Bluffing: A Beginner's Guide
An extremely common misconception held by players who are new to the game of No Limit Hold Em is the idea that bluffing is a risky tactic which should be used sparingly. Many don't understand the nuances of the technique so they are afraid to use it. When they do, its usually a disaster. They will pick an arbitrary time to bluff an arbitrary opponent and all too often a trip back to their wallet is the only result. Bluffing plays a much bigger role in the game of poker than many people think and requires a great deal of poker knowledge, hand reading ability, and flawless timing before it can be an effective tool at the table.
Hollywood would have you believe that a bluff requires you to look your opponent in the eye, shove all your chips into the middle of the pot, and sit there stoically without showing any signs of how badly you want your opponent to fold. While that image certainly is dramatic, it doesn't accurately depict the many different types of bluffs available to a player, nor does it show just how often a talented poker player uses these different bluffs to his or her advantage.
Bluffing simply means making a bet or a raise when you know that you are not likely to have the best hand. It is a common tactic that occurs, in some form, nearly every hand.
But before you can understand the "how" and "when" of bluffing you must first understand the "why." There are many different reasons to bluff, all of which require a different set of circumstances.
Sometimes a bluff is used to gain information about an opponent. Early in a hand, before the turn and river cards have come and the hand has begun to be defined, finding out how strong your opponent's hand is crucial to surviving in the game. The earlier you can get an idea of what you're up against, the bigger your advantage will be. One way to gain information is to bluff. For example, lets say that a tight/aggressive opponent raised from middle position and you call, seeing the flop heads up. You know that this player would usually open raise from that position with a relatively strong hand, but you're not sure if it's a strong ace or a pocket pair. When the flop comes with an ace, making you a pair of aces with a weak kicker, you cant be sure if you're out kicked. If you check and let him make a bet you will not be able to determine if he's got an ace and has you out kicked, if he's betting his pocket pair, or if he missed everything and is making a continuation bet. One option that you have is the check raise bluff. If you check, allow your opponent to bet, then come back with a raise, whether or not he calls will tell you a lot about what he is holding. If he calls or raises you can almost assume that he also paired his ace, thereby saving money from having to call the subsequent turn and river bets he was likely to make. You can now safely get out of the hand, even though you have top pair, because your bluff told you early on that you were beaten.
Another popular type of bluff is the semi-bluff. The semi-bluff is exactly as it sounds. It's a bet that's made with a weak hand but has the potential to be strong. This type of bluff usually occurs on the flop where the hand has started to be defined but there are still cards left to come. A player who is semi-bluffing bets with a draw, usually either a straight or a flush draw, in the hopes of winning the pot then and there. If he does get a call, then it's not a disaster for a semi-bluffer because there is still an opportunity to win the pot by hitting the draw. This is one of the most valuable bets in poker because it gives you several ways to win, even if your bluff does not succeed.
Another common reason for bluffing is to steal blinds. When in late position and the rest of the players have folded to you, it is sometimes wise to raise in the hopes of making the blinds fold. It often doesn't matter what hand you have, if you are playing against opponents who don't defend their blinds often enough, because the money you make from folded blinds will more than make up for the times you are called. This bluff is based on position and can only be done when you have a late position in your relation to your opponents. This advantageous position bluff can also be used during a hand when everyone else has checked to you and you are last to act. Since no one has showed interest in the hand, being the last to act can provide the perfect opportunity to make a bluff and steal the pot without anyone contesting it.
The best poker players have a good sense of how their competition plays poker. From the moment they sit down until they decide to leave they study each person at the table. As a reward for their attentiveness they have a greater understanding of their opponent's strengths and weakness and will sometimes use bluffs to exploit them. For example, let's say that there is a tight/passive player at a pro's table. The pro knows that this person does not like to gamble very much and too often throws away strong hands for fear of being beaten. The pro will decide to make river bluffs against this passive player. It doesn't matter what the pro is holding, as long as the board is threatening and the passive player doesn't have the nuts a simple river bluff is oftentimes enough to take down a big pot.
These are just a few of the many types of bluffs you have at your disposal. Knowing how and when to pull them off is just as important as knowing what cards to play, since bluffing is such a large part of the game of poker. Understanding these bluffing techniques will not only help you to win pots without making huge hands, it will also give you a better idea of when these strategies are being used against you.
Since so many bluffs are being pulled off so often you have to be able to recognize when to use them yourself and when someone else is using them. The ability to pull off a successful bluff requires knowledge, hand reading ability, and timing. Now that you are knowledgeable on what kinds of bluffs you can use its time to work on your reading and timing. Those skills can only be gained from experience at the table. So stop reading and go play!