cranberry
Legend
Silver Level
FF2586
Rock Star
Bronze Level
My friend, I think it could be OK only if you play micro zoom on pokerstars (many players and no one gives a damn)
On ACR, there's no zoom, and playing against the same players and never bluffing!! You will lose so much value with your big hands and with your successful bluffs too, since there aren't any!
Poker is a game in which you play the players not the cards!
On ACR, there's no zoom, and playing against the same players and never bluffing!! You will lose so much value with your big hands and with your successful bluffs too, since there aren't any!
Poker is a game in which you play the players not the cards!
apeedgovi
Enthusiast
Silver Level
Well. That is one scary flop to bluff on with two hearts. I think call after flop should made you alert that he just might have those two diamonds. In general I think it was ok to bluff after flop, but after that call - check and fold would be the way I would take.
T
titiduru
Visionary
Silver Level
If you don't play often and mostly have different opponents than never bluffing could be the right thing in microstakes poker, but once other players label you as a non bluffer they will exploit that and put you at a disadvantage. Not bluffing enough and bluffing too much are to be avoided, which is, of course, easier said than done.
BuzzKillington
Rock Star
Silver Level
You can't play poker if you never bluff. Suppose you were always playing to your strength, then your opponents would sooner or later learn the patterns that determine your play, and will learn how to react to you with a positive EV. If you have a good hand, your actions will show it, and they will fold if they don't have anything. If you have a bad hand, your actions will show, and they will push you, regardless of their hands' strength.
Playing poker well requires you to bluff. If you can't be convinced of this fact, then I suggest that you try playing a poker variant where everyone shows their hand to everyone. You will quickly learn that you can't win anything that way. You will break even in the long term, like everyone else.
Playing poker well requires you to bluff. If you can't be convinced of this fact, then I suggest that you try playing a poker variant where everyone shows their hand to everyone. You will quickly learn that you can't win anything that way. You will break even in the long term, like everyone else.
Poker_Mike
Legend
Loyaler
It depends also what you mean by bluff.
You never raise with AK and continue bet on a garbage board ?
Is that a bluff ?
I don't hate your sitting at a 2 cent table just playing the nuts. If players don't notice and pay you - then that is great.
But without incorporating some well sized bluffs at the right time...
you will never be able to play higher limit tables or tournaments.
Good luck !
You never raise with AK and continue bet on a garbage board ?
Is that a bluff ?
I don't hate your sitting at a 2 cent table just playing the nuts. If players don't notice and pay you - then that is great.
But without incorporating some well sized bluffs at the right time...
you will never be able to play higher limit tables or tournaments.
Good luck !
alienat3d
easy-going alien grinder
Bronze Level
No it's not OK. It's wrong to do that, as by doing that you are loosing so many good spots to win a pot. Bluff is a part of a NLHE game and very important part of it. There are so many different kind of bluff, CBET, Donk Bets, Stealing PF extending your range you open with, floating to taking it on turn or riving, when you feel weakness of your opponent. But to bluff without "telling a proper story" is wrong too. You just acting silly bluffing without plan and loosing even more money, than without bluffing. That's why it's very important to study and practice situations when exactly you should use bluff and how. It takes much time to study it well and i would recommend less bluffing for new players for sure. But it's not impossible never bluffing if you want to gain success at the game of poker.
K
karl coakley
Visionary
Silver Level
IDK, at .1/.2 I don't see where I'd be bluffing a lot. I agree, as you move up you need to be betting and aggressive, but in the low limits you get a lot of calling stations and don't want to get called down with bottom pair.
R
ricardibreezer
Enthusiast
Silver Level
I constantly bluff.
Without bluffing your game is so predictable. You only hit around 30% of flops.... so you just check/fold the other 70% of time? This means the 30% when you do hit and bet out - your opponeny knows you hit, folds and you don't get paid. So you lose 70% and win tiny 30%.
Bluffing is just as essential in poker as value betting made hands imo - bluffing simply has to make sense. The biggest mistake bluffers make is when the story doesn't add up. Like they will flop a flush draw, and look unhappy at having to call bets to see turn & river cards. Both cards are bricks that obviously do not improve their hands - they get desoerate to win back the chips they commited to the pot & make an obvious bluff.
