Medium-Stakes Strategy: Bluffing

Bluffing is the element of poker that most differentiates it from other games. Without bluffing, poker would be a dull game, mainly a test of who could memorise tables of information. With the capability to bluff, poker transcends other lesser games into something that can almost be an art form.

Mastering the art of bluffing, which is knowing not just how to bluff, but when to do it, is probably one of the most important skills you need to learn before you can beat medium-stakes online cash games. It may sound strange, but to beat low-stakes games (or, in fact, any game in which the skill level of your opponents is very low), you don't need to know how to bluff; you need only realise that you should do so very rarely!

If your opponent's weakness is that he calls too much, you should bluff him very rarely (if at all). One of the key reasons that it's important to bluff sometimes is to make it easier to get action when you actually have a real hand. But if your opponent will call you no matter how tight you have been playing, it makes sense to just wait for a hand. As with all decisions in poker, it helps to understand your opponents. Most tight players pride themselves on being able to make big folds. So, if you can convincingly sell your hand as strong, they will convince themselves that they are beat and will fold. Conversely, most loose players assume that everyone is as loose as they are, and will call very light, given any excuse at all.

I like to put bluffs into two categories: small bluffs and large bluffs.

Small bluffs are those that you should be willing to make often; they are usually small bets into small pots. In fact, you aren't really bluffing; you are seeing if anyone else has a hand to continue with. Most players don't pay much attention in small pots, and are happy to give up the hand if they don't have anything to continue with. These are the types of bluffs that are the most successful, if you can correctly gauge when it's likely that no one has anything. This is something that has to be learnt with experience. The important factors are the texture of the board, and the number of opponents you are facing. A board of K-4-3 is a great one to bet against two or three opponents. Usually you will be called by only a king. A board of J-9-8 is a very bad one to bet, as the number of hands that may call you is far greater.

Large bluffs are large bets into already large pots, and, importantly, you know, or think, it's very likely that your opponent has a reasonably good hand already. These bluffs should be attempted very rarely, and only when a certain number of conditions are met. If one of these conditions isn't present, you run the risk of giving your opponent a reason to call you:
Your image must be good. You need to have a tight image, must not have shown any speed recently (that is, not been raising frequently or doing anything else aggressive), and, importantly, can't have made any bluffs recently. Remember that if you made a large bet that wasn't shown down, it doesn't make a difference whether you were bluffing or not. It's the perception that is important, rather than the reality. So, you need to have been playing pretty snugly for the last while. You also should not attempt a big bluff if you are known as an aggressive player. Use your image to your benefit, rather than trying to fight it.

Your opponent must be good enough to fold a strong hand. Some players are just not capable of laying down an overpair, no matter how dangerous the board is. Don't bluff these players!

Your hand should make sense, and your line should be totally coherent. Look at your hand from your opponent's point of view. Does it make sense for you to have a big hand? If it doesn't, don't attempt a bluff. Importantly, make sure your line is consistent with the hand you are representing. So, if you are trying to attempt to represent a flush on the river, make sure that your line up to that point looks like the line that your opponent would think you would take. It's important to note that that may be very different from how you would actually play it. Again, it's the perception that counts, and not the reality.

You should be able to bet enough to make your opponent fold. It seems obvious, but I have seen many bluffs fail because the player didn't have enough chips to make his opponent fold. This is even more important on earlier streets, because a player may believe that you have a strong hand, but think he should call and hope to improve. The key here is not always just how much you bet, but the chips you have left to bet, as well. In fact, the best bluffs are those that don't risk a lot of chips, but create the potential for your opponent to lose a lot of chips. This would commonly mean raising the flop or turn. Your opponent will realise that he may also have to face a large bet on the river. You are using your "unbet" chips as leverage.

Here is an example of a good bluff: You call a raise with the 5 4 from a tight player. You both have been playing pretty tight, and you stacked a fish two orbits earlier with a flopped full house. The flop comes K-10-2 with two hearts. Your opponent bets. You call. The turn is an offsuit 9. He bets. You pause, and then raise (as a bluff, as you still have only 5 high).

This is an excellent bluff. You are clearly representing Q-J, which is consistent with your preflop and post-flop actions. If your opponent calls this bluff, he knows that he may well be faced with a large river bet. Also, your opponent, even if he decides to play on, will probably just call your raise (unless you are unlucky enough to have run into Q-J), which gives you a chance to make your hand, or follow through with the bluff on the river. You don't always have to follow through; you need to use your judgement as to when it's appropriate.

Daragh Thomas has made a living from poker over the last three years. He also coaches other players and writes extensively on the boards.ie poker forum, under the name hectorjelly.