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Poker Bluffing |
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When you think about playing poker, there are three things
that you should consider to be
some of the most important
aspects of the game. Strategy
takes a good deal of cunning and
knowing how to read your
opponents. Folding is knowing
that you have no way of winning
with what you've been dealt and
saving your money for the next
round. And then there is
bluffing, the art of
misdirection and deception, the
hardest thing any poker player
will ever need to learn.
The term bluffing covers a wide
swath of terminology and it can
be used to refer to actually
bluffing, semi-bluffing,
deceiving, misrepresenting, and
manipulating your opponents. In
a way, you could simply say your
'stealing' from your opponents.
Other players would call this
'having an edge'. No matter what
you want to call it, bluffing is
how poker players grab the
opportunities they are given and
turning it to their advantage.
Bluffing is actually knowing
when to slip in there and snatch
the opportunity away from
another player without them ever
knowing that you did it. The
trick here is to know when to
bet on a so-so hand and make
everyone else at the table think
you've got the best poker hand
ever. If you only bet on the
good hands you're dealt, you'll
never play against someone of
your caliber and be challenged.
The opposite is also true in
that if you bet every hand,
you'll be broke in no time. You
need to learn when to 'steal' by
bluffing the right amount of
time.
Bluffing should be done when
your opponents are least
expecting it. If you think the
situation warrants a bluff, stop
and think about whether or not
your opponents are expecting it.
If they are, play the hand
straight, even if it means
folding. If they aren't
expecting the bluff, go for it.
Bluff from an early position,
with small pots, when you hand
is weak and not strong, when you
take three cards in the draw
instead of one…you get the idea.
Make your opponent wonder what
you're doing and make a move
when they least expect it.
In order to misdirect and
deceive your opponents you will
want to bluff. It takes time to
learn how to properly do it, but
you can. And when you get away
with a successful bluff, your
stack of chips will get bigger
then theirs. |
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