bluffing

[mark33f 0]

I have heard different opinions on the need to bluff in NLHE or any game. Carlos Mortensen for one says it is very important while others have said it is less important. I was wondering what you guys think about bluffing. Do you do it a lot or when the situation is right? Do you just go with your reads? I do it occasionally when I feel my oponent is weak, but I was wondering if you need bluffing to be a consistent player (ie be successful when cards arent falling) And finally, to be a good player do you need to bluff consistently and effectively?Thanks for any opinions.

[wrto4556 0]

You don't need to bluff consistantly.But if you never bluff you are giving away too much information. Every time you bet it's an easy fold for everyone else. You should bluff enough to make people think: "Is he trying to make a move on me?" And if you bluff that perfect amount, you will gain much money. You pick up pots with nothing and get your good hands paid off because noone can put you on a hand.

[Guest XXEddie]

I was wondering if you need bluffing to be a consistent player I think you do, because if you never bluff, people will start to catch on and you'll be listed as kinda a tight player. You need to..."practice" your bluffs every now and then because if you catch a big string of shitty cards, youll need to earn a pot or two

[Dirtydutch 8]

In tournys, or cash games? Don't just bluff, to bluff.If the opportunity comes up, in a game in witch people fold(I try to find games where I can't bluff.), then sure, have at it. But I know (otherwise good)players that just throw in random bad bluffs, because they feel, to be a good player, they have too.Dutch.

[dtemp 0]

Yeah, bluffing is important, but there are a couple of essential factors before you attempt it regularily. First, you have to make sure you have strong read and that you are pretty sure your oppenent will fold. It's generally not a good idea to bluff for the sake of bluffing unless your post flop skills are good enough that you can mix it up in a lot of pots. Also, this stlye will come with high variance.Secondly, you must be consistent with your playing. The bluffs must be played the same as your as you good hands. This way your hands won't be easy to read and you will get paid of consistently. On same days, you will make more money off your bluffs and other days you will make money off your big hands. Of course, hand reading ability is important as you want to bluff intelligently.

[howdyo 0]

In my opinion (for online cash games only), I will give some bad bluffs and get caught when it's cheap (like when it's only SB vs BB, you as the BB bet 2 times of the blind at the river so that everyone knows you are capable of bluffing) . But you make the most money when you have the nuts. Also online players change frequently, it's better to win with good hands. But I do agree that once a while under the right situations you can make some good bluffs, but just don't over do it or it will make you more aggressive than you are capable to handle and eventaully it will come back and haunt you.Just one general observation, the lower the limit, the more silly bluffings I've seen.

[Guest]

Yeah, bluffing is important, but there are a couple of  essential factors before you attempt it regularily.  First, you have to make sure you have strong read and that you are pretty sure your oppenent will fold.  It's generally not a good idea to bluff for the sake of bluffing unless your post flop skills are good enough that you can mix it up in a lot of pots.  Also, this stlye will come with high variance.Secondly, you must be consistent with your playing.  The bluffs must be played the same as your as you good hands.  This way your hands won't be easy to read and you will get paid of consistently.  On same days, you will make more money off your bluffs and other days you will make money off your big hands.  Of course, hand reading ability is important as you want to bluff intelligently.

Well said. Don't really have much to add really lol. I think its important as you can not only to mix up your play, but it keeps your instincts fresh. You should be able to adjust to your opponents strategies, depending on the competition (regulars/new players). Always good to mix it up. 2 cents

[UglyJimStudly 0]

I was wondering what you guys think about bluffing. Do you do it a lot or when the situation is right?

It kinda depends what you consider a bluff. I almost never make bets that have absolutely no chance of winning if called, which is the strict definition of bluffing I've read in some poker books. But I'm much more likely to make semi-bluff bets, where I think I probably don't have the best hand right now but I might be wrong, and I have outs to the best hand. Even that I don't do very often, I find in the sort of low-limit games that I play in just playing it straight almost all the time brings home the money.

And finally, to be a good player do you need to bluff consistently and effectively?

Consistently would kind of defeat the purpose. Effectively, sure - no matter how rarely you bluff, it is a weapon in the arsenal and you need to know when and how to use it. A common problem many players have is bluffing too much and at the wrong times; the question you should ask any time you're going to attempt some kind of fancy move is "how much more money will I win by doing this?", and if the answer is not very much, it's almost certainly better just to play it straight.