The art of bluffing: how to bluff most believably. The ABC of bluffing from “A” to “Z”: how and why to squeeze your opponent out of a hand? How to understand that a person is bluffing in poker

Bluff- nothing more than deception, but in poker this concept has a broader meaning.

So, bluff, what is it?

In poker, a bluff is usually called a special technique, the purpose of which is to convince your opponent that you have a stronger combination in your hands than you actually have. It is expressed in the specific behavior and bets of the player, pushing opponents to fold their cards.

In other words, bluffing is the betting and raising of a poker player in a hand when he does not have a hand or it is weak enough, in order to knock opponents out of the game and take the pot before reaching showdown.

When bluffing, it is not profitable for a player to play to the end and show his cards, since in very rare cases this will bring him victory (when the opponent or opponents also bluffed or did not catch outs in a semi-bluff), and opponents, seeing open cards, will understand that he He was bluffing and they won’t believe him next time.

Basic bluff tools: bets, tells, poker face.

In general terms, there are 2 main types of bluffing: pure bluff and semi-bluff.

Pure bluff

“Pure” is usually called a bluff that has virtually no chance of winning. When you pretend to have a strong hand when in fact you don't have a pair, a gutshot, or any other draw.

An example of a pure bluff:

In this situation, you have neither a ready combination, nor a straight or flush draw, and even if they put a 6 or 4 on the table and you have a pair, it will be very weak on this board.

Pure bluffing is used very rarely, even by famous pros.

Semi-bluff

A semi-bluff is a situation in which you play not with an empty hand, but with one that has a chance of winning, for example, when you have a weak hand or a draw. In this situation, you can win the hand by bluffing your opponent out of the game, ending up with a stronger hand at showdown (i.e. if your opponent was also bluffing), or getting the necessary outs to win.

Semi-bluff is more popular than pure bluff, as it leaves the player with a chance to win. Often used when a player catches a straight draw or flush draw.

Semi-bluff example:

You don't have any hand on the flop, but you may be able to cover the resulting spade flush draw on the turn or river, and you also have a small chance that the board will be bet 3 and 5 and then you will be hit with a straight.

Bluffcatcher

In poker, there is such a thing as a bluff catcher (literally, “bluff catcher”). We can say that a bluff catcher is a bluff (most often pure) in which the player can only win if his opponent is bluffing. Not only do you need to be able to bluff, but you also need to be able to see when your opponent is bluffing.

In general, there are many more types of bluffs than pure and semi-bluffs.

Types of bluff by situation

Bluffing can be divided into several types depending on the situation in which you decide to use it:

steal - bluff in late position preflop in order to steal the blinds;
resteal – a response raise to a steal of late positions from the blinds (protection of the blinds);
squeeze is a type of bluff in which a player raises in response to someone else's raise and someone else's call. For example, if preflop Player A raised, Player B called, and Player C raised, then we can say that Player C squeezed. In such a situation, Player A is trapped, not knowing what Player B will do.
bluff-3bet and higher – preflop bluff, which is expressed by a third (or more) raise at the table. Example: Player A raised (made 1 bet), Player B raised (2 bet), and Player C bluffed and made 3bet (or further in line someone bluffed 4bet, 5bet). This is quite a risky technique, since there is a high probability that the players in front of the bluffing poker player have a good card.
continuation bet is a continuation of the increase, that is, a bet from the player who took active actions on the previous street(s). For example, a continuation bet is a situation where the preflop aggressor bets on the flop. When bluffing competently, it is important to “stick to your line” as long as it makes sense. If you feel like your opponent might have a strong hand, there's not much point in c-betting.
float - an equation (call) of a bet, with the goal of knocking out an opponent in the next rounds of betting. Usually performed by a player in position.

The best situations for bluffing

The idea that you can bluff in any hand is wrong, and many novice players make the same mistakes. If you bluff too often, there is a high chance that someone will figure you out, and if you don’t bluff at all and only play the card, you lose the chance to earn a lot of money. Therefore, it is worth finding a balance of bluffing that is comfortable for you in order to use it as efficiently and profitably as possible.

A little math: A bluff has a positive expected value only if the probability of your opponents folding and your winning the hand is higher than the odds of the bank.

