how to bluff in poker unexceptional rounders

You check-call the flop with second pair, then decide to lead on the turn only to get raised.

Say you're the one in the big blind with. Now imagine yourself on the other side of this situation. You appear very likely to have the strong hand you're representing, and not just the ace-high you actually have. The river is the, and when your opponent checks you don't wait long before confidently firing a two-thirds pot-sized bet as a bluff. Then after the turn your opponent bets, you decide to raise with your big draws, and you get called again. You continue with a bet after the flop and are called. Having shown yourself to be a tight-aggressive player, you decide to raise from the button with and get a caller in the big blind.

The well-made bluff comes after having established credibility, usually through 'telling' a believable 'story' that starts with your image and extends through the actions in a particular hand. Hopefully (eventually) you learn how to make your bluffs believable, with smart bet sizing and/or giving the appearance of logical 'lines' or sequences of action leading up to your bluffs. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and by trial-and-error you learn what tends to work when bluffing and what does not.

Learning how to bluff well is not a simple task, but players generally get practice bluffing early on in their poker development - sometimes out of necessity.įinding yourself deep in a postflop situation without a good hand, you realize a bluff is your only way of winning a hand and fire away. In fact, figuring out the art of 'bluff catching' might be one of the most challenging lessons to learn, especially for new players. Meanwhile discovering how to sniff out bluffs and make correct calls is also a desirable skill for no-limit hold'em players. Bluffing also enables you to create an image that increases the chances you will get called when you are betting with the best hand.

Bluffing enables you to win hands without having the best cards. Most of these players understand that in order to win at no-limit hold'em, you can't simply wait for good hands and expect always to profit from them when they finally come around. However, the majority of hold'em players do bluff. Whether because they are afraid to get caught or just have some sort of mental block preventing them from betting without a good hand, a certain, small percentage of players genuinely never bluff. A certain, relatively small category of no-limit hold'em players never bluff.

How to bluff in poker unexceptional rounders