Hey everyone, Hope you are all safe and staying healthy.

I have a question about bluffing. How can one determine if an opposing player is bluffing when playing online? I've been bluffed several times recently and I was not happy about it. Any comments are appreciated. Thanks

Hi, to be honest I don’t know for sure. This can be determined by looking at how the player plays. If he constantly raises, then from the game you can understand that he is bluffing. And if a player plays passively, then it is very difficult to determine because he plays only with good hands

i think is very you know a player is bluffing when you see that he play very agresiv.

Originally Posted by AlexeiShok

Hi, to be honest I don’t know for sure. This can be determined by looking at how the player plays. If he constantly raises, then from the game you can understand that he is bluffing. And if a player plays passively, then it is very difficult to determine because he plays only with good hands

That makes sense. I guess one should try and watch his game to determine their style and play pattern. Thanks

Originally Posted by FastEddie777

Hey everyone, Hope you are all safe and staying healthy.

I have a question about bluffing. How can one determine if an opposing player is bluffing when playing online? I've been bluffed several times recently and I was not happy about it. Any comments are appreciated. Thanks

Aggressiveness of a player should not be the only one indicator. If you only use aggroness, you will lose a lot.

It's about how often he place bet on preflop. How often he raise on flop. If he often play, it means he play with wider range and if he raise a lot on flop, it means he push only to make you fold.

To counter this is sometimes you re-raise him on flop. If he call, play slowly on turn and river.

However, it is not a general rule, to understand their mindset, just read anything about LAG and bet sizing.

Originally Posted by wizcup

Aggressiveness of a player should not be the only one indicator. If you only use aggroness, you will lose a lot.

It's about how often he place bet on preflop. How often he raise on flop. If he often play, it means he play with wider range and if he raise a lot on flop, it means he push only to make you fold.

To counter this is sometimes you re-raise him on flop. If he call, play slowly on turn and river.


However, it is not a general rule, to understand their mindset, just read anything about LAG and bet sizing.

Thanks for the great suggestions.

There is a thing in poker called minimum defence frequency. It is something that I won’t pretend to fully understand but basically when implemented properly makes you unexploitable. It is a very gto concept.....I think not sure. I find a lot of the $ in poker actually comes from calling down when you aren’t totally sure but it is a balancing act that is for sure. Flag the hands that fit into this category for a couple days and then review them as a group

Originally Posted by Bird173

There is a thing in poker called minimum defence frequency. It is something that I won’t pretend to fully understand but basically when implemented properly makes you unexploitable. It is a very gto concept.....I think not sure. I find a lot of the $ in poker actually comes from calling down when you aren’t totally sure but it is a balancing act that is for sure. Flag the hands that fit into this category for a couple days and then review them as a group

Thanks buddy. I will look into that. Good luck at the tables.

Originally Posted by FastEddie777

Hey everyone, Hope you are all safe and staying healthy.

I have a question about bluffing. How can one determine if an opposing player is bluffing when playing online? I've been bluffed several times recently and I was not happy about it. Any comments are appreciated. Thanks

Many ways, flop betting frequency for a start. Combine this with turn and river and preflop raise frequencies to build an idea of what a player is doing. If you see a high frequency (over 50%), combined with raise sizes that are large (like pot size), you are getting bluffed.

But don't always look at it as bluffing, there are many situations where players will continuation bet all of their preflop range on the flop with a small raise size and it is a fair approximation of a balanced strategy.

Some examples below (keep in mind you would need a HUD to really be able to make these reads; unless you catch villain showing down with trash that should never even have been bluffed with in which case you can safely assume he spews with bluffs)

Example 1) Player has Preflop Raise% (PFR) that's 20% and flop cbet% of 60, it's safe to say a lot of the time he isn't hitting the board when he is betting. You can say he has a "weak range" because it's so wide. You should be more inclined to call him with weaker hands that you wouldn't normally continue with, or re raise him with playable hands.

Important concept: The less often someone bets, and the more streets they bet on, combined with bigger bet size, the stronger their hand (or more correctly range) usually is. The opposite is true as well

Example 2) Player has preflop raise that's tight (7%), but flop cbet% is high (70%). You might be misled by the high flop cbet% but because his preflop range is so tight (strong), then he is usually cbetting more strong hands than the guy in example 1.

