Bluff or not to Bluff

Havik

Havik

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I am just wondering how important it is for you to bluff in your play style. Do you think you can be and effective poker player without bluffing? How often do you think you bluff in a session?
 
BluffMeAllIn

BluffMeAllIn

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did someone call out to me :D
 
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Smoola

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Bluffing well is a very important part of your NLHE game. Even in low-stakes games where there are a lot of stations/nonbelievers, you will find good bluffing opportunities as long as you know what to look out for.
 
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CheddarBob

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to be well rounded, finding good spots to bluff is much needed
 
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ilostmysoul

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Bluffing is just as important as playing legit hands correctly. Someone who doesn't bluff is not going to win nearly as much as someone who bluffs correctly. Someone who bluffs too much is going to lose a lot more than someone who bluffs correctly.
Bobby Baldwin went to win '78 wsop with a bluff, and had he not taken that opportunity he would most likely lose the tournament.

I bluff whenever there is a legit opportunity to do so. Like 3 betting with AKs preflop, then missing the flop on a dry board and cbetting versus 1 opponent.
It's kinda tricky to bluff at the lower limits though, because some players will call a huge bet with KQs after missing the whole flop just hoping that they catch a K or Q on the Turn, and they often do :(

However in the lower limits it is a much greater mistake to make too many bluffs than not bluffing at all, because most players are Calling Stations and will call anything with any 2 cards, which doesn't let you bluff.
In higher stakes there is a lot of theory out there to let you know when to bluff, (dry boards, one or two opponents, etc) and also Game Theory and mathematical concepts.
 
cantavir

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:D I used to bluff I think it's part of the game but never small plates is when you hit several times but not always in the end I realize that what I did was damage :mad:
 
2easy4ninja

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I am just wondering how important it is for you to bluff in your play style. Do you think you can be and effective poker player without bluffing? How often do you think you bluff in a session?

Bluff its a risky buisness anyway ))
but im bluff sometimes, its a pkr
 
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Karametric

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with high limits you have to bluff some or you are far too predictable. people won't pay you off when you make a hand.

I play lower limits and I bluff rarely, usually only at the last half of my session after everyone has seen a good amount of hands that I am playing ABC and only am betting when I've got the goods. And then you have to pick the smart opponents that are looking at how you are playing. Fish will always call if they hit anything.
 
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hffjd2000

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Bluff is one of those tactics in poker. You should add it to your repertoire.

I think the important thing is when to use it and to whom.
 
veltins

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without good bluffng , we cant be gd nlhe Player .. anyone will read you like a book without bluffing skill
 
Frontiere

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good bluffer , good player....but you must know where limit are ( all in bluff- no good)
 
psychotie

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bluffing is a skill.
As a beginner in poker , you should better play ABC-poker and use bluffing only very seldom.
gl on and off the felts
 
el_magiciann

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Bluffing at small stakes isn't the best idea, but in the highest stakes you must know when and to whom you can bluff and defend against bluffs ! :)
 
helpspb

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I think bluffing is one of the important parts of poker. Problem is that you have to pick good spots for bluffing and ideally know a bit about your opponent.
 
teepack

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I think the biggest thing is understanding what a bluff is. Too many inexperienced players think a bluff is shoving all-in when you have checked flop and turn. That's not a bluff. That's a shove (and generally stupid).

The intent of a bluff is to make your opponent think you have a better hand than you actually do. If you want to bluff, you have to be committed to it. After you have done a pre-flop raise is the ideal time to carry through a bluff even when you don't hit the flop. You have to be prepared to stick with it by betting the turn and/or river to keep the pressure on your opponent.

Pick your spot and carry through. And be prepared to lose.
 
Ezekiel162

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Bluff is one of those tactics in poker. You should add it to your repertoire.

I think the important thing is when to use it and to whom.

+1 to this...

To be successful, you WILL have to bluff eventually...
What would you do if the blinds are high AND you're card dead...?
Get blinded out? (...like a sucka...) or bluff?
 
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casey rolen

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If I never get caught bluffing. I know im not bluffing enough.
 
UhhWee

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bluffing is a really important thing in poker. all the pros do and it will cost a lot of practice to bluff the correct situation
 
crazyangel88

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when you play turbo or superturbo tournament you don get AA EVRY HAND AND YOU NEED TO PLAY AGRESIVE Whit blufs when you think other players cannot call you
 
PokerSprout

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That's a great question. Think of a bluff as the necessary complement of a value bet.

On earlier streets, the definitions of a "bluff" and "value bet" are a bit less murky, since other hands typically have some amount of equity, or chance to win. So what happens is the typical definition of "bluffing" refers to the lowest ranked equity hands in spots, and "value bets" are the highest ranking equity hands; of course, that's a GRAND simplification of an extremely complex interaction.

So certainly bluff. Bluff often and in proportion to your bet size and strength of your possible holdings. Essentially, you've asked "how do you play poker", so it's a bit more difficult to continue without being terribly longwinded. Hopefully, that helps some, though!
 
Arjonius

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The importance of bluffing depends on various factors. A basic one is how you define the term. If you're referring to stone cold bluffs where you have nothing, you shouldn't be in such situations very often, so this form of bluffing isn't all that important. Otoh, if you consider continuation betting as a form of bluffing, this comes up a lot, so it's definitely an important type of bluff to have in your game and to use regularly.
 
Havik

Havik

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Bluff its a risky buisness anyway ))
but im bluff sometimes, its a pkr

I wish i could play at pkr :( Love the graphics. Is there any news that pkr will be coming back to USA anytime soon?
 
Havik

Havik

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What i have noticed at lower stakes is that almost no one will re raise to bluff. Usually they're all in or something small like a min bet. Most of the time they will call min raise as well.
 
Ezekiel162

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If I never get caught bluffing. I know im not bluffing enough.

Forgot this one +1... Also doesn't it feel nice when you can pull off a bluff successfully? I used to be scared to try but now I find it fun... when it works out...
 
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