The art of bluffing

What does a player who never bluffs and a player who bluffs all the time have in common? They will both have a hard time winning a tournament. Bluffing involves timing, calculating and control. It is a weapon which can be as fatal for the person being bluffed as for the bluffer.

“Liars only win one thing, that they are never believed, even when they tell the truth”. Bluffing is one of the most difficult techniques to master, but is often the first term mentioned by a beginner when they start playing poker. It is not however until one has played many games that one starts to enjoy this art and use it well. Bluffing is a technique that steers one’s opponent into making a mistake and folding even though they have the best hand. There are two types of buffs. A total bluff; where one deceives one’s opponent with a very weak hand, giving them no chance to win the move. And a semi-bluff; which consists of playing with a low value hand, but that has the potential to improve.

How to bluff

There are many factors that effect bluffing, like timing for example. Bluffing is a weapon that must not be used in haste or without thinking about it. The more you use it, the more it looses its value. It must therefore be used sparingly and only to win pots whose value are worth it. Measuring the risk is vital at a poker table. A player must also not bluff time and time again in front of the same players: “one can beat a thousand people one time, but not beat one person a thousand times…” The amount one raises by is also an important consideration. If a player finds himself making a total bluff and he does not make a big enough raise, there will be a chance he will be called by another player and consequently loose the pot.

Don’t forget that one’s position at the table is also very important. If one is the last to speak in the pre-flop phase, and few of the other players have folded, one will be an ideal position to win the pot. This is quite a successful technique, but one needs to make a significant raise to put off the other players. It is inadvisable to bluff if more that two players are after you. Don’t try your luck either against players who will go all in no matter what. Of course, it is all relative and each situation is different. That is the beauty and complexity of the game.

Acting

Maintaining one’s composure when bluffing is also hard to master. When a player finds himself making a total bluff, his emotions can betray him. Being a good actor is therefore strongly recommended. The main difficulty is to not look like you are bluffing. Your opponents will always keep one eye on you, as they look out for the slightest hint that you are bluffing from the way you act. It is important to always act like a player who has good cards. Be equally careful of being pushed into bluffing. Some of your opponents will do anything to make you bluff. And like Maurice Chapelan said “pretending to believe a lie is an exquisite lie”. In poker, it is a delight…