It is not so uncommon in poker that a player folds its hand which eventually turns out to be the better one – such thing may happen because of a thing called bluffing. Here you can find some tips how to use it.
1. Opponent player style
In order your bluff to be successful, you should first find the right opponent to bluff against. Sometimes it can be successful against the whole table of players you are playing with, however, bluffing usually works against a chosen opponent. It is because more player needs to be perceived that you bluff actually represents a strong hand. One example of a player type is ‘tight-passive’ or ‘nit’. That type of player plays really tight having very few hands and only goes for massive pots. Other type of player is the loose aggressive (LAG) one. Such type plays so that it raises or re-raises lots of hands pre-flop and often bets on the vast majority of flops. Therefore it is an extremely dangerous type and quite hard to read.
2. How to play on the flop and turn
There are some tips how to play during the flop. For instance, here is a method of bluff raise in the flop. When you have a hand that has some equity for instance an open-ended straight draw it is a great opportunity for a bluff raise. Another way for bluffing is the 3-bet or 4-bet.
Bluffing with a 3-bet during the flop can get you some money (e.g. if you have a flush draw). You are betting into your opponents (before the flop) and if your opponent raises in the flop you re-raise immediately.
Moreover, there are some tips regarding the turn that can be played. One of these is ‘call the flop bet the turn’ the name of which speaks for itself. You call the flop and in the case your opponents checked on the turn, you should bet. However, it is worth noting that such bluffing is advisable if you have quite good equity. There is also a room for bluff raise not just in the flop but the turn as well. Just like in case of ‘call the flop bet the turn’ you should have a pretty good equity to play such bluff and could come handy if you have ‘double barrelled’ by your opponent (he /she bets the flop and turn).
3. How to play on the river
As you can see, there are plenty of opportunity for bluffing the up until the river. So, it is worth to be aggressive during these stages. But the real deal comes with the river (if the play will reach there), where you will find out whether your bluff had a great value or your bluff went south. In case of the first one there is nothing to explain. However, in case of the latter, probably you should think of folding or, in rare occasions, a big raise might do you the business depending on the card that your opponent may think of you have got a strong hand.
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