Bluffing- Part I

Bluffing is an art and a skill that when utilized correctly, it can make you a lot of money. When practiced incorrectly, it can cost you. Since bluffing is an art that is situational and is dependent on a multitude of factors, I thought it would be beneficial to go over some of the basic and intermediate concepts behind bluffing. All too often I see people bluffing at pots when there is no value in it, or I see people bluffing a lot of chips when a small amount will do. There are also players that bluff at the wrong time and good players are able to see that the play doesn’t make sense. These are all common mistakes that cost money, but hopefully soon you will be able to make lots of money from your bluffs.
Knowing Your Opponent

With any hand you play, it is important to know your opponent. However, it is almost impossible to be a successful bluffer if you don’t know how your opponent plays, their tells, or what their image is. It would be like me sending you fishing with worms, but having no clue what kind of fish you are trying to catch. Being able to put your opponent on a range of hands is a good start to knowing when to bluff. If you know that your opponent only plays prime hands for a raise, and the board comes out low cards, that would be a great time for you to bluff. On the other hand, you would also know not to bluff that same opponent if the board came out high cards.

Knowing your opponents image is essential to bluffing. Most people can be bluffed given the right circumstances, but sometimes there is that person that doesn’t fold. These players can be easily spotted because they are loose and aggressive. They play a lot of hands and hardly ever fold to a bet. They will usually play any two cards and just like the feeling of getting lucky or making people fold the best hand. This is not a person you want to bluff. If you do try to bluff these people, they will call you all the way down and will probably win on the river with a pair of deuces. It is better to reserve your bullets for the people that will fold.

One person to be careful of is the super tight rock on your table. If you notice that there is a player who hardly ever plays a hand, and who folds to most bets, be careful if you decide that you are going to bluff him. If you bluff the flop and he calls, this should send off warning bells that he has a hand. Since he is a tight player, he will most likely call your bet all the way down, so you will have no idea what he actually has. However, be assured that if he is calling, he has a better hand than you do, and it is probably time to cut your losses unless you have a draw.

Knowing who your opponents are and the range of hands they play is the foundation to being able to bluff successfully. If you are unsure to what kind of opponent you are bluffing, there is a considerable amount of guess work that might cost you a lot of money in the end. Take a round or two to get a good handle on how the players play at your table before you jump in and try to steamroll everyone.