Example 3) Player has high cbet% on all 3 streets = definitely a maniac, UNLESS he is a nit with like a 4% PFR which means he is barreling a lot of strong pairs and overcards.

Also look at aggression factor, aggression factors of 4 or higher can be used as an indicator of an overly aggressive or bluffy player.

It's all about frequencies, minimum defense frequency, betting frequency, etc.

At nl10 there value bettnig is going to be profitable. Bluffing isn't.
I am going to be bluffing 100% of my range...

Originally Posted by ventrolloquist

Many ways, flop betting frequency for a start. Combine this with turn and river and preflop raise frequencies to build an idea of what a player is doing. If you see a high frequency (over 50%), combined with raise sizes that are large (like pot size), you are getting bluffed.

But don't always look at it as bluffing, there are many situations where players will continuation bet all of their preflop range on the flop with a small raise size and it is a fair approximation of a balanced strategy.

Some examples below (keep in mind you would need a HUD to really be able to make these reads; unless you catch villain showing down with trash that should never even have been bluffed with in which case you can safely assume he spews with bluffs)

Example 1) Player has Preflop Raise% (PFR) that's 20% and flop cbet% of 60, it's safe to say a lot of the time he isn't hitting the board when he is betting. You can say he has a "weak range" because it's so wide. You should be more inclined to call him with weaker hands that you wouldn't normally continue with, or re raise him with playable hands.

Important concept: The less often someone bets, and the more streets they bet on, combined with bigger bet size, the stronger their hand (or more correctly range) usually is. The opposite is true as well

Example 2) Player has preflop raise that's tight (7%), but flop cbet% is high (70%). You might be misled by the high flop cbet% but because his preflop range is so tight (strong), then he is usually cbetting more strong hands than the guy in example 1.

Example 3) Player has high cbet% on all 3 streets = definitely a maniac, UNLESS he is a nit with like a 4% PFR which means he is barreling a lot of strong pairs and overcards.

Also look at aggression factor, aggression factors of 4 or higher can be used as an indicator of an overly aggressive or bluffy player.


It's all about frequencies, minimum defense frequency, betting frequency, etc.

Thank you very much. This really helps me. I have one question. Was does HUD stand for?

PS: you should write a strategy book on poker. Thanx.

I have seen a couple players online that love to show their cards when they bluff. They want you to think they are always bluffing. When they hit a hand, they want you to call or even raise them. They want you to tilt.

Originally Posted by FastEddie777

Thank you very much. This really helps me. I have one question. Was does HUD stand for?

A HUD (Heads Up Display) is a app that gives you real time details on players you have faced. How often they raise preflop, how often they continuation bet, how often they fold to a raise... It is a pay app, that you can get free on trial (30 days).

Using a HUD is good when you play multiple tables and/or face the same players often. I think it distracts, but others find it useful. I think downloading one on trial is useful. It might expose somethings that you are doing wrong, like playing too many hands. It is also helpful for looking at hands you played later.

I wouldn't use it except for information on my own game, unless you are playing lots of poker and multiple tables.

Originally Posted by thehangdude

A HUD (Heads Up Display) is a app that gives you real time details on players you have faced. How often they raise preflop, how often they continuation bet, how often they fold to a raise... It is a pay app, that you can get free on trial (30 days).

Thanks again buddy.

Originally Posted by ventrolloquist

Many ways, flop betting frequency for a start. Combine this with turn and river and preflop raise frequencies to build an idea of what a player is doing. If you see a high frequency (over 50%), combined with raise sizes that are large (like pot size), you are getting bluffed.

.

I played in ACR's freeroll today. I finished 63rd out of 300 players. I was satisfied with my play. In the 3rd hour of play I was raised by a big stack and I re-raised all in. He called me. I had AK suited he had 5-7 off-suit, he hit runner runner to make a straight and knocked me out. What can one do. Nothing. As they said in Forrest Gump, shit happens.

Originally Posted by georgel2384

i think is very you know a player is bluffing when you see that he play very agresiv.

I bluff very often in the middle and late stages of a tournament. I also bluff often when playing spin and go.

I don’t know if there is a specific way to know someone is bluffing. You may be able to get an idea if you play against them long enough but even then it’s all kind of a guess.

