Okay, so I’m not anywhere near original with this article since bluffing in poker has been strategized to death. Even still, it never hurts to rehash a few pointers about bluffing once and a while. That being said, here are some advanced bluffing tips for you to check out.
Tip #1: Play like you have the hand you’re representing - One of the best bluffing tips that I can give is to always play like you’ve got the hand you’re representing. For example, if you had QQ preflop and you bet big, then you’re going to have a hard time bluffing when the flop comes out 5-6-7 rainbow. After all, why would you make huge preflop raises when you had a 5, 6, or 7 in your hand? In short, it would be better not to bluff like you had a straight in this instance.
However, if you had QQ and the board came out K-7-K rainbow, you’d have a better chance of selling a bluff because your preflop betting patterns would suggest you could have AK or KK. When playing against good opponents, only bluff when your previous betting patterns suggest you could have what the board is showing.
Tip #2: Focus more on your opponent’s tendency to fold, rather than their cards – A big misconception regarding bluffing is that it’s mostly about what the opponent is or isn’t holding. For example, if the board is K-T-3 rainbow, many beginning players would worry about whether the opponent has a king or 10 when trying to bluff. However, you also have to think about the opponent’s tendencies even if they don’t have top pair, or another strong hand.
So if you were trying to bluff with Q-J against someone very unlikely to fold, you also have to consider that they could beat you with a pair of 3′s or ace-high after calling/re-raising. Long story short, if you discount an opponent’s willingness to fold, it’s just another way that your bluff can be beaten.
Tip #3: Look at things from an opponent’s perspective – This tip expands on the first one in that you need to at least play like the hand you’re trying to represent. In the same vein, you also have to consider what your opponent is likely to think you have based on previous betting patterns/play.
Without getting into a long-winded essay on this point, it’s important to be honest about how you’ve played the hand, as well as the entire session/poker tournament. For example, you can’t play like you’re on a flush draw, then suddenly expect a higher-level thinking opponent to believe you hit trips when the board pairs. Also, you can’t play uber-tight throughout a session, then bet big on a totally dry board. So always consider how you’ve been playing, and decide if your opponent would truly believe you have what you’re trying to represent.