Make sure your bluff makes sense and plan for it at the start of a hand. For example; if i get dealt trash for 7 or 8 hands in a row I'll be aware i appear tight to the rest of the table for folding so often...
Then in early position i pick up 78 suited. I'll maybe try a 3x raise and see if anyone wants to play. 1 caller.
This is a nice spot imo because 78 suited can connect with alot of flops, i can pick up draws. But say i miss totally and a rainbow flop of A 9 3 comes out - or even K 9 3. This makes perfect sense to bluff... your table image is tight & your opponent could believe you made top pair in this situation as you raised 3BB from early preflop - meaning a hand such as AK AQ KQ etc is very plausible & youre repping of top pair looks legit. If there's 7 BB in the pot, you could pick it up with a small bluff of 3 or 4 BB, you get good odds for a fold here. As you were not reraised preflop it seems unlikely your opponent has a premium hand, and would like fold a small pocketpair or small suited connected if he missed the flop and faces a continuation bet.
Without bluffing your game is so predictable. You only hit around 30% of flops.... so you just check/fold the other 70% of time? This means the 30% when you do hit and bet out - your opponeny knows you hit, folds and you don't get paid. So you lose 70% and win tiny 30%.
Bluffing is just as essential in poker as value betting made hands imo - bluffing simply has to make sense. The biggest mistake bluffers make is when the story doesn't add up. Like they will flop a flush draw, and look unhappy at having to call bets to see turn & river cards. Both cards are bricks that obviously do not improve their hands - they get desoerate to win back the chips they commited to the pot & make an obvious bluff.
Make sure your bluff makes sense and plan for it at the start of a hand. For example; if i get dealt trash for 7 or 8 hands in a row I'll be aware i appear tight to the rest of the table for folding so often...
Then in early position i pick up 78 suited. I'll maybe try a 3x raise and see if anyone wants to play. 1 caller.
This is a nice spot imo because 78 suited can connect with alot of flops, i can pick up draws. But say i miss totally and a rainbow flop of A 9 3 comes out - or even K 9 3. This makes perfect sense to bluff... your table image is tight & your opponent could believe you made top pair in this situation as you raised 3BB from early preflop - meaning a hand such as AK AQ KQ etc is very plausible & youre repping of top pair looks legit. If there's 7 BB in the pot, you could pick it up with a small bluff of 3 or 4 BB, you get good odds for a fold here. As you were not reraised preflop it seems unlikely your opponent has a premium hand, and would like fold a small pocketpair or small suited connected if he missed the flop and faces a continuation bet.
Robochick
Legend
Silver Level
I am looking forward to playing with you.
TrillUziVert
Enthusiast
Silver Level
Bluffing is a key essential to winning quick hands. If the table is checking all the way to river, there's something wrong there. You want the other players to back off the pot if you know they don't have anything.You need to lay down the bets hard enough to get them to fold.
Awrpze
Rock Star
Silver Level
Never bluffing means you'll never get paid off with the hands you have. Sometimes you have to show down the worst of it so people will give you more action. Plus, bluffing adds another way you can take the pot down. If you don't feel comfortable making crazy, stone-cold bluffs, try semi-bluffing more at least. Besides, if you continually get to showdown with the best of it, why not take advantage of that image and try to pull off some bluffs every now and again?
IcyNicy
Enthusiast
Silver Level
I've decided for myself that bluffing is not good against opponents at microlimits. I don't know whether they are so stupid or curious but they often call. It's not worth it. You will just lose money that could be saved for better situations. But. Sometimes it is OK to bluff. For example in a pot where your opponent checked twice and you understand the fact that if you bet you will take that pot.
Eric Salvador
Visionary
Silver Level
If you can get max value from all your hands and make proper lay downs you can profit a small amount, but in the long run your going to need to create some spots to bluff if you'd like to move up in stakes you're going to have to find a bluff line that fits your game and is profitable.
slayerupon
Rock Star
Silver Level
So true, I remember at one point I would avoid playing against ANY Russian player because not matter what you could expect a raise. It can also work in your favour when you actually hit the nuts.
Bluffing is an important part of everyone’s poker game. Like people above stated it best to learn your opponent and bet to your advantage.