Bluffing will work better under the following circumstances:

there are few players in the game (the more players, the greater the chance that someone will get some good combination, and the fewer players, the easier it is to knock them out of the game);
the cards on the table have outs for strong combinations, and you can “depict” them;
Opponents may mistake your actions before bluffing for playing with strong cards;
opponents have low pot odds;
you have a tight player/players playing against you who can fold cards of average strength.

When and why to bluff

You should never just bluff. This is very dangerous and, as a rule, unprofitable. The art of competent bluffing is very important. You must develop your own strategy for using this technique and use it only in specific situations.

The main tasks of bluffing, depending on the goals pursued:

Bluffing to win: when you realize that your hand will not be the strongest at showdown and you simply need to knock your opponents out of the game by convincing them that you have a stronger hand.

Bluffing to confuse opponents: Remember, opponents are watching your play and if you rarely bluff, it will make it harder for them to make decisions in a hand against you. At the same time, being caught bluffing is not always a bad thing. Opponents will see that you can play with a bad hand and will pay your winning hands, hoping to catch you bluffing.

Bluff as a method of pressure: in poker you often have to make difficult decisions and your bluff will put your opponent in an uncomfortable situation for him. He will have to guess what card you have, and if the player gives in to pressure, he will most likely fold even fairly strong hands.

How should you bluff?

Remember, you need to bluff correctly. You must remember at least three basic rules for effective bluffing:

Draw a specific hand. In order for the bluff to be successful and for your opponent to believe you, you must clearly imagine a specific strong hand that you could have in this hand if you received other pocket cards, and use the line of play that you would have used if you had the cards you need. actually. If there is a straight draw on the board, you can pretend that you have a straight, if there are three cards of the same suit, pretend to be a flush, with an ace on the table you can make your opponent believe that you have a pocket of aces and the like.
Choose weak opponents. Don't stop watching your opponents' play. Even if you weren't planning on bluffing, but you notice your opponent's hesitant bet or call on the flop, you can knock him out of the game by applying the necessary pressure. Statistics collected by poker software can help with this. It will show which of your opponents plays more carefully and is most likely to fold to your raise.
It's better to bluff against one than against many players. As mentioned above, it is easier to bluff one player than several. After all, the more poker players there are in the hand, the more difficult it will be for you to convince them of the strength of your hand and force them to fold, and the greater the chance will be that one of them will actually have a good combination. Also, remember that bluffing is more effective against tight players, and don't try to bluff telephony opponents.

Meaning of the word

Bluff or "Bluff" literally translates from English as deception.

According to evolutionary biology, those who have the ability to deceive are the best adapted for life. The same goes for poker. If you believe something, it is no longer a lie. we'll talk about how self-deception helps you become a better bluffer.

Evolutionary biologists have long proven that deception is common in almost all forms of animal communication. Birds pretend to bury food in one place while actually hiding it in another if they know other birds are watching.

Many animals change their appearance to ward off rivals or predators. Male cuttlefish can change their color and pretend to be females. Thus, they are temporarily trapped in the harem of a dominant male, whom they cannot defeat in battle. Then, when that male is distracted, the first one returns to his color and mates with his females.

From deception in nature and, in particular, self-deception, you can glean interesting information about bluffing in poker.

The most successful bluff is when you don't know you're bluffing.

According to evolutionary biologist Robert Trivers, an increase in the frequency of deception within one species will produce strong selective pressure on the ability to detect deception in others. This, in turn, will entail a kind of arms race. Developing the ability to detect deception means that deception must become increasingly convincing - and when it becomes so, it provokes a tightening of natural selection on deception detection.

For example, stick insects escape from a hungry bird because they look like part of a branch. As birds become better at recognizing insect deceptions, insects must develop increasingly sophisticated camouflages to deceive predators.

But what is really interesting is that evolutionary selection for recognizing deception gives a better chance if the animal is engaged in self-deception, that is, it produces fewer signaling signs about the deception itself.

According to Robert Trivers, “Self-deception involves a contradictory fact that the conscious subject is kept in ignorance of the relevant piece of information. When deciding to deceive, we may choose to deceive ourselves in order to better remain undetected, thus causing a kind of unconsciousness.” This makes sense not only from a biological perspective, but also from a poker perspective. The most successful bluffs happen when you don't know you're bluffing.

