Almost everyone unaccustomed to the world of poker wrongly assumesthat it’s a game of bluffing. It’s true that bluffing is a part of the game but, as Unibet casino fans will know, many amateurs greatly overestimate the importance of it at the table.
Indeed, this overemphasis on bluffing leads to the problem of players losing lots of money by continually trying to swindle their opponent’s chips in difficult spots. To remedy this situation requires a little bit of insight into what constitutes a good bluff.
The first major mistake when trying to bluff is not creating a believable story. In any situation at the poker table your betting line needs to be straight, i.e. it needs to have a start and middle and an ending.
Let’s assume that you raise pre-flop with 7-2 offsuit (the worst starting hand in poker). Having made the decision to raise, you’ve already shown a degree of strength. The flop completely misses you but you continue your aggression and bet again. Your opponent calls and you both check the turn. The river misses your hand so your only way to win the pot is by betting again and getting your opponent to fold.
Before making this decision you need to ask yourself whether your action up until this point gives you any chance of representing a strong hand. In this scenario the answer would be “yes” becauseyou’ve displayed aggression on three different streets.
If, however, you’d simply called pre-flop, checked on the flop and turn, then decided to bet on the river, you’d have no chance of representing a big hand because nothing you’ve done in the hand makes sense.
Bluffing is a small part of the game but when a situation presents itself you need to be prepared to build a tall tale from the start of the hand. Planning ahead is crucial in every aspect of poker, especially when bluffing.
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