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Poker: The Big Bluff 8/16/2007 |
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Written by Robert Johnson
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Thursday, 16 August 2007 |
Bluffing in poker is one of the most popular poker concepts. Whether it's because of the image the movie industry created or the appealing idea that a person can get away with "stealing" someone's money, people who do not play poker, often think that's what the whole game boils down to.
In fact, bluffing is technique quite rarely employed in poker, but nonetheless it stays an integral part of the game.
The only problem with bluffing is, that if it is not used correctly, it can be the most disastrous investment you ever make in poker. On the other hand, pulling off a successful bluff can be extremely difficult, so there you have it: a couple of really good reasons why bluffing is not used as extensively as one might think.
Skilled players can make an assessment of whether it is lucrative or not to bluff, by comparing the odds of it being successful with the money that there is in the pot, their pot equity and a bunch of other factors we're going to take a closer look at right now:
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The number of players one goes up against, when bluffing, is a major factor in determining the odds for success. You see, the fewer opponents there are to doubt your bluff, the least trouble you'll have pulling it off.
Try to refrain from a straight bluff when you're playing a full table of opponents, or time it to a stage of the hand when there are but a few left in the game.
Your table image has a lot to do with it too. Contrary to what most rookies believe, table image is not something you can leave to develop by itself. Since it is one of the most important opponent-manipulation tools you'll ever possess, you'll have to cultivate it. If you have a loose-aggressive, "maniac" image, bluffing should pretty much be out of the question for you.
In order to be successful at bluffing, you need your opponents to see you as a tight-passive "rock". They'll know that a rock only makes a move when he has something extremely solid, so they'll think twice or three times even, before calling a bluff coming from one such player.
The amount of money (chips) that there is in the pot. This concept is fairly easy to grasp: it doesn't really make a lot of sense to risk $100 in order to steal a $10 pot, does it? However, it would make perfect sense to risk that much, to steal another $100 or $200.
Take your opponent-reading skills into account, as well. If you know you generally assess opponents well, and you also know that your opponent is likely to fold when faced with a raise , then, in this respect, you have the green light for bluff. You also have to be able to read his betting patterns well, in order to determine the relative strength of the hand he may be holding.
The type of opponent you're faced with, is also closely tied in with the above-discussed factor. If you can read them well, you can determine the type of player that they are easily too.
Last, there's the texture of the board. On one hand, that will give you precious information, which coupled with the reads you get from your opponents, will help you assess their hand, on the other hand, it will create the right kind of circumstances for your bluff. (if there are 4 suited cards on the board and you determine that your opponent doesn't have a flush, that's a good pre-condition for you to bluff)
As you can see, bluffing is an extremely complicated procedure. You have to set up this whole elaborate scenario, and in the end, you have to get to the point that you yourself believe you have the hand you want your opponent to think you have.
When you achieve that, you'll most certainly be a successful poker player .
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 16 August 2007 )
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