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Pokerteam articles 22

Poker Bluffing

What is Poker bluffing?

A Poker bluff is when you act - by betting or raising, or making others do so - according to a hand you want others to think is better than what it really is.

Most people consider Poker bluffing a key moment in the game, perhaps due to several films made in which a Poker table is featured with hotshot players making poker faces at each other and ravaging the pot with a weak hand in the end. It is true that bluffing is important in a Poker match. When a Poker bluff is successful, especially if the pot is high, nothing beats the agitation around a Poker table during the hand showdown. Fortunes have been won and lost with a few good bluffs. Never forget, however, miracles do not take part in this game, and the winning element in a Poker game is playing the right hands and being in the right Poker position.

Bluffing in Poker is a deceptive move, along with its counterpart, slowplaying. If slowplaying implies you have a weak hand when, in reality, you have a strong one; Poker bluffing suggests the opposite. Poker is all about manoeuvring your hand and your capacity to deceive your opponent into playing according to what he thinks you have. If you succeed in making him take a false move based on what you led him to believe, you are doing things right.

What is the right way of bluffing in Poker?

A player who never bluffs in Poker cannot expect to win quite as much (or have quite as much fun) as one who bluffs just the right amount of times at the right moment. On the other hand, most novice Poker players tend to bluff too much, not considering the stakes and sometimes foolishly wasting real Poker bluffing opportunities (along with all their money). When and how much to bluff is a mastered art that comes only with playing experience and a lot of casino Poker observation. It helps if you adapt your play to your Poker opponents.

Poker bluffing can become a reputation attached to a certain Poker player. Players known to bluff much will get more calls and this can work in their advantage if they play their cards right. It follows that Poker bluffing - or the thought that you might be bluffing on a given Poker match - is a perfect way of keeping your opponent on the edge of his seat, never knowing what to really expect. If you bluff occasionally, not only the other players are led into thinking you have a good hand when you do not, as you may cover your good hands when you indeed have them.

As in everything, the key is to balance the Poker bluffing frequency. Bluffing, in order to be effective, has to be done the right amount of times, at the right moment, in a random way. Otherwise, you lose the opportunity to win much more. The good Poker bluffer keeps his adversaries guessing, forcing them into making difficult decisions based on what they think your hand is - and making false moves, like raises or calls, accordingly.

Some of the best online casinos kept the Poker bluffing element alive. You can practice your Poker bluffing skills in our selected online Poker rooms and try to get the best out of your Poker strategy.

John Tucker - Editorial Manager

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