Originally Posted by FastEddie777

Thank you very much. This really helps me. I have one question. Was does HUD stand for?

PS: you should write a strategy book on poker. Thanx.

Thank you, I'm flattered .

I am actually writing one but it's more of a personal project to reinforce my knowledge, I add new concepts to it whenever I begin to actively incorporate them into my play. Maybe one day when I'm a much better player I will release it.

Originally Posted by FastEddie777

I played in ACR's freeroll today. I finished 63rd out of 300 players. I was satisfied with my play. In the 3rd hour of play I was raised by a big stack and I re-raised all in. He called me. I had AK suited he had 5-7 off-suit, he hit runner runner to make a straight and knocked me out. What can one do. Nothing. As they said in Forrest Gump, shit happens.

Haha, ya fish and variance often go hand in hand

You'll find you will probably do better in tournaments with buy ins.

If a lot of draws brick, he has a lot less value hands and a lot more unpaired bluffing hands to choose from so it's much easier for him to be bluffing more often than he should be.

Originally Posted by ventrolloquist

Haha, ya fish and variance often go hand in hand

You'll find you will probably do better in tournaments with buy ins.

Thank you. In those free rolls there is no risk involved so players go crazy. They try to double up early.

Originally Posted by FastEddie777

Hey everyone, Hope you are all safe and staying healthy.

I have a question about bluffing. How can one determine if an opposing player is bluffing when playing online? I've been bluffed several times recently and I was not happy about it. Any comments are appreciated. Thanks

Always look at the line your opponent takes to see if it makes sence. Also concider your range, if you have the top of your range you probably should call most of the time. Another thing to concider is calling flops and turns with bottom of your range, if you thik you will face big bets on later streets and you dont fell comfortable calling them off, best to fold without investing much, so you dont have to play the guessing game. Having stats on your opponent halps alot in this situations.

Originally Posted by vashsv

Always look at the line your opponent takes to see if it makes sence. Also concider your range, if you have the top of your range you probably should call most of the time. Another thing to concider is calling flops and turns with bottom of your range, if you thik you will face big bets on later streets and you dont fell comfortable calling them off, best to fold without investing much, so you dont have to play the guessing game. Having stats on your opponent halps alot in this situations.

Thank you for the suggestions. Much appreciated.

Betting patterns. You can bluff that you're bluffing too looking weak when you have it.

Follow the way he plays , if he is very agressive , you have to be patient a set your trap ! Good luck

Bet frequency, missed draws on board, bet sizing, sometimes timing tells too.

Aggresive style

Originally Posted by FastEddie777

Hey everyone, Hope you are all safe and staying healthy.

I have a question about bluffing. How can one determine if an opposing player is bluffing when playing online? I've been bluffed several times recently and I was not happy about it. Any comments are appreciated. Thanks

It's really hard to gauge whether an online opponent is bluffing, but I've proudly called people on their huge bluffs. First look for clues of a bluff. Any suspicious changes in behavior stand out to me as a bluff. For instance, if the villain checks, checks, then shoves all in on a dry board (no possibility of flush or straight), then I usually suspect that it's an ace high bluff. I also look at bet size. If the bet is pot-sized or bigger than the pot, I usually get suspicious and then evaluate the equity of my hand. If I think I'm ahead, I'll just call.

Beyond bet sizing, study your opponent's behavior before hand. A lot of online players are stupid donks and just raise/bet for no reason. Wait until you get the absolute nuts like top set or top pair and then call/re-raise villain.

One of my proudest moments was when a player in a tournament shoved on the flop on a dry board, J37 rainbow. I had ace high and judging by how the player often just made big bets for no reason, I sensed that the player was bluffing and probably missed the flop. I had Ax so I also missed the flop, but I figured my ace high would be good enough. The villain shoved and I called instantly and my instincts were correct - villain had Q10 off and I got an Ace on the turn, winning the hand and essentially doubling my stack.

All in all, keep an eye out for weird bets and watch to catch your opponent making a mistake.

Originally Posted by FastEddie777

Hey everyone, Hope you are all safe and staying healthy.

I have a question about bluffing. How can one determine if an opposing player is bluffing when playing online? I've been bluffed several times recently and I was not happy about it. Any comments are appreciated. Thanks

You must learn to read players you play with . You can use holdem manager to help you with

long eneught with a player at the table you feel it.
Somethimes it's not a head dessision, trust your stomek...

