Ultimate Guide to Bluffing in Poker – How to Bluff

On the surface, poker seems like a game where the person with the best hand wins, so it’s all down to the luck of the draw. However, nothing could be father from the truth, and much of the appeal of poker is that great players don’t have to have the best cards to win a hand.

One of the key strategies in achieving that is bluffing, and mastering the art of bluffing can really win you a lot of games you would otherwise lose. But bluffing is more than just pretending to have better cards. You need to know how to execute a bluff, but also recognise other player’s poker strategies so you know when they’re bluffing too. So let’s look at it in more detail.

What is bluffing as a Poker Player?

Bluffing is a strategy of playing the game in a way that convinces other players your hand is better than theirs, regardless of what cards you actually have. Bluffing covers almost every aspect of the game, from bet size, type of bets and actions at every stage of the hand.

A successful bluff is the ultimate poker move, and turn you from someone stuck in a rut to a winning poker player. However, knowing when you should consider bluffing when playing poker can be difficult. This guide looks to simplify the decision making and help you spot when an opponent is bluffing too. 

What is the purpose of bluffing in poker?

Sometimes you will have the best cards in a hand, and you can beat the other players at your table without doing anything more than staying in the game until the end. However, more often than not you won’t have the best hand, you may even have the very worst hand at the table.

The goal of bluffing is to make your opponent’s fold, because that way you will automatically win the game without having to rely on better cards to do so. It turns your hand of cards, whatever it may be, into a winning hand. This approach means you can win hands you should lose, and that is key to making money with online poker. A bluff bet relies on you convincing other players in the hand that you have a hand that justifies the bet. This is where the term poker face comes from. Not showing emotion, leaving no sign that you are not being truthful is part of the bluff that lets you win the hand.

Knowing When to Bluff at the Poker Table

Now it might seem simple to bluff, just bet strongly as if you have the cards to win, right? Wrong, and here’s why. If you do that every hand no matter what cards you have, the other players at the table will quickly see what you are doing. Once they see your strategy, they will exploit it and beat you. A bluffing master knows when to bluff and just a simportantly, when not to. It can be an aspect of poker that is difficult to get right, and many poker players never do master it. However, advanced poker players attempt to make bluffing an integral part of the game. Bluffing requires you to remain stoic and avoid giving signs of deception. Not every poker player can, but with our step by step guide, you will. 

Using a bluff needs to be something you do for specific situations to avoid becoming predictable. When using this strategy, it is important to remember that most players don’t set out to bluff on a new hand, it is a choice made by the cards that are dealt.

There are a number of factors that you should think about when looking at the viability of a bluff. Where are you at the table? If you are in the middle of the table, or sitting in an early position, then there are more players making moves after you than before you. That means the odds of someone calling your bluff is lower the later you are in the game, so for effective bluffing, stick to later positions.

Position aside, probably the biggest tell on where to bluff is your opponents. If they are looking weak at the start, raising the blind can be a good way to flush them out. In fact, players that are showing weak play are more susceptible to the bluff in general, so use that as a guide for any type of bluff, not just raising the blind.

The different types of bluffs to bet on

Not every bluff is the same, there are, in fact, four common bluff types.

C-bet bluff at the flop

A C-bet, or flop continuation bet, is when you bet on the flop after raising the preflop, and it can be very effective against weaker opponents. Bluffing here implies position strength, however good players will be looking closely at your preflop range and how that relates to your flop positioning.

Do it too often and they will know you are bluffing, but choose your moments and it can be very effective.

Semi-bluff 

A semi bluff describes a bluff when you have cards that could still become the best hand at the table. This is a less risky strategy, and is best used after the flop or turn. Its useful because if you have something like four of a suit and have the possibility of a flush, you keep pressure on that could win you the hand even if that card never comes.

Stone cold bluff 

The stone cold bluff is a bluff strategy made when you have cards that cannot possibly win if called. It is obviously the most risky form of bluff, you are certain to lose if you are called out, but it has its uses all the same.

