For long-time players of Vietnamese Online Poker, the term What is Bluff is certainly not unfamiliar, while the majority of newcomers are often quite clueless about this wonderful technique that has caused many experts to lose.
Accordingly, this is a Poker playing tip that is extremely interesting, allowing competitors to win regardless of how bad their cards are.
To better understand the advantages and betting methods to accurately align with this special strategy, you just need to follow the information below.
Understanding What is Bluff?
What is Bluff in Poker is a question that many new players often ask when learning about this sacred betting method.
Bluff is understood as the act of a player intentionally deceiving their opponent, forcing them to fold after large bet or raise actions.
In reality, only those members with bad hole cards who predict that their opponent is in the same situation and then bet to apply pressure, causing them to fold, are considered to be Bluffing.
If your hand is already good from the start, betting or raising is normal, and this situation is not considered Bluff Poker.
Deciding to raise more money when Bluffing will only be effective when the risk is lower than the chance of winning a huge reward when successful.
The lower the risk, the greater the reward you can obtain, and vice versa.
Typically, tables with Bluffing will become classic Poker hands that people often talk about repeatedly.
Basic Bluffing Methods in Poker
Currently, there are two schools of thought for deceiving opponents that are frequently used in Poker.
They include:
1. Bluff in Poker
With this method, players often go all-in during the final River round to Bluff their opponents.
This can be seen as a correct action because it makes opponents shocked, hesitant, and want to fold immediately, thus creating an opportunity for you to gain a large profit.
In reality, many players have chosen to Bluff right from the Flop instead of waiting until the very end and still succeeded, so you don’t need to constrain yourself but should bet according to your calculations and analysis.
Typically, players will only bet half of the money they have in the Pot because even though it is not a large amount, it is still enough to intimidate other players.
2. Semi Bluff
If Bluffing in Poker requires players to go all-in to put pressure on opponents, Semi Bluffing does not require that.
In this case, the hand you have along with the community cards on the table still provides a chance for a final victory.
However, whether to use Semi or not is greatly influenced by the probability of the cards you hope to appear.
For example, using Semi with a flush or straight has much higher equity compared to trying to draw a straight with a gap.
7 Mistakes of Delusional Players When Applying Bluff Poker
Not every bluff command brings positive results for the user.
In reality, there are many cases where a bluff meets a strong hand or a tough opponent, causing all the money to vanish in an instant.
To remedy this situation, players need to avoid the following 7 serious delusional mistakes:
1. Choosing the Wrong Time to Bluff
Just because you throw all your stack in right when you start playing doesn’t mean your opponent will feel intimidated or scared by your momentum.
Every Poker bet is determined to spend all the money they have, so making them fold with a strong hand is nearly impossible.
The only way to successfully place a bluff is to demonstrate a scientific, logical approach that makes it impossible for your opponent to read you.
In most situations, players fail at bluffing due to a lack of reasonableness in their betting approach and their expressions when observing the cards.
2. Not Considering the Opponent’s Hand When Bluffing
Bluffing means that your hand is not strong or even guaranteed to lose if you play normally.
However, many players overlook the opponent’s hand and hastily throw in money to “intimidate” each other.
If you’re lucky and your opponent’s hand is also weak, you might achieve your ultimate goal, but conversely, if their hand is strong enough, calling all the way will lead to your failure.
3. Bluffing Yourself
Sometimes, players who bluff think they must convince themselves that their hand is strong enough to win.
In reality, the advice for players is to only play this way when they understand both themselves and their opponents well.
Bluffing with air – that is, bluffing with a 100% losing hand is not bad, but it requires players to have special skills and experience.
You can choose to call on the flop, turn, or both, making your opponent think you are drawing to win.
4. Using Too Much Money When Bluffing
It cannot be denied that using a lot of money will make other players feel pressure, tension, or even want to give up.
However, if you are showing that you are drawing a flush while the cards are coming out too beautifully in this direction, betting a lot of money can backfire.
The only thing players need to do in the above situation is a value bet that makes the opponent sweat in the summer.
5. Continuously Bluffing in Many Hands
Poker is a game that relies heavily on probability as well as logic and science.
Therefore, it is very difficult for players to continuously receive good hands in many consecutive bets.
You should not choose to bluff too much or too often because at this point, your opponents won’t believe you have a good hand after calculating the probabilities.
A reasonable frequency recommended by experts for players is 3 real hands – 1 bluff hand.
6. Not Knowing the Opponent’s Playing Style
Understanding the opponent’s playing style is just as important as acting when you decide to bluff.
The reason for this is that when facing a “crazy” bettor, losing faith in the world, bluffing with a big bet will only cause you to lose more money.
On the contrary, when playing against a tight player who likes to play conservatively, waiting for them to bet so you can raise is an irreparable mistake. What you need to do now is to make value bets to lure them in.
Note: When playing against a tight player, don’t act too much because it will eventually be revealed; deciding to check your hand should also be avoided as it will cause you to miss value.
7. Can’t Give Up
In poker, anything can happen that causes players to incur heavy losses even with a good hand.
When you decide to bluff your opponent, it is very likely that other players are also planning to bluff you to win, even if their hand is not very good.
Once you recognize the signs of this phenomenon, the advice for you is to stop, give up before things get too bad.
Top Poker Bluff Tips to Break Your Opponent
To make bluffing in poker most effective, players need to pay attention to some effective betting tips:
- You have the last position in the round and have observed the entire betting pattern and expressions of the players before you.
- If you have raised the bet right from the Pre Flop, this can be seen as a great opportunity to bluff successfully.
- When players have small stacks with low capital, making a large bet can also create significant pressure.
- If you have a weak hand but are waiting to draw a flush or straight, choosing a semi-bluff can still yield high effectiveness.
Some other interesting Poker betting strategies:
- Learn about What is Short Deck Poker?
- Effective bankroll management tips: Bankroll Poker
- #8 Rule of choosing poker bet size.
The Most Amazing Bluff Players in the World
In fact, there are quite a few famous players around the world who use bluffing to defeat their opponents, leaving them frustrated.
However, below are two “masters” in the bluffing world that any poker player should know:
Tom Dwan
If asked about the best poker player in the world, you might recall many names, but the most popular answer will definitely be Tom “Dwan”.
This is because he has a very unique and unpredictable playing style that even world champion SWOP has had to concede defeat to him multiple times.
His unusual actions, sometimes betting high and sometimes low, have created an extremely rare mystery for Tom.
And of course, whenever he decides to bluff, no opponent can escape.
Phil Ivey
The next name you need to know is none other than Phil Ivey – the alien, the nightmare of countless casinos around the world.
Phil is a player who adopts a tight-aggressive style with an extremely strong attack on opponents without any hesitation.
This is also the reason explaining his series of successful bluffs even when competing against seasoned experts with many years of experience.
In addition, Ivey is also the creator of the “egg counting” technique in Poker, which many players still trust and apply to this day.
Conclusion
After being explained in detail what Bluff is, many players surely want to immediately try applying this technique in their daily matches.
However, instead of being subjective and hasty, you should take your time to observe your opponents and determine their playing style before implementing the sophisticated bluffing technique if you don’t want to fail.
