Bluffing will be a key element in every Texas Hold’em match you ever play. It’s just that simple. Nobody who’s made the top table at a tournament has ever gotten there without deceiving at least one person, and when you think about it, the fact that most of your opponents will be trying to take a deceptive tack with you should give you reason enough to answer tit for tat.

If you can stomach this little piece of moral gristle, then, the next thing you’ll want to do is learn how to bluff. Bluffing can be extremely effective if you know what you’re doing. But if you don’t, attempting to use will usually do more harm than good. Now, obviously, we can’t foresee every single situation when you could and should bluff. But the following list of strategies should give you some idea of when a well-played lie will help you take the pot:

• When there aren’t many players in the game: Simply put, it’s easier to fool a couple of people than a crowd. With fewer hands out there, chances are that no one has made a reasonable hand. However, this is a fairly common time to bluff, so some players won’t believe you. In fact, often enough you’ll find them staying in just to "keep you honest." Because of this, it’s often useful to bluff a couple times for very low stakes and let yourself get caught, then turn around and use the same mannerism the moment you have a strong hand. Of course, this can be a costly move if your opponents don’t fall for it. And you should only bluff in this situation if you know your opponents fairly well.

• When you’re up against tight players: Those that tend to fold easily should be your main targets. Early on, bets can be a way to learn more about your opponents so you can use it against them in later rounds. For example, if you bluff early against a very tight player and they don't buckle, you should think twice about trying it again in a future round. Why? Because in not folding when you bluffed them, they proved one of three things:

  1.) You weren’t convincing enough (which means you’ll have to work on your fibbing skills)
  OR
  2.) They’re simply a balls-to-the-wall player (meaning there’s nothing you could have done right per se—even a professional actor couldn’t bluff them).
  OR
  3.) They actually have something and are willing to take your bluff hoping to draw you into making a bad bet.

  Eventually, the first problem will either work itself out naturally or you simply weren’t meant to be a poker player. After getting your share of experience, though, you’ll know that only the second two reasons could possibly be the case. Having learned early then that they might be a bully, you can easily lure them into making bad bets, while, if they fold to a bluff easily later on—and mind you, you can also pay attention to the other players’ reactions to each other, saving yourself some time and money—you’ll know that the third option must be true (therefore warranting a “get-out-now” mentality).

• When apparent drawing hands are missed: A “missed drawing hand” happens when players—especially new ones—throw in their cards too soon. Often, this can tell you a lot about a player because at a longhand table, for instance, you know that, if nobody hit a flush when the community cards for it were there and one or two players went out before the Flop or Turn, they probably aren’t versed enough in the game to realize what they’ve got in the pocket. On the other hand, if the same situation occurs and someone goes into a showdown with the flush, the players who backed out early are smart enough to realize when they need to quit. If you do wind up sitting across from the first kind of player, you can then regularly bluff them out of the game early on, stealing whatever you can from them and shrinking the table closer to shorthand levels—which is always a good thing.

• You’re in the late position and everyone else has checked: You’ll basically have to gage this situation for yourself. Betting big in the dealer’s seat will most likely force some players out, but not all of them. And those it doesn’t force out will either have a respectable hand or they’re bluffing too. Obviously, getting to know their play styles is the best way to determine which is the case. But the problem is, “stealing the blind,” as it’s called, is a pretty common maneuver and many players will stay in just because of bet odds or to “keep you honest.” This is another example of a bluff that needs to be played in the framework of a larger bluffing strategy. If you pull this trick once and get caught in the act, then you’ve set yourself up: The next time you have great hole cards, do it again and see how many people follow you in. Obviously, if you get sunk after the Flop, you should back out and fold your cards facedown. But if you draw into a three- or four-of-a-kind, you’ll have already laid the groundwork in your earlier attempt to get everyone—even tight players—betting big against you and following you into the showdown. For a little added effect, if you pull off the win before the showdown with this tactic, reveal your cards face-up. That way, not only will you have won a gruesomely large pot, but the other players will be even more perplexed about what you’ve got in subsequent steal attempts—and less likely to call it unless they got a primo hand. What’s more, if they call your bets after your big steal, you’ll know they’re either holding—or just plain dumb.

