MoneyBooker Poker
Bluffing is essential in any poker game. It is one of the many assertions a player needs to make if they want to succeed. Bluffing requires not only guts but a clear knowledge of the opponents to which you are playing with along with hand reading capabilities. It is one of the more complicated aspects for beginners who feel the need to bluff to often and thought process believes they are being bluffed
Things to look at before considering a bluff;
Position: Position is everything! A player who is first to act or EP (Early Position) will not be able to pull off many successful attempts at stealing pots as the player who is on the button. This is because you do not have the information available yet to see what your options are if you are sitting in EP. If you are sitting in LP with a hand like J10os you are in the right situation to assume that your hand is better than those who have limped into the pot. Here you will be able to raise and quite possibly force your opponents to lay down their hands even before the flop hits.
Number Of Players; Bluffing should only be considered when there are 1-2 players max in the pot. If you are playing a hand to the river and there is plenty of multi way action placing a bet will get you called. Multi way pots can only rarely be bluffed.
Opponents; Inevitably a loose calling station will call just to see your cards. In every game you play you should be keeping clear notes on your opponents to determine their hands as well as the possibility that they would see the hand through. Each player has their own assets you just need to learn what they are and how to manipulate them. A tight player will fold quicker than the loose player. Pinpoint who is who before you try to push them out of a pot.
Blinds - In a tournament, it is much easier to steal the blinds with almost any two cards when the blinds have escalated to a point of value. Place this with a few other variants such as type of players you are facing, chip position at the table, and you can easily wind up winning a few rounds of blinds. If you are using position and send out a raise in MP when blinds have escalated to a valuable point you can win frequent uncontested pots because players do not want to risk their chips at this point in the game.
These are just some of the things to take into account when placing a bluff. Other factors to consider is will your bluff be successful. If your opponent(s) are calling every bet you’ve made thus far, odds are that you may not be able to get them off the pot. This brings us to our final point. If you are making any attempt to steal the blinds or the pot and you can’t seem to get the players off your back you have to know when to quit. The last thing you want is to be caught bluffing a few pots or when you actually do need to steal it, your opponents will be likely to call you since they know that you have been bluffing them.
