james_cooper field
Rising Star
Bronze Level
how can I make proper use of bluffing in online poker sites?
punctual
Legend
Silver Level
I can tell you what i do but I am no professional by any means.
If there is more than one other player in the pot with me I have to decide who is bluffable and who is a calling station. A calling station will call no matter how bad his or her hand is so you have to be careful with calling stations.
First thing is I always tend to raise if I am in late position and no one has raised before me; if i see a few people fold, then I consider that raise a success because I just lowered the probability that they will "suck out" on me (which is to say, draw out on a hand that preflop was inferior to mine).
You can call that a bluff or not but its really something I try to do as often as possible. But of course, if you do anything too often, savvy players that have been watching you the whole time may try to set you up and trap you by slow playing something big in anticipation of your raise. This is why when I do raise, I don't raise an amount that would cripple my chipstack. In general, when raising because no one else raised, my raise will be about 2.5BB. And of course, will only call a big reraise if I actually have something....my definition of having something changes depending on the range of hands a particular opponent could have (i base this decision on stats I have obtained about the player during the game so far).
As far as bluffing on the flop, turn, or river, I will tend to do this when I am on a draw of some sort or if I have 2nd top pair. But this is largely villain-dependent as well. I will be looser with aggressive-tight players in my bluff and tighter with loose-aggressive players in my bluff. If I am up against a calling-station, I just play straight up poker: i don't try to bluff someone like that. If I am at a table with a bunch of players who I know are bluffable and just a single calling station is still in the hand, I don't even try to bluff.....
I think bluffing is more about knowing what you can get away with and with whom. Some people are easily bluffed over and over and over and over again. Others, just once in a while. Yet others will always call your bluff. So the game I try to play with the latter type of player is to raise really big against such players when i have something; and if i keep doing this with calling-stations i look for the point at which they no longer call my bets. When I see that calling-stations are deliberately not calling my bet anymore, I can start to bluff them...but I always do so with caution because in my mind, ONCE A CALLING-STATION, ALWAYS A CALLING-STATION AT HEART...
If there is more than one other player in the pot with me I have to decide who is bluffable and who is a calling station. A calling station will call no matter how bad his or her hand is so you have to be careful with calling stations.
First thing is I always tend to raise if I am in late position and no one has raised before me; if i see a few people fold, then I consider that raise a success because I just lowered the probability that they will "suck out" on me (which is to say, draw out on a hand that preflop was inferior to mine).
You can call that a bluff or not but its really something I try to do as often as possible. But of course, if you do anything too often, savvy players that have been watching you the whole time may try to set you up and trap you by slow playing something big in anticipation of your raise. This is why when I do raise, I don't raise an amount that would cripple my chipstack. In general, when raising because no one else raised, my raise will be about 2.5BB. And of course, will only call a big reraise if I actually have something....my definition of having something changes depending on the range of hands a particular opponent could have (i base this decision on stats I have obtained about the player during the game so far).
As far as bluffing on the flop, turn, or river, I will tend to do this when I am on a draw of some sort or if I have 2nd top pair. But this is largely villain-dependent as well. I will be looser with aggressive-tight players in my bluff and tighter with loose-aggressive players in my bluff. If I am up against a calling-station, I just play straight up poker: i don't try to bluff someone like that. If I am at a table with a bunch of players who I know are bluffable and just a single calling station is still in the hand, I don't even try to bluff.....
I think bluffing is more about knowing what you can get away with and with whom. Some people are easily bluffed over and over and over and over again. Others, just once in a while. Yet others will always call your bluff. So the game I try to play with the latter type of player is to raise really big against such players when i have something; and if i keep doing this with calling-stations i look for the point at which they no longer call my bets. When I see that calling-stations are deliberately not calling my bet anymore, I can start to bluff them...but I always do so with caution because in my mind, ONCE A CALLING-STATION, ALWAYS A CALLING-STATION AT HEART...
NCDaddy
Visionary
Silver Level
Bluffing mid range stacks is easier to bluff than short stacks and big stacks (at least in tournament play). Short stacks may get desperate and call off with as much as 3rd pair. Big stacks may think you're trying to make a move and can afford to look you up. Mid stacks are waiting for their turn.
You really have to pay attention when you're not involved in a hand to note who folds a lot...who folds on the turn and river if it appears they're afraid of certain hands, missed draws, etc. This info will help tremendously when it's your turn to bluff.
I don't bluff a lot...but I do when I see good spots. Those spots come by paying attention. It's hard when you're playing online due to all the other distractions the internet brings....but it's imperative. Bluffing just to bluff is stupid and will get you felted pretty quick.