• You bet pre-flop and you missed your draw: Why bluff here? Well, to put it simply, your opponents don’t know you missed! This can be dangerous, however, and you really have to evaluate the board before you try pulling it off. Sometimes it’s good to bluff when pocket aces miss or even when a pair of twos misses. Really, you can’t know until you bring them into a showdown, and even then, they often enough leave you holding the proverbial bag. Nine times out of ten, then, it’s much better to fold if you don’t draw into a high ranking hand on the Flop, at least until you know whether your opponents will bluff into a showdown with, say, a pair of threes.

• You’ve given your opponents "the fear": Texas Hold’em is as much about how other players perceive you as it is about the cards you’re dealt. If you just won a hand through good play, the players who say "nice hand" are the ones who now respect you. They’ll more likely fold to your bluffs if you play it right. The trick is to play the hand exactly the same way you played the winning hand—and that comes with experience enough that you play all your hands in perceivably similar (not the same) ways.

• When the Flop ain't so great: Some players will fold automatically if all they have is an over-card. With a rainbow Flop of 2,6 and 9, not many players will have a strong hand. The downside to this, though, is that they’ll know the same thing about your hand, so unless there’s an ace or king in the rainbow, you might as well not try it. Also, if you do try it, aren’t holding the match, trips or quads for the trump, and somebody calls your bet, that means they’re bluffing themselves or holding the rainbow’s pot o’ gold. Either way, it’s not worth backing scratch when you probably won’t be able to improve your hand on the Turn or River. So the best thing to do is undermine the guy’s chances of pulling a big pot by folding after he sees/raises your bet.

• Pre-flop, you're on the dealer's button, and most of the table has folded: This bluff works best when there is a tight player to your left. It’s good because it can change from a bluff to a deceptively good hand with luck and the right flop.

• When there’s a pair on the board: This is an especially useful bluff when the pair on the board is an 8, 8 or lower. Chances are that these cards might have been folded or are still in the deck—meaning you probably won’t have to worry about somebody calling you on an insider’s hole. What’s more, this is a great situation to scan for the tells of players who are already out of the game because, believe it or not, it’s much easier to give away the fact that you had a card than it is to give away that you have it; the pangs of “I-can’t-believe-I-folded!” are just that much stronger than the joys of “Umma-kick-some-behind!"

Online Bluffing

Obviously, there gonna be some major differences between bluffing at a face-to-face table and bluffing online. As you might expect, players are generally more likely to bluff online simply because invisibility tends to make people cockier.

What’s more, there are vast differences between live and virtual games, including the fact that, online, all it takes is one click and your bets are placed. Simply put, then, a virtual environment enables players to behave more deceptively than they might in a live game because they don’t have to concoct a performance to pull off a successful bluff.

This means that in online poker you should be even more aware of the likelihood that your opponents are bluffing and learn how to spot this even without seeing them. All you’ll have to go on is their actions, but the plus side to virtual play is that at some sites you can get a list of hand histories and folding face-down simply isn’t an option. You should also be extra cautious when bluffing, and assume that your opponents are well aware of how Internet poker works. Don’t get careless just because the game’s online. Other players are aware of this too and it’s likely that they’ll be just as able to call your bluff, or even more so, than at a real poker table.

Of course, because facelessness also causes players to be a bit looser with their bets, a well-timed online bluff can be ultra lucrative! But don’t over-do it! The more you bluff, the more likely it is that your opponents will realize you’re doing it and catch you. If you have a good hand, of course, you can turn this back on your opponents – one of the oldest tricks in the book. Be aware, though, that other players may well be trying the same trick on you.

Finally, when playing online you’ll find your opponents won’t normally pay as close attention as they would in a “real” gaming environment. Part of the reason for this is they assume there’s absolutely no way to sniff out a bluff online, while the other is that they aren’t trying to impress the people around them (like their pet cats). You should adapt your bluffing strategy accordingly. You can normally use a player’s carelessness to your advantage by picking those with draw hands off pre-Flop.

—Staff

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