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Bluffing at poker - The Contemporary Game.

A poker article by BETDIRECT POKER for Easy Play Games

Winning with the best hand in poker is straight forward enough but sometimes you have to 'earn' your pots by bluffing. One of the greatest things about poker is that you don't have to have the best hand to win the pot. You can win pots by betting and not getting called, and it doesn't matter what you have! Bluffing is an attempt to win the pot without having the best hand, often referred to as a "Power Play".

Bluffing has been called both an art and a science. Successful bluffing is a combination of common sense, good poker instincts and "guts". In poker there is no better feeling or bigger confidence-booster than pulling off a successful bluff.

Common sense is self explanatory, for example, take in your surroundings - by this I mean be aware of your table position, the current pot value and any loose players you have observed left in the betting action. Once you have ascertained your surroundings, base your actions accordingly.

Poker instinct (yes it's true there is such a beast!), more often than not comes with experience and requires patience, guile and the ability to study and analyse play. Like a muscle, it can be exercised regularly and fine-tuned for continual improvement. In every hand that you play (and even the hands you aren't involved in), you should make every effort to put your opponent(s) on a hand. On every deal, you could be playing a game with yourself. That game is simply to guess your opponents' downcards. The more you play this game the better you will get at it and the better you get at it, the more successful you will become! I would have to say that putting your opponent on a hand is the number one skill in poker and it's what separates the best from the rest. Trust your instincts you must and you will discover that the more you play the guessing game the better you will become at it and after a while you will gain more confidence in your ability to be able to put your opponents on hands.

"Guts" is the ability to make a play at the pot when you don't have a hand. Your guts will tell you to bluff at certain times and you will combine this with your poker instincts to make the majority of your playing decisions. But trust me, pulling the trigger in battle with plenty at stake when you don't have a hand is easier said than done! Guts is a common trait in all great players; remember you're not going to get good cards most of the time, and you will have to earn your pots. TRY BLUFFING!

Hopefully you may now have learned some of the main principals behind the bluffing scenario and in addition to this, it is also important to understand your value and the market you are operating in.

When I say understanding your own value I mean how your opponents perceive you as a player and the threat level you pose to them. For example if you play regularly either on a site (online play) or live (casino/card room), you will come across a band of regular and established players who know your playing style and potential, if they have properly observed you! So if you play frequently on one site as I do and you maintain high standards by way of regular final table appearances and money spot finishes, then you find appreciation and respect follows from your peers. This places you in a different position altogether and the game jumps up a notch. You will notice as your value goes up, you will start taking more pots and more and more players will be less inclined to tangle with you in pots and in turn, you gain further information because you have reached this value. By this I mean if a player "strong plays" you i.e. a big raise after a re-raise, then chances are you are beat as they are less likely to bluff you given their understanding of your abilities as a poker player.

Knowing your market is very similar. By knowing your market you can also understand your value as a player. The main principals when considering which tournaments you should participate in should be largely based on the value of the buy in; whether it is a re-buy or freeze out, how many entrants there are, likely duration for completion (always assume you will be making the money spots, as this is good mentality for confidence and belief) and of course potential financial value to you.

So when you have learned the art of bluffing, your own value and you know the market place, you should be equipped to hold your own in any situation the contemporary game may throw at you?

Remember, above all ENJOY yourself and the GAME! - Steve Day.