Want to learn better ways of maximising your winnings in a poker game? Learn to make optimal use of the poker bluffing strategy when you play poker online.
Many newbie poker players tend to play the waiting game (or tight play) where they continue to play only with very good starting hands. For everything else, they try to fold their cards. Are you one such player? You might wonder as to what is the issue with the tight game style in poker. While it can ensure that you save a lot of chips, it can also lead you to winning very few chips. This is because sooner or later, other smarter players on the online poker table can identify this playing style of yours.
Do remember that the odds of any player getting very good starting hands are not always good. And even when you manage to get a really good starting hand and go on to win the pot, the pot size may not be big as the majority of your opponents decided to fold early after watching you play. This happens because you are giving yourself very less opportunities to win the online poker game. You need to come up with an alternate poker strategy that can enhance your chances of winning. If you observe, some of the best poker experts or professional players are those whose playing style on the poker table cannot be easily figured out by their opponents.
Understanding the Concept of Bluffing
Bluffing in poker is one such poker strategy that you need to have in your armoury if you intend to maximise your winnings. With the poker bluff strategy, you can possibly keep your opponents confused and even manage a win at times with relatively average or not so good starting hands. Remember, a good poker player will consider the winnings achieved over the entire duration of time he/she spent in playing poker. And a bluffing strategy can help you in this objective.
You are considered to bluff in poker, when you make a move such that other players on the table believe you have a strong hand (even when you don’t have a strong hand) and fold their cards. This move helps you to make your opponents do what you wish them to do.
Best Poker Tactics for Bluffing in Poker
When you play poker online, there are a number of things you need to keep in mind while embracing the poker bluffing strategy. Some important bluff poker tips are as described under:
Ensuring Consistent Bet Sizes
A common mistake made by some less experienced poker players is to suddenly use a large sized bet when they make a bluff. The logic behind this is that they want the opponents to think that they (the players making the bluff) are possessing a very strong hand. This strategy can be figured out by your opponents sooner or later. Hence, to keep them guessing, you need to ensure that you use almost the same bet size as you do when you do not bluff.
Making the Most of Tendencies of Other Players
You would agree that every poker table is likely to have players who have different playing styles. You may not want to bluff beyond a particular street against very aggressive players as they may continue to put more chips till the river. And your very objective of making opponents fold up with your bluff does not hold good against such players.
On the other hand, when you have only tight players left on the poker table who are likely to fall for your bluff even when they might have a strong hand, you can bluff and get the majority of them to fold their cards. Thus, adjusting your bluff play as per the playing style of your opponents is a good poker strategy.
Use Bluff Based on the Situation
As an online poker player, you should not bluff just because you believe that you have not used this move for several rounds. While your usage of poker bluff tactic should be selective, make sure you bluff when you are confident that at least one or more players will fold their cards with your move. So, evaluate the situation appropriately and then bluff. Another thing to consider is the number of active players left on your poker table, especially after the flop. If there are more than 2-3 active players, you may not want to use the bluff.
Reassess Your Bluff at every Street
Just because you went for the bluff at the post flop stage doesn’t mean that you should bluff again at the turn of the river. Remember, your hand ranges change at every street and they narrow down with progress to the next street. So, assess and reassess the situation at every stage (especially post flop) and accordingly decide whether you intend to continue with the bluff. At times, it may be better to discontinue your bluff to save some chips for another shot at the pot.
Play the Bluff as You Would Play the Cards in Hand
A good strategy for implementing the bluff is to play the cards in your hand as per their strength. So, if you are holding an above-average hand, you can continue with your bluff. And if your hand does not improve even after the flop or the turn, you can discontinue your bluff move to avoid spending way too many chips.
Final Thoughts
Once you develop the confidence to use bluffing in poker, you need to be alert and evaluate different parameters like the playing style of opponents, your own bankroll, the number of active players, etc. Selective and smart use of bluff in online poker can empower you to maximise your winnings. Download an MPL app now and start practicing the poker game bluff strategies!