You really have to pay attention when you're not involved in a hand to note who folds a lot...who folds on the turn and river if it appears they're afraid of certain hands, missed draws, etc. This info will help tremendously when it's your turn to bluff.
I don't bluff a lot...but I do when I see good spots. Those spots come by paying attention. It's hard when you're playing online due to all the other distractions the internet brings....but it's imperative. Bluffing just to bluff is stupid and will get you felted pretty quick.
D
DenverDave
Enthusiast
Silver Level
Like NCDaddy said, you can't bluff just to bluff. You have to be telling a story AND they have to be believing your story. And if they are a calling station, you should not be bluffing. You can try it once or twice to try and establish a wider image at the table. But who else at your table is on other tables? How many are they on? And will your station even remember your bluff attempts? That is the thing that kills me. Until I learned not to bluff stations.
Maybe post a hand or 2 explaining your reasons for bluffing?
Maybe post a hand or 2 explaining your reasons for bluffing?
crusinnn
Rock Star
Silver Level
C-bet bluff. Most of my sucessful bluffs comes from setting it up at the table. Just a simple senerio. I would fold fold until I hit premium. Probaly raise with ak etc. Flop hits c bet. I will continue this until show down so others can see that I had premiums or the nuts. Then I would do the same in and out with marginals hands. Sometimes ppl calls you but I would push hard and 4 bet on the river. It all depends which part in the game your at, chip stack and how much pressure you can give to the opponent . This usually works great at the bubble or down in the game to steal blinds. The whole point of this is to confuse the opponent as to what you hold in your hand. Somtimes with weak marginals hands you get lucky on the flop and it's reverse physchology . Now the opponents thinks you have premiums , ahhh lol. And you do the same they call you and bam . Lol be prepared to be called a fish after but I always say poker is a mind game. If you can control your opponent you can control the outcome of the game.
Tulipaneiro
Legend
Silver Level
crusinnn
Rock Star
Silver Level
I was trying to bluff yesterday i was playing careful and get into trapallin at flop. when i saw my opponents hand i close my notebook :S
Why would you bluff with all-in on the flop. Why not c bet. Or did he push all-in and you called? If he did then that's not a bluff.
Faust
Enthusiast
Silver Level
You can only bluff when there are players in the table that like to play seriously. First of all you have to stablish your power in the table, how you do that? By winning with good hands. Then you settle your dominance by winning more hands but this time without showing the cards (so if a player thinks you are bluffing and calls you till river you show every player that you had good cards). After that, you determine which hands you will bluff, but if in one the players show a bit agressive it's definitely because they have something so you simply fold and try in another. Now the real trick is that you definitely believe having the cards, and in each situation you have to bet how you would bet if you had those cards (which you dont). For example: i determine that this is a good hand to bluff, there has been a lot of action in the table and me, the most powerful player of the table (measured in terms of stack or reputation) havent been participating for a while. So now i decided that my cards are a pair of AA even though the dealer gave me a 4 and a 7. So i raise as if i had a pair of aces, and few call. After flop i do a test bet to check what cards my opponent have but keeping in consideration that i have a pair of aces, so my bet would be 1/2 of the pot. One player folds and the other calls, so its 1 vs 1. Now my bets must be carefully selected, taking in consideration all of the possible aspects that influenced my opponent to call my previous bet (maybe there was a Q in the table and its the higuest pair, so if a K or A do not appear in turn or river my opponent will keep calling (just because he is a bad player or because he knows me), or maybe he is waiting to complete his project, which i have to be careful, or perhaps it's the other way, he is expecting me to complete a project. Well there are a lot of variables, but it's important that you keep notes of your opponents to know the best thing you can do). Suppose you decide that your opponent if waiting for a project, and the turn didnt gave him the card, which means your fake pair of aces still are winning. Now you have to make him fold because you know in river he will get his card, so since each player has a number you bet that number (some players at this stage will simply fold for all ins, or maybe by 100% of the pot, others for 2/3, you determine who is your opponent).
To bluff correctly here are some thing to take in consideration:
* You need power in the table
* You need to know each player in the table, if you don't have notes on someone you dont bluff that someone.
* You need to have a good reputation (a bluffer reputation will definitely make you loose)
* You have to know how to read players. You read players accordingly to the past, notes again. Few players change their gamestyle, so you determine how each player is accordingly to the bets, thats the only way to get information of players.
* Definitely make people feel! Emotions should be discarted in poker, it's just a game, nobody should feel something for some cards or chips. But your strategy is to make them feel, so that makes it more real, and the primary feeling that players have is definitely fear. Good for someone to stablish his power.
To bluff correctly here are some thing to take in consideration:
* You need power in the table
* You need to know each player in the table, if you don't have notes on someone you dont bluff that someone.
