Poker is a game that needs a large heart. One
must be willing to have losses a few times, and not lose his cool in the
process. And, at other times, it demands the gambler to be ruthless. Bluffing
to steal the pot from under the opponents’ noses is one such instance. But it
is important to pick the hands to bluff on.
Simplest of the rules is to never bluff with
more than two opponents. If one is going against more players, the statistical
probability of his bluff being called is higher. A good player is always aware
of the situation and part of picking the situation is checking how many
opponents are in the pot.
Another important factor is the position.
Being in a late position is always advantageous in poker. It allows one to see
how others have reacted to the community cards turning up. If all of them have
checked the pot or if someone has made a lame bet, it could be a good time to
bluff.
But good players know when the opponents
expect them to bluff. Pros sometimes avoid raising the pot in the late position
just so they do not give an impression that they are bluffing. Equally, it is a
bad idea to bluff against loose cannons and against weak players who are bad at
reading the signs.
One must remember that a bluff is made to make
the opponents fold. If one can sense that the opponent is not going to fold,
there is no point in bluffing. Equally, once a player has figured out that he
is bust, it is best to fold rather than throw more money just because he is
committed to the pot. Conversely, it may not be worth bluffing if the opponent
is pot-committed.
Read this Bluffing is not just about a single hand, but
about the whole game. It is important to hide information about how one bets
and bluffs can act as a good tool to mix it up and keep the opponents guessing.
