Online Poker Bluff

An online poker bluff is something that gets many players into difficulty, and this is because most online poker players try to bluff their opponents far too often. That said, bluffing can be a very useful tool when it is used properly, so here are our tips on how to get the most from bluffing online.

1 – Bluff Rarely
As we said a moment ago, most players bluff far too often, so the first thing you need to do is break that habit. Your aim should be to bluff rarely. The benefit of doing this are that you will establish a reputation for being an honest player who only bets when he has a good hand. This increased respect will make your rare bluffs all the more devastating.

2 – Bluff Wisely
Only a fool would try to bluff at random, so you need to pick the pots you aim to win with bluffing quite carefully. If there has been little betting action after a flop of 2-2-Q and you are the last to act, bluffing that you have trips deuces could well help you to claim the pot as your own. But if there have already been bets and re-raises on the same flop, you’d be better off folding than bluffing as it could well be that one or more of your opponents really does have trips deuces or even a pair of queens in the hole.

3 – Bluff to Trap
Playing as if you have a great poker hand when you actually don’t is one way to bluff, but a potentially better way to bluff is by pretending that you have a weaker hand than you really do. For example, if you have A-A in the hole in early position and the flop comes down A-A-2, you could quickly check to feign weakness. This would allow you to come back over the top if any of the later players try to take down the pot with a big bluff of their own.

Conclusion: Bluffing is not something that you should rely on as a core strategy because the best way to win at poker over the long term is to play tight and aggressive. That said, bluffing online is a useful tool, and if used as instructed above it can make you money.