Live it's more easyer to dedicate a bluffing player...

Online only after 5 mins ore little bit more I think.

Playing a few hands and you can get to know the other players.
Then you will feel it, who bluff's and who doesn't.

Bluffing is mandatory, but never without reason. You (and they) may bluff preflop because you have good position. The bet needs to be the same from the button if you have 25o or AKs, so they never know when you are bluffing.

Post flop bluffing is often best when you make a small pair or have some outs. If you were original raiser and the board has an Ace, you might try a bluff even if you opened with KQ. Or if you called from the blind, and the board is rags like 457, a bluff might work. I like betting flop from 1/4 to 3/4 whether a bluff or nuts.

Turn bluffs are rare unless as continuing a flop bet, and you sometimes need to bluff all three streets. You'll be surprised how often villain will call, call, fold. Rarely when an over card or third (or fourth) connector comes you can bluff. You need to bet as if you hit what you're selling.

Bluffing just the river has to make sense. Like as a continuation bluff, or when the board has four of a suit or one card to a straight. River bluffs need to be bigger, because the pot size is bigger.

You need bluffs to win, but only bluff for a reason, and have a plan if they call you out. Then you can put yourself in Villain's shoes and decide if they might be bluffing.

If you don't have a HUD it is often difficult to get a 'read' on a player. If that is your situation the, in a specific hand, look at how the player's actions compare to the board.....does the story he is telling by his betting make sense. The information you have to go on is the size of his bets, the amount of time he took to act when it was his turn, his position and the board. If something doesn't ring true then it is quite possible he either has a monster or he is bluffing. You have to ask yourself did the board hit your opponents opening range and, if it did, would you expect him to bet the way he did.

Originally Posted by fortescue1

You must learn to read players you play with . You can use holdem manager to help you with

Yes, it is sometimes difficult to know a bluff when it faces you. Sometimes, you can fire back with a raise and they run. Other times they charge forward. Study player's Tendencies. Many times they raise preflop, even when they are low on chips. Tendencies are to take that preflop for granted and cause you to lose consideably. GOD bless you. Now, go get'em!

Originally Posted by thehangdude

Bluffing is mandatory, but never without reason. You (and they) may bluff preflop because you have good position. The bet needs to be the same from the button if you have 25o or AKs, so they never know when you are bluffing.

Post flop bluffing is often best when you make a small pair or have some outs. If you were original raiser and the board has an Ace, you might try a bluff even if you opened with KQ. Or if you called from the blind, and the board is rags like 457, a bluff might work. I like betting flop from 1/4 to 3/4 whether a bluff or nuts.

Turn bluffs are rare unless as continuing a flop bet, and you sometimes need to bluff all three streets. You'll be surprised how often villain will call, call, fold. Rarely when an over card or third (or fourth) connector comes you can bluff. You need to bet as if you hit what you're selling.

Bluffing just the river has to make sense. Like as a continuation bluff, or when the board has four of a suit or one card to a straight. River bluffs need to be bigger, because the pot size is bigger.

You need bluffs to win, but only bluff for a reason, and have a plan if they call you out. Then you can put yourself in Villain's shoes and decide if they might be bluffing.

I agree very much with these comments especially ( does it make sense ) and ( have a reason) you should actually have a reason for everything you do at the table online or live.

Couple other things to consider ... did a better hand than yours get there .... does this person play consistently and make it easy by raising only his or her good hands or are they playing really wide ranges and in a maniac type of play .. what kind of range does someone play from that position , are they capable of playing those crappy cards so when the crappy board falls it's possible they have the goods .. how do they see your play, are you going to fold if scare cards come, I mean if you are only playing the top 10 % then they know you don't have that low straight that got there and are liable to fire .... they honestly don't need a hand to do so either ... some of those things give me clues ...

Others have mentioned a HUD I use one and it is truly indispensable, as long as it is allowed ( more and more sites seem to be going away from those, I'm sure to attract less serious players, and hopefully increase their bottom line ... so that may go away at some point, I hope not ) it will improve your game play and it will track starts for your opponents and you, so after time ( a fair sample size of hands ) it will help you make reasonable assumptions about someone else's play .. so I would say take advantage of it while you can ??

