Bluffing

I've just finished an 85 minute course on playing the middle phase of a poker tournament. The more I thought about it and talked to my fellow pros, we all came to the same conclusion - Its all about bluffing.

I also found out that teaching someone how to bluff is not very straightforward. Some people are born to bluff and they need to learn to tone it down. But mostly, the human beast is very cautious. We probably picked up the trait as we saw a fellow primate make a poor decision, such as eat a hard red berry, or fail to check for mountain lions as he walked a winding trail. In any case, we tend to not take chances and be wary of what we do. In poker, this can be a problem.

The way I decided to best get people to feel comfortable making bluffs was to first review, in great detail, the best times to bluff. I came up with my top six. The #1 best time to bluff is known and utilized regularly by all good players. In fact, I didn't have to discuss this one at all because I have a full 60 minute course on it - the continuation bet. #2 on the bluff parade is the position bluff. If everyone in the hand checks to you, more times than not they got nada - a very good time to put in a bet. I review a group of simulated hands showing these bluffs and the other four situations with analysis on my web site.

The next thing I talk about is not the bluff itself, but the hands leading up to the bluff. You need to create the right image - tight and ABC. I would say 40% of making a good bluff can directly be attributed to the hands you already played. Which also involves the chemistry of the table, your profile of your opponents and momentum. Bluffs are not something that should be over used because they are very high risk. When your mojo is working, you're feeling confident and cool. This leads me to the next most important factor - your demeanor. Then finally chip stack, overall strategy and goals need to go into the overall bluff percentage you want to hit.

There was so much to cover, I'll need to add another course on advanced bluffing methods. Who'd have thought there was so much involved in throwing your chips in a pot when you have nothing. Go figure.