Bluffing, did it help or hurt?

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pokeyou

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Overall in all the bluffs you did, was bluffing a value add or a loss?

How often do you bluff; Like in a 9 table, do you bluff almost once every round?

My game is stable but there is just no aggression and bluff which is making me slowly leak money. Whenever I try to bluff, though I may win sometimes, most often it doesn't help me.
 
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titiduru

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Same here, bluffing is not profitable for me. Bluffing is an art, and it seems I don't have too much talent :)
 
vinnie

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I suggest you keep an accurate log of your bluffs. And, remember, they don't have to work most of the time, unless they are all pot-sized. If you are betting 1/2 pot, they only need to work a third of the time or more to not be losing you money. Unless you are playing extremely low stakes, or are bluffing way too often and people know and are calling down light, you're probably not losing money on your bluff.

Just be aware of who is calling all the time, and don't bluff them. Also, be aware who is betting the river too much, and be prepared to call down a little lighter than normal.

If you track, you might filter for your river bluffs. It is a bit difficult to filter for, because some of my pairs on the end, when bet, are bluffs. I bet it isn't as bad as you think, and/or you're not betting the river as a bluff very often. If you include semi-bluffing or other bluffs before the river, checking for it would be harder in your tracker. Might be easiest just to track a session or two and note when you make a bluff and then if it worked or not.
 
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pokeyou

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awesome suggestions, thanks vinnie
 
BlackJesus

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Like you, I also have realized that in the long run, bluffing do not pay off.

So, if only I can, I stick to rule that I bluff only when I see with great certainty/probability that nobody has anything on hands that they will fight with. So, I still continue with bluffing practices, but to far less extent that I used to.
 
Dailon Arroyo Blandon

Dailon Arroyo Blandon

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Using Bluffing on a cash table 9 can help you earn more money as long as you use it at the right time, for example you must first analyze whether the villains you play against are passive, then if you step into a hand against a villain who plays alone By value and on the flop does not connect anything ... you can bluff with an aggressive bet and if the villain does not connect anything for sure you win the hand ...!
 
dominiq

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Sometimes you see that nobody want to take a pot, then the bluff is quite safe.

Generally you should bluff on small pots. Because other players won't fight too much for it. And if somebody call, you lose only a little. And the other advantage is, when they caught you on bluffing few times then where you have a card they won't trust you and can pay a lot. ;)
 
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eyeluvpoker

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I personally do not bluff too much. I really look for weakness in my opponents and pick a good point to throw in a bluff. Overall that strategy works about 80% of the time. Every now and then I run into someone slow playing the monster hand and get caught. I find if I have the bigger stack my opponent will most often fold. I rarely bluff with 3 or more in the hand but will every now and then to keep things interesting.
 
Andrei Korolev

Andrei Korolev

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Use a bluff,semi-bluff,but not often...
 
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effece

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The lanterns are one of the most enjoyable things in poker, I like to intercalate some during the game, and if it is in a tournament at the beginning I take care that if it goes wrong, do not compromise my bank, and then in late phase I make them to press They all take care of their chips to get to itm. luck
 
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Fastone2

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Bluffing is an art.... The position, playing style, and other factors make the bluffing art possible...
I recommend that you bluff with something worthwhile, just in case you get called...
 
Amanda A

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Try a bluff post flop in position only after your opponent checks (doesn't have to be more than 1/2 pot) if they have nothing. Don't try to bluff a lot of people, one is best.
 
volcov

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I usually play with strong hands and always betting strong so usually whoever is on the table already knows that when I enter the hand I have something that facilitates at the time of the bluff, which also I do not usually use much but from time to time and always good to steal a stacks
 
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Gnikace

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Sometimes you see that nobody want to take a pot, then the bluff is quite safe.

Generally you should bluff on small pots. Because other players won't fight too much for it. And if somebody call, you lose only a little. And the other advantage is, when they caught you on bluffing few times then where you have a card they won't trust you and can pay a lot. ;)
That's the essence of bluffing that most people miss. When you bluff, yes, you might make the opponent fold a hand better than yours... But people usually forget about the 'marketing' side, when u get caught bluffing, opponents will tend to make more wrong calls in the future with weaker hands. So maybe even if you think your bluffing isn't profitable, in the end it might be, if you also consider hands that the opponents are calling that they wouldn't call otherwise.
 
almaihotz

almaihotz

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if i raise with a good hand preflop and i miss the flop a continuation bet is also very usefull sometimes.A double barrel on turn is dangerous and tricky u want opponents to fold out weak hands if the board is not good for them. Results of this type of bluff are mixed and opponent-dependent.:cool:
 
Stepgov

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50% / 50%. But it is not necessary to bluff frequently.
 
rari458

rari458

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I was the same way, very rarely bluffing. And although now I don't often bluff on really big pots, but I plan on changing that a bit in the future. Even just stealing the occasional blind and antes is enough to keep you alive one more turn around the table. And in the long run, these small moves can have a large impact on your tournament life or cash game success, mitigating the slow loss of chips.
 
Vilgeoforc

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At micro limits bluffing expensive. In tournaments I prefer the semi-bluff than a bluff when my hand is likely to increase. All my attempts on net bluff was a failure.
 
CullinanPoker

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Bluffing can be successful if you dont do it often and choose your spots wisely
 
terryk

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I bluff all the time(prob too much;))But hey,it gets me a big stack,then who cares if you catch me in a bluff then,lol;) And that`s the reason i don`t(can`t) give advice on `how to`play here,i play completely on how i feel,how my opponents play,the board texture as they say,and overall i`m just an aggressive idiot at the table.:p (listen to vinnie,always offers good advice)
 
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clyde86

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bluffing, for as much as i can find spots to take a pot down...has ULTIMATELY hurt worse...run good play good all night...then dump 140% of ur profit betting two hands...itll get ya
 
CullinanPoker

CullinanPoker

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Everytime I try to bluff I end up losing, maybe pick up a small pot here and there. Trying to eliminate it from my game lol.
 
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