Bluffing is an integral part of poker that attracts new players to the game and keeps the veterans coming back. There is nothing that can replace the satisfying feeling of taking down a huge pot holding cards that even the likes of Gus Hansen wouldn’t play with. Although bluffing can bring some tremendous highs when things are going well, it can also bring a lot of trouble our way if we abuse this exciting play.
It is a common misconception amongst amateur players that it is necessary to bluff at every opportunity to become a winning player, when the real fact of the matter is you can still do very well at poker without even attempting to bluff. It may take a little excitement away from the game if you decided that you were never going to bluff, but the lack of excitement from not bluffing will soon be replaced when you are reeling in pot after pot.
The point I am trying to get across is that if you are new to the game, or even a little experienced, you should be aware that you do not have to bluff half as much as you may think to be a winning player. Especially if you are new to the game, you should try to avoid bluffing to often, as you will lack the experience and knowledge of situation and find it difficult to pick the right spots to try and pull off a bluff. So now I have probably got you thinking, “when is a good time to try and bluff?”
There is obviously not going to be a straightforward answer to this question, but you should only consider making a bluff when you are fairly sure that you will be able to get your opponent to fold. It is important to note that bluffing will become less successful as there are more players in the pot. The less players that are in the pot, the less chance there is that you could come up against a good hand, so try to save your bluffs for when you are heads up against an opponent.
The best time to try and run a bluff is when you have position on your opponent. When you have position on your opponent, you will have the opportunity to see how your opponent reacts to the cards dealt on the board before making your play. If you opponent checks, you can infer that they have a weak hand and that they are probably not too interested in continuing with the hand. Therefore this could potentially be a good situation to bluff and take down the pot, because of the information you have received from the way your opponent acted. But be careful of situations where your opponent may be trying to trap you, so slow down and prepare to give the hand up if your bluff is not successful.
