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The Ultimate Guide to Successful Poker Bluffing

Have you got a good poker face? Do know when to hold’em and when to fold’em. Here are a few simple pointers on bluffing in poker.

Bluff Believably

Make sure your bluffs are believable. Remember your opponents are trying to determine your hand strength and your decipher your play; if your bluff doesn’t make sense you’ll likely get caught and lose the pot. If you check pre-flop and flop but the suddenly raise on the river, it will be obvious that you are either bluffing or a weak player. Bluffing is most believable when you could potentially have a winning hand and no one knows you don’t. For example if a pair of Ace’s is on the table and you bluff opponents may think you have an ace in your hand giving you an intimidating 3 Ace’s. However if the community card pool is JH 2D 7S 8S and you suddenly start to raise when you get 3C on the river, it will be obvious you are bluffing because the best you could likely have is a pair.

Bluff To Win Pots

Often the best time to bluff is to save a pot gone bad. Say you have a heart in your hand and two more come down on the flop, you raise hoping for a flush. Your opponents call. On the turn you get another heart..you still have a shot at your flush on the river so you bet again, your opponent calls. On the river you get a diamond. You didn’t get your flush but your opponents doesn’t know that. Since you’ve been betting consistently it will be believable for you to try and take the pot now. If you bet with a weak hand your opponent will likely think you have a flush and fold the pot to you. Be careful to watch your opponents play as well in case he was also looking for the flush.

Bluff in Moderation

Last but not least, don’t over bluff. Bluffing is a powerful poker tool and should be used when it is needed, but don’t over do it.

How to Survive Bad Hands in Poker

 

Poker is one of the most popular online casino games played worldwide. Like most other casino games, there are good days with a streak of wins and then there are a few bouts of misses.

Beginners often believe the game of poker to be largely based on luck. This is the first mistake that many make; the actual truth is that good and bad hands figure in every deal. Simply put, poker is a bit of luck and a lot of skill. The experts are those who know how to make the most of a good hand and how to survive a bad one, rather than blaming things on luck alone.

With a bad hand, the main aim is to survive the game and maintain your stack of chips, trying to lie low while calling the shots. Soon, the tide is bound to turn and you can stack up high when a good hand comes.

It is also important to remain focused in the game. Instead of cursing your ‘bad luck’ and whiling away your bad hands hoping to see some good cards, you should be completely focused on avoiding further mistakes that could make the situation worse.

Of course, one of the most important parts of poker is bluffing. Keeping up your ‘poker face’ can save your hide in a multitude of bad hand draws. That’s not to say that keeping up a good poker face is easy. A player’s face, if untrained, can give away their hand quicker than shoving their cards into their opponents faces, especially if the player is nervous. The tell-tale signs of nervousness and apprehension can help a clever opponent take advantage and cash in on the situation. A weak and intimidated opponent is everyone’s target.

A periodic self-analysis is imperative if you want to excel in the game. Experts evaluate themselves critically to figure out mistakes and areas of improvisation. This helps in determining whether the outcome was due to a bad hand or a badly played hand.

It’s also important to take breaks in between games. Spend your break pumping yourself up and come back to the next round with a bang!

The most important tip; have fun! Don’t turn poker into a chore, keep it your passion and even when you’re getting bad cards, you won’t be having a bad time.

The Ins and Outs of Poker Tells

Poker is not just a game of chance; it is a game of skill and deception. When it comes to playing poker in a casino or at a tournament it all boils down to how well you can deceive your opponents. ‘Poker tells’ can give away your game completely, however well you think you may be bluffing.

It is completely natural to have signs that you may be lying, but what are the most common tells in poker? Unconscious tells are something that we do when we think we’re not being watched or that we don’t even realise we’re doing. This could be anything from yawning to scratching your head. A deliberate tell, on the other hand, is when we deliberately try to put the other player off; this could be a sly smile or an action passed off as an unconscious tell.

Your body language can tell a thousand stories when playing poker, so be careful of those sneaky giveaways and watch for your opponents’ too.

Adopting the Perfect Poker Face

Being able to obscure your true emotions is a key part of playing poker successfully. Everyone has ‘tells’, or signs that give away what their intentions are. Being aware of your own tell-tale expressions and movements will help you mislead and mystify your opponents much more easily.

There are two approaches the thinking poker player can adopt. One is to remain absolutely stone-faced all the time, showing little or no emotion at whatever occurs in the game. This can be hard to maintain, as an element of relaxation is necessary to play well. Showing little or no reaction in this way is usually regarded as being the classic ‘poker face’.

An alternative approach is to be ebullient and lively, reacting clearly to everything that occurs. This way, you can mislead your opponents with displays of fake emotion. Harder to carry out, this strategy can be very effective, especially when used by a more experienced player.