Are you one of the people who bluffs?

[larabe1997]

bluffing is a part of poker

 

[ZenonBR]

Yes, I used to bluff a lot to force my opponent to fold, but I ended up studying more about this and saw through theory and practice that bluffing too much is not profitable, I tend to only use semi-bluffing with a maximum of 3 opponents at the table, and occasionally dry bluffs if I have a lot of chips and heads up against BB, but they are becoming increasingly rare.

 

[Magallaneroy]

It is part of my tools to play Poker. Not very often but yes. That's worth it.

 

[valanddon]

If you try to bluff in freerolls, everybody calls with nothing and you ussally lose.

 

[Rosylly]

If you won't bluff you will lose some money in a long term, it's just a tool that you have to use sometimes. But you have to feel the field, the opponents, don't bluff out of position etc.

 

[TulasMoreno]

In order to be a good poker player you need to bluff to get better prizes, so, you have to do it, no matter what.

 

[arshuns]

I rarely bluff. But I like to blast my opponent's bluff.

 

[jcxmendes]

Yes I bluff but I use the semi-bluff more!

 

[s0ftdumps]

if you aren't bluffing at least some percentage of the time, then:
a) you are leaving chips on the table for others;
b) you will not go as far in tourneys
c) if you've admitted it above (or below), you'd better change as I'll add this to your player notes and it is going to hurt you even more.

But bluffing takes several forms.
- There are the "out and out bluffs" which is basically having nothing of value for showdown. These are sometimes called stone-cold bluffs as they have zero equity.
- There is the C-bet bluffs where you haven't hit, but have a decent enough hand to continue , but are not necessarily leading post flop...you're essentially bluffing on the hope that your opponent has not connected on the flop.
- There is the semi-bluff where you're betting, but without top/nutty hand
- Finally you have your oppoprtunistic bluff, which is less dependent on your hole cards, and simply more focussed on specific opponents you are pushing out of the pot. Its considered opportunistic because you are making a move based on the specific villain.

As a person on the other side...if you play straight-forward only, then you are going to be giving up on pots where your equity is higher than the person taking it down. Further, you set yourself up for being exploited by opportunistic bluffs.

My view is that if you never get caught bluffing, you're not bluffing enough.
And when you DO get caught. You have now primed your opponents to be suspicious. This can increase your value when you tighten up post-catch-out and increase your bet sizing. You'll get more callers, more chips.

What one must make sure they avoid is bluffing in non-sensical spots. You don't try to bluff a fish/call-station. you don't go bluffing the nit who hasn't played for 15 hands and has all of a sudden woken up and is betting when AAK hit the flop.

Sometimes you need to set up your bluffs to be able to pull them off. Fopr example, bluffing that you've hit a straight or flush is a lot easier if you have been C-Betting prior to the bluff. It makes it look like you're slowly building a pot on a strong draw. It's more useful to do this on flush draw boards as these are quite obvious to your opponent. Doing it with straight draws works too, but straight draws might be more likely to simply go unnoticed by villain, especially if they are very gappy.

At any rate....the long and the short of it is -- all the best poker players bluff. Bluffing might not make you the best, but you'll never be the best if you don't learn how to do it properly.

Cheers,
JT

PS -- I over-bluff...so what do I know!?!

Absolutely agree! Bluffing is an essential part of the game—it keeps opponents guessing and adds a layer of unpredictability to your play. Not only does it help in accumulating chips by keeping others on their toes, but it's a key factor in advancing further in tournaments. The psychological aspect of the game is just as crucial as the cards in your hand. Thanks for the reminder, and let's keep those bluffs well-timed and effective.

 

[Veralt]

Yes, of course.
I believe it's necessary to do it from time to time, otherwise, you would only play when you've connected. But I always encounter a problem, I come across people of all kinds, some who play much better than me, others who play much worse. Typically, to bluff, you need to represent a certain hand or range. The thing is, you might represent something different for each person, depending on their skill level and other factors. For some people, it makes sense to play a hand in a certain way that, for others, does not. Therefore, the matter of representing something becomes subjective and very complicated.

 

[odonob]

I would bluff towards the latter stages of a tournament mainly. Try and build a stack first and then use a big stack so that bluffs become easier to do.

 

[Comboss599]

I think every player bluffs. Bluffing is the one of part of this game, so why not.

 

[pansipos]

Sometime have to

 

[Chebchoub]

I hate when they do that to me

View attachment 351193

Sometimes you should do this, especially when you have the opportunity. The bluff is an integral part of the game of poker, although sometimes it causes us to lose or fall in the badbeat.

 

[Dimidrol2]

Bluffing in poker is a part of the game and if you use it correctly, it sometimes brings more than fair play. Of course, it is not worth abusing, for me it is very evident from the game.

 

[successlaw]

I play a lot of micros so here I don't try too much to bluff

 

[cwdignus]

Don't bluff most of the time it ends badly

 

[Andyreas]

If you never bluff, you're the easiest player to play against:

• Whenever you bet, people can easily fold.
• Whenever you don't bet, they know you have nothing and can bluff you out of the pot.

The goal of poker is to play unpredictable and mix your strategy.

 

[serj537]

I think every poker player bluffs, some more often and some less often.

 

[Misanthrop]

I never Bluff. I think it's unfair

 

[s0ftdumps]

I would bluff sparingly. You do need to however repent strength at latter stages of a tournament, for example at a final table. When you play and see other players at the final deep stages of a tournament you can bet that half the time they do not have the hands they represent. This is the game really. Early doors in a tournament bluffs are less likely to be a good strategy.

Indeed, bluffing becomes more strategic as the tournament progresses, especially when players are more cautious and selective with their hands. At the early stages, players are typically looser, and bluffing may not be as effective due to the higher likelihood of opponents calling with weaker hands.

However, as the field narrows down and players become more cautious about risking their chips, bluffing can be a powerful tool to assert dominance and pressure opponents into folding stronger hands. It requires a keen understanding of opponents' tendencies, table dynamics, and your own image at the table.

 

[Belliswolf]

I did actually somtimes

 

[Four Dogs]

Yes, I'm one of "those people".

 

[Youvraj365]

yes, for sure did it many times.

 

[perrywh]

NEVER! Lol!