Bluffing is an essential part of winning poker, particularly as you move up stakes. Playing ABC solid poker is ok and you can probably beat micro stakes without bluffing much, However, as you move up, you have to incorporate bluffing to stay a consistent winner. We’ll take a look at bluffing in this article, so you can review your own game and if you are bluffing enough.
Bluffs don’t have to be huge
Bluffing isn’t just about making a big overbet on the river, hoping your opponent will fold top pair. Bluffing takes lots of forms. They vary in size and type. A light continuation bet is a bluff and so is a 3-bet steal. You don’t need to watch Phil Ivey’s greatest bluffs on YouTube and try to replicate them. Just be aware of bluffing opportunities and maximise them when you see them. Often, a bluffing opportunity can be sensed intuitively. When a player is doing something out of character or modified their betting pattern, it’s usually an indication of weakness. Watch out for them, as they are great times to execute a bluff.
There’s no reason to be afraid of bluffing
One of the big things holding players back is the anxiety or nervousness that comes with a failed bluff. I don’t understand why. Even the best player’s get caught bluffing from time to time. Secondly, if you get called, it may inadvertently help you. Later in the session you may get called from that opponent as a result of your earlier bluff. There’s no shame in bluffing and getting caught. As long as you have a decent expected success rate, go for it.
Use maths for your bluffs
There’s a simple way to think about bluffing and that’s utilising maths. When you are executing a bluff, consider the size of the bet you are making, what price this is giving your opponent and likelihood of it getting called. If the likelihood of this getting called is equal or greater to the price you are giving your opponent, it is a bad bluff and should not be done. For instance, if you expect to be called 40% of the time but are giving your opponent odds where they only need to be good 30% of the time, you’ve made a mistake. This seems complicated at first but becomes natural once you start thinking this way. Keep a calculator nearby until you know the numbers automatically.
Take a Bluffing Course
Bluffing is something you must do to become proficient at poker. If you’re having problems or think you don’t know enough bluffs and want to learn more, take a course. We recommend Texas Hold’em Questions poker bluffing course. It covers 6 areas of bluffing in detail and is a great way to better your bluffing game. It’s mostly for micro and low stakes players but a useful resource for mid stakes players too. Use the discount code below for 10% discount off their price. They also have a continuation bet course where you can use the same discount code for 10% off.
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