Bluff strategies at poker

Posted on August 22, 2009 by John Colby

Bluffing is risky. You never know if someone is going to call your hand, or if you're going to take the pot from your opponents. If you're planning on stealing some hands, remember the following tips:

Never try to bluff against more than two opponents

Unless you have good reasons to assume it will work.

Don't bluff against bad players

Aim your bluffs at good players. Bad players will usually call your hand, while experts are more capable of estimating if you're up to something.

Don't bluff just because you want to bluff

Only bluff if there's a reasonable chance it will succeed, never to promote yourself as the best poker player in the world.

Never bluff with hopeless hand
Only bluff in two ways: if you can get your opponents to fold, or if you're capable of making it a draw.

Bluff when all the other players are checking
Steal the pot if everybody before you checked. Your chances will become slim however, if the turn or the river seem to help your opponents.

Focus on the weak players
Bluff against players who have shown their weakness by checking, rather than against players who have shown their strengths in the rounds before.