To bluff or not to bluff in online poker

In poker, to bluff is to make your opponents believe that you have a better hand, even though you don’t. You can do this by betting or raising. Bluffing is a thrilling experience since you can make money with a poor hand and you can make your opponents lay down a poker hand that is better than what you have.


It is good to bluff when you are playing against mathematically-inclined and expert players. Why bluff the strong ones? Well, they can easily calculate the odds and would figure that you may have a good hand. For example, there are three cards of the same suit on the board and you raise on the river, even if your hand is no flush. The seasoned players would assume that you have a flush and would fold. You then get the money.


It is also good to bluff when you have what poker players refer to as a “hidden strength”. For example, you have unusual cards such as 6 of diamonds and 10 of clubs and the flop cards are 6 of spades, 10 of hearts, and a 4 of diamonds. At this point, you have a “two pair” and you raise the bet. Since the cards are not “good”, they will also raise their bets. The effect is that they are building the pot for you. You then get more money.


Another good situation to bluff is when you are in the blind, that is, you start the betting round without looking at your hand. The uncertainty that you planted in the minds of your opponents will make most of them fold.


There are also situations in which it is not a good idea to bluff. For example, it is not advisable to bluff when an Ace, a Jack or a Ten is on the flop. There are just too many combinations that these cards make and help the hands of your opponents. It is also disastrous to bluff when many players are in the hand. Your bluff may cause one or two players to fold. But it will take only one player to call your bluff and you lose your money. The odds are definitely against you.


It is also a mistake to bluff if one of your opponents raises pre-flop. That opponent is sure of his hand winning the play. He will not fold when you bluff.


Of course, we wouldn’t want you to restrict your “bluffing decisions” to the conditions we have cited here. In the end, you are the one who knows best the situation you are in and the players that you are up against.