Consider the example of a beginning player who naively believes that his middle two pair is the best hand on a board where straights and flushes are possible, and he raises them. A player with a straight or non-nut flush finds himself in a difficult position, he tries to find any sign of weakness in his opponent, but does not find it and folds. The winner takes the pot, having no idea that he just forced a stronger hand to fold.

"Ignorance is strength"

Another similar example occurred in a 1956 episode of the Alfred Hitchcock show Crack of Doom.

It was the story of a lawyer who dives into a home poker game to make up for his losses. He "borrows" $10,000 that his client left in the office safe. He is desperate because this is his last money. They were playing no-limit five-card stud with one card down and four cards up. Each new card is a new round of trading.

On the last round of betting, the hero had three up-queens, while his opponent had three up-tenses, and his play hinted that he had four of a kind. They started raising each other, with the hero confidently pushing his entire $10,000 into the middle of the table, which finally convinced his opponent that he actually had four queens. He showed his square of tens and reluctantly threw it away.

The hero relaxed, looked again at the face-down card, and realized that he was mistaken. There was actually a jack there. If his opponent had called, he would have lost all the money along with his career and freedom.

As he said later, he would never have had the courage to make such a bluff. In desperation, he saw what he wanted to see, and that was the only thing that allowed him to build a convincing image of the man with the absolute nuts in the hand.

The art of self-deception

Let's return to adequate bluffing. Of course, it is stupid to recommend that you yourself do not know that you are bluffing. After all, you cannot consciously turn an action into an unconscious one. But you can and should consciously imagine that you are playing the hand you are representing. If you believe something, it is no longer a lie.

I think most of us do the opposite. When you expect your opponent to fold a bluff bet, you're probably thinking something like, “Please fold, just this once!” No, don't call! Foldy already, damn you!”

If you think this way, you will have to make a significant effort to prevent these thoughts and emotions from turning into visible bodies that your opponent can easily understand. This is difficult because you will have to think one thing and do the opposite. And this discrepancy can become the telus that betrays you.

You try to appear calm and relaxed, but inside you are shaking and nervous. You try to be confident, but all your muscles are tense as you try to fake a strong hand. You try to communicate freely, but your voice sounds unnatural.

Instead of being fully aware of the bluff, try to convince yourself that you actually have that straight or flush that you are representing and that is so bothering your opponent. That is, you deliberately put yourself into a state of self-deception by repeating to yourself the thoughts that would be in your head if you actually had the hand that you are depicting.

Something like: “Yes, great, you will be shocked when you see that I was carrying firewood and got there. Please call, buddy. You think your top pair is good here, well get all your chips in and I'll show you how wrong you were, because I'm taking this pot."

When you repeat this scenario to yourself, you don't have to consciously feign strength. With a little practice, these thoughts will become completely natural, and there will no longer be that alarming discrepancy between the words in your agonized mind and your attempts to feign relaxation.

Bluff in poker plays an important role and it is also necessary to use it in order to get more profit from the game. And poker itself wouldn't be so interesting if no one bluffed. Of course, you should not abuse it under any circumstances, otherwise you will be left with nothing.

How to bluff in online poker

The first thing that will allow you to successfully bluff in online poker is your style as a tight player. If you have developed the style of a tight player at the table, you will have a much better chance of profitable bluffing than a loose player. When you play tight, opponents begin to fear your bets and fold their cards, knowing that you have a strong hand. Therefore, with a large pot, if you do not have a strong combination or none at all, then in this case it will be profitable for you to try to use a bluff bet to break the pot. If you play loosely, then your opponents tend to open you up more often, so bluffing with this style of play is very dangerous and should be used extremely rarely and carefully. But if you unsuccessfully used a bluff and were discovered, then in the next hand, if you have a strong hand, you can bet much more than usual, since your opponents will probably think that you are bluffing and will open you.

The second thing you need to pay attention to when bluffing is the number of players entering the game. A bluff can work against one or two opponents. With a larger number, you risk being caught, so you should be more careful.

