Bluffing For Beginners
by Dougie Goguen | Feb 20 2012
If you've just stared to play poker, you need to learn how to bluff properly before you sink too much money into it.
It is the absolute best feeling in poker, making a big bet without the cards to back it up and taking the pot for your ballsiness. It doesn't matter if it's in a free online poker game or a big-money tournament in Vegas. The thing is that you can't let the thrill become too tempting - bluffing too much and from the wrong position can make your bankroll shrivel very, very quickly. You need to learn when and how to bluff in order to get the most from it. Let's look at how bluffing can work for you and when you should avoid it entirely.
Play free online poker at Bodog today!Position is your best friend when you are trying to bluff. Raising with poor cards when there are still several players to get in on the betting can be very expensive in the long term. In general, bluffs make more sense when you're in a late position – when you're on the button (the position of the dealer) or one position before. If everyone before your turn has folded or called, you can feel free to raise to three or four times the big blind no matter how weak or strong your hand may be.
If you get a caller or two, and your hand misses the ensuing flop, be prepared to make a continuation bluff bet of around the same amount. But let's say you face a re-raise from the blinds before the flop or from the one or two people that come after you in the rotation, get ready to fold. If you don't believe you can successfully take the pot without investing a lot more money, then don't bother at all. You should, of course, make sure that you take the requisite amount of time and agonizing before you fold. Even if you fold, you want the opposition to feel ilk you might have had something good.
You should keep these three things in mind when you're bluffing:
1) Your bet has to make some kind of sense. If you bluff $for $100 before the flop and $1,000 after it, your opponents are going to get suspicious.
2) Image is important and bluffing can help that. It's not a disaster if you're called on a failed bluff because that means you'll probably get more action when you're betting with a monster.
3) Keep the total pot size in mind when you're betting. If your opponent has pot odds that mean they're going to bet, you could be called out in the cold.
Bluff your way into your share of up to $100,000 guaranteed with Bodog's online poker tournaments!Beginners who are new to bluffing should aim specifically for the blinds. It's important for you to realize that in the long term. The profits you make from the occasional successful nibble need to outweigh the losses from the bluffs that go badly.
