Bluffing is a poker technique that involves passing false information to your opponents so that they think you have an important hand when in reality you have a weak hand.The goal is very simple for you: it is necessary that your opponent folds in order to recover the pot. So you will generally have to bet your chips as if you were doing it for a strong hand.There are two types of Bluffing in Poker, the total bluff and the semi bluff. We will focus on both concepts.
Total Bluff in Poker
We say that there is a “total bluff” when you have a hand which is really weak and which will have little or no chance of getting good during the game, that is to say after the flop, the turn and the river.Imagine you have a 2 of spades and a 4 of hearts and the flop is Ace, Ace, King, you are in a total bluff situation. Your chance is going to be to make it look like you have an ace for three of a kind.
Semi Bluff in Poker
We talk about semi bluffing in poker when you have a hand that is worthless after the flop but which could become very interesting after the turn and the river. This therefore means that you hope for cards to unblock the situation. Your opponents shouldn’t know you’re hoping, but should think it’s good for you.
Imagine you have a 10 and a King and the flop is Ace, Queen and 4. In this case, your hand is worthless but with a jack coming in, you might just have a straight that could change everything. You will therefore bluff and hope. It’s semi bluff.
The characteristics to take into account when bluffing
The bluff must be used wisely and to abuse it would be a serious offense, especially if it is discovered. To bluff, you have to take a bunch of characteristics into account such as:
Your place at the table: If you are in the first to speak, this position will not make bluffing easier as you may well be raised by the following players. This would complicate things later as you could lose a lot.
Your intuition: you need to feel the blow coming by observing and analyzing your opponents.
Your attitude: stay yourself, whether in the attitude or in the bets. A single change could quickly be spotted by players who in this case, if they are a little bit experienced could make you pay dearly.
Your intelligence: if you lose a bluff, then take advantage of it on a good hand to make it look like you are bluffing. It is also a form of bluff but reversed.