Poker Bluffing
Bluffing
can be a useful strategy consideration when employed correctly. The astute
player will always consider the reasons for
bluffing and make sure that his or her reason for
bluffing in a particular situation are valid.
Some of the reasons for bluffing include, but are not
limited to, wanting to provide deception to
disguise the true value of a particular poker hand,
the desire to force out another player, or simply to
mix up one's play and throw opponents off. Remember,
bluffing will NOT be effective if the opponents you are attempting
to bluff are NOT capable of folding.
In the case of using bluffing as a
deceptive tool, this is most often done when the intent of the
bluffing player is to disguise a weak hand so that it appears
strong. Bluffing implies that the player is betting and
betting is generally done to portray a hand that is powerful. Bluffing, when done correctly, may force another player to fold
their hand, as the bet, or bluff, cannot be called by another player
whose holding is weak.

Bluffing can also set-up other plays
later in the session. For instance, suppose a player is caught
bluffing (by betting with a weak hand and being called by an
opponent). If this happens one or more times during a poker
session, the bluffing player can use the fact that he or she is
probably going to get their bets called in the future, to then make
some large bets with solid hands and get paid off.
Some considerations when deciding
whether to bluff are: Bluffing is usually over-used when playing low
limit poker because the players in these games will typically call
the bets because the bets are usually small and the players are
usually inexperienced. Remember, bluffing can not be effective
if the opponents you are bluffing are NOT capable of folding. Online poker players typically call more often than brick and mortar
casino players and, thus, may be more difficult to bluff. Also,
always consider the tendencies of your opponents before you decide
whether to bluff or not. Bluffing can be effective when used
correctly, but there are certain times when bluffing may not be
effective so make sure you consider all of the variables when
deciding whether or not to employ this technique.
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