I often lament the over-reliance of novice poker players on bluffs, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t think they have a place in poker play. A high level player understands much more than just the rules of poker – they know how to play not only the game itself, but their opponents as well.
Strangely enough, bluffing works best at a table of strong players. Sending subtle signals of strength is pointless if you’re up against people who are blundering from hand to hand, not really aware of the finer points of the game that they’re playing.
A good bluff is more than just raising or going all-in when you’re weak. You need to set the bluff up carefully. Make sure that the cards on the table set you up for a good hand, and make sure that the bluff you want to make actually makes sense. Also, make sure that the bluff you will make matches well with the style of the players at the table.
Don’t leave bluffing until you’re low on poker chips. When you’re weak, people assume you will bluff to claw back into the game. You have more chance of bluffing successfully if you’re in a decent position to begin with, and you’re hoping for a strong hand.
Watch your body language when you bluff. Many people give very strong body language tells, and you need to train yourself out of this, otherwise you may as well just reveal your cards to everyone sat at the table. Learn to read these tell in other people and train yourself not to give off strong tells yourself – it will serve you very well.