Opportunistic bluff

This is a bluff that has one specific purpose, to take advantage when other players don’t seem interested in taking control of the pot. That usually signifies a table of weak hands, so a bluff can be especially effective here, and many players have developed winning games through this one strategy.

The optimal times to bluff like a poker pro

The type of bluff and your own style do contribute to the success of your bluffs, but timing also matters. Here are the three best points in the game to put your bluff strategy into action.

Pre-Flop

If you are in a late position on the table and have seen players adopting cautious strategies, bluffing here can flush out weaker hands and leave you better positioned.

Post-Flop

Being in last position here gives the chance to see what everyone else at the table is doing. Even if you have nothing but a pair, if the entire table is indifferent, this is a chance to be aggressive and flush out the bad hands.

Paired Board

If there is a low value pair on the board, 7 or lower usually, and players have checked to you when the game is on the flop or turn, this is a great time to use a bluff. The check suggests weak hands, making it more likely the other pair are in the deck rather than a hand, giving validity to the bluff.

Best Way to Bluff Successfully

Success in bluffing is all about your table image. If your bluffs are in line with your normal play, they are much more difficult, if not impossible, to detect when they eventually come. By playing tight and aggressive all the time, and win hands that way, then an aggressive move as a bluff will convince your opponents that you have a strong hand, as you did before.

If you play a weaker strategy, folding a lot, being weak at the flop and so on when you have a poorer hand, and then suddenly become aggressive, it is more likely other players will call you on it.

Poker Bluffing Tips For When you Don’t Have the Best Hand

•  If you are going to bluff, commit to it, accept you might lose those chips and bet large enough to make others think of folding.
•  Don’t be predictable. Vary strategies, don’t just settle for attacking weakness, keep everyone guessing
• Set the scene. Make your bluffs fit your play strategy, they become almost impossible to spot.
• Don’t resort to bluffs every time you can’t make a better hand. Lots of bluffing into your poker strategy means players will second guess you.

How to read poker so you can spot to bluffs 

For in-person poker, body language is often the biggest giveaway, but in the digital world we lose all that. It is incredibly difficult to spot bluffs from players that understand how to do it well, but for those that don’t there are some things to look out for.

If a move is out of character, such as suddenly raising with a large bet when they haven’t really done that before, or they become more aggressive at the flop, then it is a good sign they could be bluffing.

This all takes practice, just like every other aspect of the game. If you want to improve to become the best, knowing when you should be pulling the trigger on a bluff would be just as important as knowing when you should never bluff. Experience will help here, so play as many practice hands as you can. Poker Bot AI is great for this kind of practice and lets you test out any new strategy without risking money.

Common bluffing mistakes

The most common problem with bluffing is that you don’t commit to it. You need to bet big enough to make folding an option in your opponent’s thoughts, so no half-hearted bets. Go big with the bluff or don’t bother.

If you are somewhere early at the table, try and avoid bluffs as the odds of success are stacked against you. Sitting in the big blind or small blind is a position where you should never bluff. You should also limit your bluffs, pulling the same move every time will allow other players to second guess you.

The other mistake is to play your normal game and then suddenly become aggressive when you bluff. This is a giveaway, and good players will know what you are doing.

FAQ:

What is the difference between a pure bluff and a semi-bluff?

A pure bluff is made when your cards have no chance of winning, a semi bluff is adopted with ahand that could still become strong enough to win the game if called.

When is the best time to attempt a bluff in poker?

Bluffs are best attempted when you are positioned later on the table, and either pre flop, post flop or when there is a paired board with a lower value pair.

How can I make my bluffs more convincing to my opponents?

Make sure that the bluff fits into your overall play style, commit to it and make appropriately sized bets, and avoid repeating the same bluff repeatedly.

How can I practice and improve my bluffing skills in poker using poker bot AI?

Poker bot AI makes for a great training aid, play against a bot in regular games or in a training scenario can help you master the bluff strategies you want to implement, giving you confidence to take these skills into a real game.