To bluff or not to bluff

[paulwall01]

It depends on two things really... The first is your strategy and the second is how your table is playing.

If your tight aggressive then you should only bluff to advertise weakness when your table has gotten ultra tight. You want to play a lot of small pots then show a crap hand to advertise your false strategy. Then play tight again.Then your more likely to get action when you do hit a real hand. If your table is action action action...then you do not need to advertise.

If your Loose aggressive then you make small bluffs to steal small pots to set up your big hands. There is no reason to make big bluffs since your going to have plenty of opportunities to catch monster hands and your going to get action when you catch those hands.

 

[foldinjo]

I agree, you should bluff players with smaller stacks.
Whenever i bluffed someone who had much more chips than me he called just to see what i had.
Whenever you bluff i think you should have an ace or a king.

 

[vanquish]

You ask yourself: "Is it believable?" and then judge accordingly.

 

[kingsup23]

I know this is corny but its just like Negreanu said in his book bluffing is like telling a story. Theres a beggining middle and end. If you leave any of those parts out the story doesnt work and the bluff will not work.

 

[robertmcpokster]

i dont bluff , like not at all i have been caught to many times ,so i just sit and play my hands ,and since i stoped bluffing i started showing my cards every time. thats what i do i showem so the people know not to call me. i show my cards untill the blinds hit like 1k then i start mucking and play a lil diff then i was i bet more and reraise more and bcuz i showed allthose hands in the game earlyer they dont call . and this has worked for me for about a half a year now and allmost allways place in the money .


_________________
you cannot change the cards your delt just the way you play them RANDY PAUSCH

 

[FreeFalling22]

i bluff if i got cards in my hand hahaha thats the only time
and robert why would you not want people to call you? dont you want people to call your bets and collect more? or are you talking about just when your bluffing? but you said you never bluff so why you want people to fold??? let me know how you win when people just fold to your every bet cause the blinds aint usually gonna do it if thats all you collect.

 

[u4eated]

I do not like to bluff until bubble time. Once bubble time rolls around people tend to be way more carefull and bluffs work much better.

 

[jorgedelgado613]

i tend to try not to bluff unless im chip lead.. but if u must id say semi bluff

 

[checkoutcardschat]

My opinion on bluffing is do it very INfrequently but when doing it always pay attention to the skill level of your opponents. If you find yourself seated at a table full of bad players, running a risky bluff would be foolish. Instead, wait for a good hand and hope you're called.
That same approach won't be quite as effective against highly skilled players (as you get deeper in tourneys you'll run into a few of these guys ; they'll know just what you're up to. Against tough players, you'll have to bluff occasionally, but again, not as often as you think .
Seems like my highest finishes and cashes have always been in those instances when my # of bluffs are in the <3 category but of course you gotta to run good

 

[mjd5228]

when playing no limit bluffing has a lot to do with instinct. continuation bluffs on turn an river make u look real strong.. low limiti hold em you cant bluff at all... tourneys you dont want to bluff or bully unless your the big stack

 

[grandstrom]

1)hows the table view you... did sumone catch u bluffing not that long ago?... lets not do it again anytime soon... build ur rep back up...

Wait till the table thinks your tight to bluff... and only when the conditions are right:

1.)your in a hand with recognized tight players
2.)your in a later position *closer to button* -- so even if they do call ur bluff u get to see them act first on the next card
3)DONT BLUFF TOO HIGH. Infact i think a low bluff has more affect than a larger one... are u facing a pretty smart player? disguise a bluff as a value bet... he might fold.... generally dont bluff more than half the pot... if he has a hand worth calling half the pot he has a hand worth calling the pot or more-so
4.) dont bluff early in tournaments... its just stupid... blinds r low.. u dont need to chips.... just be patient donkey

 

[letmewin]

bluffing in my opinion is what holdem is all about as long as you do at the right times against the right players u can signifcantly increase your chances of winning if you watch your opponents actions and non actions.
although it is nice not to have to bluff if you can catch a hand then playing that hand like you are bluffing if you can get action you can really pick up a big win. gl at the tables

 

[Aurelio H]

well i play with 1 guy who bluffs almost every hand and the only time he ever wins is when he gets a lucky river so u its never good to be a crazy bluffer and i play with people who are still learning the game and i never bluff them cuz i get called with queen high when i have 10 high so best time to bluff is when a player seems nervous and flop looks sloppy

 

[Exit141RTe1]

If you couldn't bluff then it would not be any fun. Nothing better than a semi bluff and actually getting caught with it. Just think of it as grooming your fellow players to think you are bluffing when you are actually sitting in the hole with a monster.