By Natasha Tatta

Do your bluffs succeed?

Bluffing is obviously a tactic that is well-known and highly used in poker. I remember how simple bluffing seemed when I first started. Just pretend you have the nuts, right? Wrong. I also remember how scared I was to bluff. I remember trying and failing a few times until I decided I would stop bluffing altogether because I felt so embarrassed about it every time.

It took some time to start incorporating bluffs again in my game, but this time, I was more aware, I had gained experience and comfort at the table, and I finally understood that it is more about picking the right spots to bluff than the bluff itself.

Truth be told, you cannot succeed at poker if you don’t incorporate bluffs in your game. The bluffs are potentially the most profitable plays because you don’t need to bluff your premium or monster hands, you know they have value (even though they do get painfully cracked sometimes). Playing poker would be easy if we were always dealt the good hands, so bluffs are a must! Knowing when and how to bluff successfully is an art, and it is a strategy you can learn.

I’ve made a chart (below) with bluffing Dos and Don’ts to summarize when you should or shouldn’t consider bluffing. Of course, this chart isn’t carved in stone.  For example, while you should be cautious about attempting your bluff out of position (Don’t), there are times when you should; for example, if you 3-bet bluff in the BB preflop, you should consider a C-bet post flop. Or, you should be cautious about attempting your bluff on a wet board (Don’t), but the wet board may also serve as a bluff catch in the right circumstances. Or, you should be cautious about bluffing a LAG (loose-aggressive) player (Don’t), but there are LAG players who play poorly post-flop, in which case you may attempt a bluff in position against them.

I also mention not to show your bluff in the chart (the general rule of thumb), but sometimes showing your bluff can be used to strategically create your own table image.

The key to bluffing successfully is learning the optimal frequency of doing so, which is determined by bluffing in the right spots as many players tend to bluff too frequently or not enough. I’ve won sessions without bluffing a single time, and I’ve won sessions by frequently bluffing. Using a first few orbits to observe your opponents and table dynamics will usually indicate if it’s going to be a bluff fest (so to speak) or not.

I rarely attempt a bluff in the early stages of a tournament or with a short stack (unless I find myself in optimal conditions). Let’s not forget that no matter how well you know your opponent, and how much you’ve managed to narrow your opponent’s range, you can never be 100% certain of the outcome of the hand.  So, it’s important to calculate your risk before deciding if you’re going to bluff.

What about calling out a bluff? Also known as a Hero-call, where you call and take down a pot with a marginal hand (bottom pair or even Ace-high). You generally want to reduce these plays to a minimum, and only make the Hero-calls when you can afford it, but mainly when you have reason to believe your opponent may be bluffing. I see many players wrongfully calling down with Ace-high or bottom pair far too frequently, on a hunch or a gamble. These are risky plays that may work sometimes but will lose you money in the long run. Capitalize on your equity, stay focused and play strategically (are you holding any blockers?).

Use the chart below as a fast guide to bluffing. I have also gathered a few links for more insight:

To bluff or not to bluff in Poker:
https://www.cardschat.com/bluffing.php

15 best Poker bluffing tips used by the pros [2020]:
https://www.blackrain79.com/2018/08/poker-bluffing-tips.html

4 factors to think about before hero calling:
https://upswingpoker.com/hero-call-factors/

Poker and the art of bluffing:
http://www.pokerology.com/lessons/bluffing-in-poker/

Bluffing in Poker explained (by Doug Polk):
https://upswingpoker.com/bluffing-in-poker-explained/