* You need to have a good reputation (a bluffer reputation will definitely make you loose)
* You have to know how to read players. You read players accordingly to the past, notes again. Few players change their gamestyle, so you determine how each player is accordingly to the bets, thats the only way to get information of players.
* Definitely make people feel! Emotions should be discarted in poker, it's just a game, nobody should feel something for some cards or chips. But your strategy is to make them feel, so that makes it more real, and the primary feeling that players have is definitely fear. Good for someone to stablish his power.
Karozi615
Visionary
Silver Level
There are different degrees of bluffing, but you can't win at this game without understanding every degree.
bluffs should be carried out under certain circumstances
1. in position
2. preferably an incompetent/passive opponent
3. generally you should be the aggressor
a common "bluff" would be to open the button, bet the flop, and then fire a large bet on the turn. This will get passive players to fold better hands often.
when you start playing really really good players, you have to learn how to bluff out of position.
this generally constitutes
floating flops, check raising turns, and leveling with your opponent.
For the most part at the Micros just pick certain times to fire into people.
bluffs should be carried out under certain circumstances
1. in position
2. preferably an incompetent/passive opponent
3. generally you should be the aggressor
a common "bluff" would be to open the button, bet the flop, and then fire a large bet on the turn. This will get passive players to fold better hands often.
when you start playing really really good players, you have to learn how to bluff out of position.
this generally constitutes
floating flops, check raising turns, and leveling with your opponent.
For the most part at the Micros just pick certain times to fire into people.
angelluv725
Legend
Platinum Level
I just don't understand why one would want to bluff, other than they are low on chips. I know its part of poker, and maybe I need to learn how to do it well It really irritates me when they show there buffing cards and I had folded a winning hand. I don't like bluffing. I keeps notes on those type of players.
Suited Frenzy
CardsChat Elite
Bronze Level
Players for the most part don't bluff when they're low on chips. I, personally, bluff a lot more when I have a decent+ stack.
There's a huge dif between someone who bluffs & someone who likes to show their cards when they bluff.
There are a few good reasons for showing your cards when you're bluffing. But showing w/ the intent to rub it in their face after they make a tough fold is a completely dick move.
As you've said, bluffing is part of the game of poker. Anyone can sit there & play only their good cards (& I mean ANYONE, regardless of skill or experience). I call those type of players "card players".
If you can sit there (in times where a player goes card dead) & make some plays w/ complete crap representing a good hand, by all means, do it. Making plays, bluffing, playing your opponents, whatever you'd like to call it is completely tolerant in the game of poker. I call those type of players "poker players".
M
mellowman7usa
Rising Star
Bronze Level
Personally I find bluffing online to be a challenge when you initially play with someone whom you've never played with before. I tend to just play tight until I figure out their style. Are they loose, aggressive, tight etc....? Then from there you can really utilize your bluffs the best.
Although I do agree with a C bet being the best bet you can make. It isn't always intended on being a bluff, but it generally turns out to be just that after the flop.
Although I do agree with a C bet being the best bet you can make. It isn't always intended on being a bluff, but it generally turns out to be just that after the flop.
Tulipaneiro
Legend
Silver Level
because opponent raise 20BB at preflop
I call and opponent wait few seconds and check, so i go allin i thought he got some pair on hand without flush draw.
trolaAa
Rock Star
Silver Level
beware of donks remember theyre call with pair deuces.;D
I was trying to bluff yesterday i was playing careful and get into trap
man what a hand....
epsi:
left52side
Legend
Silver Level
Just my opinion,
I tend to bluff online later in tournament play when I have A decent chip stack and blinds are climbing,When short stacks are in the blinds and have to be put to A decision.
Also bubble time with chips is a great time to pick up blinds and chips.
Seems alot of players get scared money right around bubble time.
I tend to bluff online later in tournament play when I have A decent chip stack and blinds are climbing,When short stacks are in the blinds and have to be put to A decision.
Also bubble time with chips is a great time to pick up blinds and chips.
Seems alot of players get scared money right around bubble time.
pokertoi
Rock Star
Silver Level
I rarely ever bluff, for a couple of reasons, for one if someone called and I lost i'd feel silly, then it would be open season on me for the rest of the game. Second, I don't want to have that stigma as a bluffer. Because when i'm in a hand with someone who's known to bluff a lot, i'm more open to call their raises when I have a decent hand.I do however pay attention to players that have fold to bet on, and will bet just to take the pot.
T
terryg642
Rock Star
Silver Level
I play at the free roll and micro level were ussually , you lose more chips than you gain by bluffing however,the most success I've had is on the river when I'm in position and it's checked to me.When your bluffing you want to know who will fold with a little pressure .and who is not going to fold no matter what.