hard is a sign of just having
released adrenalin.
* Watch the pulse in a person's neck; if it's pumping fast, it might
be a sign they're bluffing.
* Watch other players to learn the tells when they're bluffing.
Learn good tricks from those who bluff well.
Develop the proverbial poker face. Keen instincts and sharp
intellect must be combined with the ability to show no emotion, or
reveal nothing other than casual involvement in the game. Look at
your cards casually. Don't give away any information and keep your
face as expressionless as stone. Avoid expressing disappointment at
seeing bad cards - this is crucial if you're playing face to face.
* Consider using props. Cowboys in the Wild West used to use their
hats to cover their faces. In the age of televised poker, novelty
props such as crazy hats, spooky glasses, and fancy wear can turn
a player's chosen image into a big business affiliated product.
* A hoodie and sunglasses can work to cover your face.
Begin bluffing. While the instructions outlined in the following
steps are specialized for "Texas Hold 'Em," they can be applied to
any type of poker game.
Start by counting how many players are in the hand. Your chances of
successfully bluffing are greater with fewer opponents because you
have fewer people to drive out of the pot. Bluffing one or two
players is more profitable than bluffing three or more players.
Bet, or raise someone else's bet, in the first round of betting,
before the flop. Do not bet too much, and don't raise an already
large bet. If you think someone else actually has a great hand, fold
and live to play another hand.
* Make a check, if it's available, either after the flop or turn.
Make a reasonable bet in the other round. Consistent betting makes
your opponents think you really have a winning hand and are trying
to get as many chips out of them as you can. It takes guts to
carry out a good bluff, but if it's done right it will work.
Remember that the bet following the river card is the most
important. This one must be powerful and intimidating. If the check
comes to you, place a large bet. If a player bets in front of you,
there are two things you can do. If they bet small, a significantly
larger bet might push them out. However, if they make a large,
bluff-like bet, your best chance would be to call and go all in.
The best feeling in poker is catching someone on a bluff and taking
down a large pot with a bluff of your own.
* The turn card is very important. If you bet big on the turn when
you've been betting moderately earlier, players will be more
intimidated. If you think you've won the hand on the turn card,
you may even want to check and then bet like crazy on the river.
People are more likely to call a big bet if you checked before,
thinking you might be bluffing. This works even better if you've
been (accidentally?) caught bluffing earlier.
Remember that the most important aspect is to tell a story with your
bet. No matter how much advice you've followed from this article, an
ill-timed river bet will not tell a cohesive story on its own.
* For example: Let's say you raise pre-flop, and bet hard again on a
flop of 9-3-J. With no available draws, your opponent might put
you on a pair of jacks or pocket pair. If the turn brings a 3 and
you bet again, your opponent will certainly not put you on a real
hand, as you couldn't have raised hard pre-flop with any hand
containing a 3 only to bet bottom pair hard on the flop. A savvy
opponent will simply call your bets and rake in the pot with any
made hand. Pay attention to the texture of the flop and watch how
the hand unfolds. Represent a certain specific hand consistently
with your betting pattern.
!! Video !!
!! Tips !!
* Know your game. Can you predict when one player is going to take
the pot without showing his hand? Bluffing involves recognizing
that situation and exploiting it.
* Don't bluff too much. It is essential that the other players think
you only play good hands.
* The basic bluff goes like this: You have nothing. Your opponents
have nothing. You bet. They fold. Sometimes it's difficult even to
make people throw away an inside straight. Know your opponents.
* Bluffing is best with a very small pot because no one really wants
to vie for it with you. They think to themselves, "alright, if he
has something good, he'll win. If he doesn't, I might win but it's
not worth the risk." Although it doesn't seem like much money, it
can be your edge if you do it well.
* It is a mistake to think that there are no mathematics involved in
bluffing. It is mathematically a good idea to bluff if you're in
late position against one or two opponents going into the flop.
The small pool guarantees that no one has a very good idea of what
the other person has. In other words it's a high risk bet for
everyone. Betting into a high risk pot is bad poker strategy, so
if a young/inexperienced player bets, he is probably bluffing
(raise him) and if the player is older and better, you can trust
his bet is backed up with at least something (fold). Keep in mind
that the early position player might try to draw a bluff by
checking if he has a good hand. That's part of the game.
* Conversely, it's generally not a good idea to bluff if a lot of
people saw the flop. There is a very good chance that someone made
at least a two pair or trips (the average winning hand in
10-handed hold'em). It will take a very strong bet and strong
reputation to scare away someone with a real hand.
* Some flops (three of a kind for example) lend themselves towards
bluffing (betting with nothing) or semi-bluffing (over-betting
your hand). For a flop to be "bluffable" it must be rare and there
must be a small number of ways to win. Three queens on the flop is
a perfect example. There is anxiety about who has the pocket pair.
Fear and risk are a bluffer's best friends because good poker
players look for easy money. In this case it is best to bluff in
early position because if someone in early position has the nuts,
they are likely to check and call the bluff.
* One fundamental requirement for successful bluffing is a table
with other players who are thinking about what cards _you_ have.
In many low stakes (so called "No Fold'em) Hold'em games, players
think only about their own hands; in these games, a bluff will
rarely work.
* You don't have to show your cards if everyone else folds. You can
take the pot and leave everyone to wonder what you had. This is
almost always advisable.
* Learn how to calculate the odds of winning a particular hand and
use this information to inform your play.
* Try to remember how each player bets! Each player tends to have a
pattern to their betting based on what hand they have and what
they think others have. It is probably easiest to pay attention to
this when you are not actually playing a hand (i.e. you have
already folded).
* To clock a good player, watch their betting structure. They tend
to mix their play up a lot, for example, they'll enter a pot with
a raise with a big pocket pair, and then make the same bet in the
same position a few hands later with suited connectors. This tends
to throw you off the scent so that when you end up betting with
them, you, as the opponent, are not totally sure what they have.
* A good player knows when to fold, when to throw away those pocket
aces on the river to possible flushes and straights. Too many
novice players tend to call on the river with weak hands because
they don't calculate what their opponent has, they just see their
own two cards.
Another mistake a novice will make: if you watch the players on your
table, you can spot the novice quickly just by certain cards they
play, for example:
* Player gets dealt a big ace (ak); when the flop appears they hit
none of their cards, then make the dreaded mistake of calling big
bets hoping to hit on the turn, and they miss their cards
completely on the turn as well, but for some strange reason
continue to call bets. The golden rule is know when your beat and
fold!
* This mistake is not just based on (ak), but many novice players
doing the same thing with an ace and any second card. An ace is
only good if you can make use of it, if the ace you have been
dealt doesn't make a hand then fold.
!! Things You'll Need !!
* Playing cards
* Poker chips
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Get Poker Chips
* How to Lie
* How to Win at Online Poker
* How to Cheat at Poker
* How to Become a Good Poker Player
* How to Have a Good Poker Face
!! Sources And Citations !!
* Part information sourced from Videojug, How To Spot Tells And
Bluffs In Texas Hold'em Poker,
http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/how-to-spot-tells-and-bluffs-in-texas-holdem-poker,
and Videojug, How to Bluff When Playing Poker,
http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/how-to-bluff-when-playing-poker;
shared with permission.
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