Betting Strategy

Betting Strategy: Ensure Your Bluff Makes Sense

Is there anything more satisfying than a successful bluff? Bluffing is life in poker, but not all players feel the same about it. Some players think very conservatively about bluffing. From their point of view, opponents who bluff are taking unnecessary risks. However, the biggest strategic factor behind bluffing is choosing exactly the right time to do it.

If you bluff too much, players are going to start calling you on it. If choose the wrong betting line for your bluff and your shtick doesn’t make it work, players will call your bluff. If you attempt to bluff against certain types of players, you’re pretty much just lighting your money on fire because players will call your bluff. Simply put, your bluffing has to make sense in order to be effective. Here are the most effective ways to be sure your bluff makes sense.

A Bluff That Doesn’t Make Sense

Always choose the right opponents to bluff. There’s a common phrase in the poker community, “Never bluff a fish.” The reason why it’s difficult to bluff against them is twofold. One: they often love calling and getting to a showdown whether they have a good hand or not. Two: they’re usually only concerned about the value of their hand and aren’t thinking about what possible hands you could have. It’s best to bluff opponents who are capable of making folds (even big folds) in spots where other, less experienced players might be inclined to simply call because they lack the experience or know-how. Makes sense, right?

Limit Your Bluffs

Be sure to always limit your bluffing to heads-up pots. Simply put, the more players there are involved in a hand, the less ideal it is to try and bluff. This is because with more players involved in a hand, the more likely it is someone will have a good hand to beat you with. Also, getting caught in a bluff with plenty of eyes watching is never a good look or good for business. You could also be showing tells you’d otherwise be hiding. Bluffing is fun and nothing feels as good as a successful bluff, but it only makes sense to limit your bluffs to the best moments.

Bluff When You Have a Strong Hand Range

When you bluff, your should be able to tell the story that you have a hand range that’s strong and better than that of your opponents. Imagine your early position opponent continually bets a dry board of T-5-2 rainbow. If you opt to raise here as a bluff, the only value hands you have are sets, of which there are very few actual hand combinations. If your opponent does indeed have anything, it’ll be very difficult for him to fold, meaning a bluff here is not very likely to be successful. That makes sense, too.

Know How to Use Betting Size to Your Advantage

Bluffing is much more than placing large bets in hopes of people folding. Of course, this can be part of it but bluffing is much more than that. It’s about selling what’s perceived to be in your hand. You have to have a shtick to make it work. People have to believe you and the story you’re selling. Only after you’ve mastered your bluffing story can you move on to using betting size to your advantage.

Pseudo-Bluff

Good poker players know that when they have a good hand, they want as many players as possible to stay in and feed the pot. In these situations, not wagering larger bet sizes is a plus as it keeps players in. Think of these moments as a pseudo-bluff. Usually when we think of bluffing, we think of making opponents think we have a better hand than we do. However, it works conversely as well. Making your opponent think you don’t have a good enough hand can work as well. Staying in pots with small bets, smalls raises, and/or plenty of checks will make your opponents think you are playing tight and hoping for a long shot card.

Your Total Image is Important

In order to bluff successfully, you must have a solid, tight image. One that is well-defined and well-honed. It must be in character. If you’ve been tight in your session so far and have only shown down winners, your opponents will be more and more likely to give you credit for having a strong hand, even when you may be bluffing. Once you start bluffing successfully you’ll see how important it is to on your story, every minute of every hand forever going forward. Bluffing is a long con. A slow grift that does not stop when successful once. It keeps going forever and that means it’s important for you to consider at every turn, down every street. Makes sense, doesn’t it…

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