Reasons NOT To
Bluff
Remember one thing, bluffing only
works if you can get away with it. At a table of 9-10 people trust
me that most of the table is looking for opportunities to bluff, and
to catch a bluff. Maybe you spot them bluffing in a common situation
or they spot you. Bluffing every time is recipe for disaster as you
will get caught and lose
money. Here are some times when you downright should not bluff.
When Not to Bluff #1- Expectations
Remember you are equipped with this
knowledge and you should use it. Often knowing these things can show
you who else knows their stuff (and to be careful with those
people). I will say it again and again, but
KNOW YOUR OPPONENTS! If they are good, they will
expect you to bluff in certain situations and catch you on it (like
a simple bluff like stealing the blinds). So be careful!
When Not to Bluff #2- Been
Caught Recently
If you have already been caught (been
called to a showdown on your bluff, and lost) you might want to ride
low for a bit and let people forget that ever happened. Start to
play straight up without bluffing for a bit, to shake that feeling
off. This will also work to your advantage because if you are only
playing when you have something, people may call you out thinking
your bluffing when your not. (a good poker player can alternate
between these identities.)
When Not to Bluff#3- See a
Maniac?
Fish and especially Maniacs
(Loose Aggressive) love to bluff, and they love to catch a bluff or
try to out beat a good hand. Either way if you got a couple maniacs
at your table, no way you’re going to get them all to fold with a
bluff. It is much more profitable to play straight up in these
situations, bluffing only works against a smart player who has some
fear about the strength of their own hand.
When Not to Bluff#4- Losing Spree
If you have just had a lot
of bad luck and you’re on tilt (or maybe your
not, but people will think you are) try to refrain from bluffing,
people will assume your pist and try to grab your money assuming you
are making a bad decision. Bluffing in this situation will not have
your opponents fooled.
When Not to Bluff#5- Everyone is
Still Here
If your goal is to win the pot
with one single bluff, don’t do it when everyone is still in the
hand. Chances are that someone has something that they want to play
with. By bluffing in this situation, you just become meat for that
player to eat up. Also from an odds perspective, this is never worth
it you are always not in favor.
When Not to Bluff#6- Flop looks good…except you didn’t hit.
Let’s say we have pocket 8’s, and the
flop comes it looks great if we had another hand, but we did not hit
at all. The flop is K, Q, 9 we can be sure somebody hit a better
hand that we have, and it is not worth to bluff because the chance
of hitting a set is too low. Also if the flop has an Ace, chances
are that someone has a pair of aces. Aces tend to make it beyond
pre-flop especially with beginners (they love holding onto those
aces). More for
Intermediates...
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