Online Poker - Have a Reason for Bluffing |
| Written by John Bower | ||
| Friday, 03 July 2009 11:26 | ||
With so many players taking a shot at online poker it is only natural that more bluffing is occurring. What has happened recently is that too many players are bluffing too often. Online poker players can quickly separate themselves from the masses by knowing when and when not to bluff. Keep in mind that the goal when bluffing is to win a pot without a showdown. If you are bluffing it is very unlikely you are going to win without everyone else folding. In today’s ultra-aggressive online poker world it is very difficult to win by bluffing but there are still instances where bluffing is effective and profitable. The semi-bluff is still an excellent tool as is the river bluff when scare cards are on the board. The key when bluffing is to avoid doing it too much and to avoid doing it in the wrong situations. It is all about limiting your mistakes when playing online poker and bluffing without rhyme or reason is a major mistake.
You should also know why you are bluffing and the exact situations where it can be profitable. Once you get the hang of bluffing you can employ it effectively when playing online poker. As previously mentioned, the semi-bluff is when a player has a decent hand with a legitimate chance of winning on its own, but a bluff may win the hand without even having to go to a showdown. Another type of bluff in online poker is the stone cold bluff, which is when a player has absolutely nothing but garbage in his hand and yet raises, hoping to scare off other players. This tactic is high risk and should not be employed by new or inexperienced players as it requires extreme patience, as well as nerve, and a player should get the feel for the table and fellow players sitting at it before employing such a strategy.
Too many players are bluffing without really knowing what they are doing. To separate yourself from the majority and be on the winning side, study bluffing techniques, always exercise patience and look to get a real feel for each game and session that you are in. If you hold steady, you will eventually come out ahead of the majority of players you go up against who really don’t have a plan when they bluff or good reasons for doing it other than to look cool.
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| Last Updated on Friday, 03 July 2009 11:32 |
