Factors You Should Consider before Bluffing Your Opponents in Poker

Bluffing is a powerful strategy that is used to gain a competitive edge over the competition. Along with the basic rules, it is important to learn how to apply deception techniques against your opponents while playing poker tournaments in India. 

A ‘bluff’ is a bet/raise that is made with the intention of making the opponent fold his hand which, in all possibilities, is better than your in-hand cards. The success of a bluff completely depends on the player’s ability to get information about the strength of the opponent’s hand and potential moves by keeping a close eye on his betting pattern, tendencies, and changes in his behavior.  Reading your opponent’s intentions is important to get into his mindset.  For example- If your opponent starts making aggressive bet/raises to put pressure on you, it is an indication that either he is holding a strong hand or he is bluffing. In this situation, your ability to spot ‘tells’ helps you greatly in deciding whether you should get involved in the pot or fold your hand.

Bluffing way too much can be harmful to the health of your bankroll. Poker is a game of wits. You don’t just play your cards. You play the situation on the table. The better you know your opponent, the better game plan you can make to beat him in the game. You need to find out what type of player he is (Calling station, Rock, TAG, LAG), how often he folds, which type of hands he usually plays, etc before deciding to execute a bluff against him. If you want to come out as a winner at the end of the hand, you have to pay attention to the happenings on the table before deciding to bluff. If you bluff every time you get cards in your hand, you soon become predictable for your opponents who can call your bluff down easily. This way, you become ‘readable’ for everyone on the table and destroy your table image with your own hands.

If you are a new player, it is recommended to play only as per your hand strength till the time you acquire the required level of knowledge and experience. As a beginner, your objective should only be to earn the ability to identify the target to bluff against. The more you play, the better you become in finding the ‘fish’ and discovering ways to exploit his weaknesses. Your position on the game table also determines your ability to extract maximum information from your opponents. Late position is considered the best position to try a bluff.