The third thing that makes a bluff successful in poker is your position at the gaming table. If everyone has checked before you and your word is the last, then you can use a bluff here. For example, you entered with a raise and two players called you. On the flop everyone checked, but on the turn the ace fell and again everyone checked in front of you. It will be profitable to bet here, since your opponents will think that you have an ace and fold their cards. The blinds are also a good position for bluffing - if there was no raise preflop and only small cards came out on the flop, you can bet. Because your opponents may think that you are in top pair or two pair and will most likely fold.

The fourth thing you need to pay attention to when trying to bluff in online poker is the playing styles of your opponents. It is best to use bluffs against tight players or strong players at high and medium limits. Using a bluff against beginners is very risky, because most likely they will open you with any hand (both weak and strong). Against beginners, it is best to make a regular bet; if he has nothing, then he will fold the cards even on a regular bet.

Fifth, in order to use a bluff profitably, you need to pay attention to the cards on the table. The best flops for bluffing are one high card and two low cards, a made pair (large), three suited cards, three cards in order (small). The worst conditions for bluffing are when the flop is all high cards, mixed cards (allowing you to make a straight, but not conspicuous - for example, 8, 10, Q) or three cards of the same value. Let me also remind you once again that such flops are beneficial against tight players.

When is the best time to bluff in online poker?

The best way to use bluffs in online poker is on the flop or turn. Especially on the turn, if everyone checked on the flop and turn, then the bluff will be more successful, because the players will not take risks and wait for one card.

Preflop bluffing is more useless, since the pot is still very small and there is no point in taking risks. The exception is in the later stages of tournaments and SnGs, when the blinds and antes are quite high, attempts to steal the blinds become profitable.

It is also a very risky bluff on the river, because you are only one bet away from hiding.

Semi-bluff

A semi-bluff is considered when you do not have a strong combination in your hands, but you can collect it on the turn or river. The main difference between a semi-bluff and a bluff is that it can be used against several opponents. For example, if you have an open-ended straight draw or a flush draw, it would be profitable for you to bet on the flop. If you skip a move and wait until the river, then if you manage to catch a straight or flush, the bank will be quite small and you won’t be able to win much. And if you bet on the flop, your opponents will either fold or call you. But even if you call, you can significantly strengthen your hand on the following streets - and win a big pot.

Conclusion: As you can see, bluffing can bring quite good profits in poker, you just need to use it in the right situations and not abuse it. Personally, I always try to bluff if there are good reasons for it. But we must not forget that the main role in a bluff is still played by the playing style of your opponents, so focus on this first of all. You can quickly learn to understand the playing styles of your opponents by playing heads-up games.

And most importantly, if you play at micro limits or freerolls, then you should not try to use bluff here. Bluffing in poker is more profitable at medium and high limits against strong and tight players. In addition, there is no need to bluff if there is little money in the bank - it is pointless.

"If a poker player's lips move, he's lying!"This poker saying is quite true. One of the main rules of poker is not to let other players know whether your cards are good or not. There is also a phrase"Bet as if you actually have these cards!".

Online poker training continues with learning the art of bluffing

Bluff concept

Even people who have never played poker have an idea of what bluffing is. Bluff-like maneuvers and techniques can be found in any game, for example, in basketball: a basketball player can swing his body to the left, and then suddenly rush to the right and make a shot.

Bluffing Basics. Types of bluff.

SEMI-BLUFF. As they say, a good bluff is hard to call. Semi-bluff is actually not easy to guess, which is why it is, perhaps, the most common. The player has good cards, he acts as if he has the nuts, but in fact he still needs to get his outs on the next streets.

REVERSE BLUFF. You can make your opponent believe that you are bluffing when you actually have a very strong hand. Let's look at this example: you have a pair of kings, and the flop comes with AK7 rainbow. You assume that your opponent has a pair of aces or even two pairs - aces and kings. At the moment you have a stronger combination - a set in poker. If you make your opponent think you are bluffing, you will earn more chips.

TRAP. A trap is a special type of bluff. Set a trap - force a player to call, despite the fact that your cards are clearly better. For example, a player with a set on the flop makes a continuation bet, and on the next street (turn) checks, feigning weakness and trapping his opponent. As a rule, your opponent can bet on the turn himself, and you just call his bet. On the river the situation may repeat itself, and then it’s worth raising your opponent’s bet and squeezing as many chips out of him as possible. In this case, the main thing is that your set really is a winning combination.