I see a lot of comments about aggression ... it is my preferred play style and it does not mean I am always bluffing .. I am learning to tone it down some and add calls and checks for balance and maybe be a little more trappy ... but in general I believe aggression is a winning style of play, and has no indication of a bluff by itself ... now you get somebody shoving on every hand .... we've all seen it ... and you know they can't have a hand every time , then I like to call more with lesser hands , someone did this to me the other night with 2-9 off and I stacked him with a pair of fives, he was shoving every hand and he built a nice little stack very quick he also lost it very quick.... one other thought if you are playing the micros to low stakes I think bluffing a lot is a mistake, you honestly have no need to balance your range ... at this level people just aren't thinking that deep, some will do it but you will see them picked off easy by everyone paying attention ...

I don't know when someone is bluffing all the time, but if they don't tell a good consistent story from the deal to the river, something isn't right, as time goes by and you increase the volume of hands you play you will get a feel when something is amiss, even then you won't always be correct ....

ok sorry for making all of your eyes bleed with my little book .. guess I had a lot I wanted to say there

I totally agree with the above post, get a HUD if only to build up a database of the people you'll be playing with (even if you don't use it yet). There's certainly a lot of value in learning how to play exploitatively without a HUD. But later, you will be happy you did this because you will have lots of stats on everyone.

online it is impossible to know when a bluff player, in fact the problem is not bluffing you but when. Live if there is the possibility of knowing when they cheat you, why the players cover their faces and eyes. Determine that an online poker player is cheating on you, it is a matter of luck, my recommendation is to go with good cards and having a good hand, let him take the baton of the bets.

Gotta listen and train that gut feeling you have inside you.

Agressive players tend to bluff more, players on HJ, Bu and SB tens to make a lot of bluffs to get stack maintanance. Take a look in these players.

I mean Poker would be pretty easy if everybody knows when his opponent bluffs? ^^

Online is more difficult, but an indication is the size of the bet in relation to the equity of his hand vs the size of the pot, in addition to the behavior in other hands. Like everything in poker, there are no rules, but to carefully observe each game because each one is different from the other.

gl!

Originally Posted by Glaucopone

Online is more difficult, but an indication is the size of the bet in relation to the equity of his hand vs the size of the pot, in addition to the behavior in other hands. Like everything in poker, there are no rules, but to carefully observe each game because each one is different from the other.

gl!

Thanks. That makes sense and helps me plan a strategy.

1) Speed of betting.
If the player raises (mostly) or calls usually in 7-10 seconds, but then starts to raise in 3-5... It's a time to think.
2) the size of riase.
Usually if U are sure in Ur card you raise to get as much chips as possible, you don't want the others to fold. But if you have waek cards.... you will raise much more to player do not continue...
3) Bluff usually strarts in flop.
It means you should see his\ber playing in preflop and see What combination exactly this player are show...

If You want to win this bluff You should make the same step as you awlays do, and watch carefully the others playing... cos there are some players who can be bluffed very rare)

Sometimes you can pick up on a players patters or the texture of the board will sometimes give away if a player is bluffing or not. Other than that I don't think there are any other tells that would afford you the ability to know if someone is bluffing or not.

I also think it’s very important what cards he showed in previous hands and where he raised from for a reason.
In short, what information is there about it.
If there is nothing worth playing tighter with a good hand against. It still turns out he bluffs often.

There are several factors, but the mentors say to be alert when there is a fold on the flop, it is common for the bluffer to take advantage of this fold to induce you that he has the set, as everything in poker is not a rule, stay tuned in the bluff betting pattern , it is best to take notes, follow him on the tables and watch his game.
You have to observe everything, position, size of the pot, and the pattern of it.
Be careful because sometimes the bluff has equity.

PS.: Search the content on youtube and study.

Good luck!!

in online poker, they bluff very often since you can’t see each other and can’t read your opponent by facial expressions, I often bluff

I bluff more at Live Poker than in Online

You need to practice more in the game. Constantly observe and analyze the game of the players, with which cards they open, what bets are made at one time or another, and so on.

Originally Posted by georgel2384

i think is very you know a player is bluffing when you see that he play very agresiv.

I do not think that because he is aggressive, he is bluffing me, rather I try to analyze how he moved around the table before any situation and based on that and the strength of my hand, I draw some conclusions.