Don't bluff against weak players. By a weak player, an online poker school means a person who calls often, raises rarely, and loses very often. Such players are also called “phones” or “answering machines”. It's impossible to bluff against these players, save your bluff for someone else. Why? They don't understand the game well. They are more likely to call your bet than to fold.

A famous player once said: " When I first started playing Hold'em, I played much better because I didn't know what to do. It was hard to bluff. In fact, I was bluffing, but I didn’t know it then. There were times when I placed bets with no chance of winning, but scared off experienced players and they folded. Mostly I was hoping for a miracle." Sometimes the key to successful bluffing is not knowing the best choice. It's easier to bluff when you really don't know what else to do.

Don't bluff too much. Remember that poker is not all about bluffing. A common mistake newbies make is that they forget themselves and go too far with their bluff. Later in this course we will cover how to properly combine bluffing with regular play. Know that everything will come with experience.

How to play smart in poker? How to use the bluff technique? Many novice players ask this question, trying to understand the essence of the game and the basic behavioral reactions of their opponents. Bluffing is one of the most striking and effective techniques that allows a player to stay afloat and convince others that he is doing much better than he really is. Also, if you have a difficult situation, using a bluff you can convince your opponent that everything is fine with you. After all, poker is played with a living person, not with slot machines. Perhaps this is why many people prefer slot machines to poker, since you need to be able to bluff while looking them in the eye. At the same time, you need to be able not only to bluff, but also to recognize someone who is bluffing.

It is important to be able not only to perform certain actions within the game, but also read your opponents to better navigate the situation. Once you learn how to bluff, your performance will be much better and you will be able to achieve your goal faster. The psychology of bluffing is theory and practice, the basics of how you can manage the people around you and obtain information about their activities and plans.

What is a bluff in poker?

Bluff- this is psychology in its purest form, when a person tries to influence an opponent using certain behavioral characteristics. In poker, a lot depends on how the players act and how well they know each other. Some people play based on the basic rules, without using cunning techniques, while others try to be cunning in every possible way and constantly study a huge number of books and articles on the psychology of poker. There are two types of bluffing in poker: pure and semi-bluff.

Clean bluff they call the activity of a player when he realizes that he will not be able to collect his hand, so he tries to give out true facts and convince his opponent of the opposite. This is also a good technique for those cases where it is almost impossible to even strengthen the hand. If we talk about semi-bluffing, then the player understands that, in principle, it is possible to strengthen the hand, but by bluffing, he tries to gain time or mislead his opponent.

Experts say that bluff necessary only if you are playing with beginners who are still poorly versed in this and are not strong opponents for you. You can also bluff with semi-professionals, who are often indecisive. Bluffing against professionals will be ineffective, and you will most likely ruin your reputation and become famous for your inability to correctly apply cunning poker techniques.

When should you bluff?

1. You have a pretty good situation, but no one has shown a strong hand before.
2. You are playing together, and your opponent is carefully trying to read you.
3. The players around you are accustomed to the fact that you only win if you have a strong hand, and the cards that are on the table indicate just this.
4. Opponents know you as a player who only enters the pot if he has a strong hand.

When should you not bluff?

1. There are a large number of opponents sitting at the table
2. There are those people in the game who under no circumstances throw cards.
3. Your bet will not be significant for a player who has already invested enough in the pot.

When is bluffing most effective?

First of all, you must understand that bluff must be as relevant as possible, only then will it be effective. Players often talk about how their opponents can tell when they are bluffing. This only indicates that you are bluffing inappropriately or doing it too often. If you want to get the most out of this technique, you need to learn how to act competently during the game. Before you decide to bluff, be sure to study your opponent so that you can be as effective as possible.

Try it play several hours slowly and carefully, show everyone your good cards, and only then bluff. Your rivals will form a certain subjective opinion about you over the course of time, and at the most unexpected moment you will surprise them. If throughout the game none of your opponents notice that you are bluffing, then you can continue to do it, because there is a high probability that you are doing well. Changing tactics is a real talent that not everyone has, so be sure to try yourself in different directions. If you play Omaha, bluffing will be completely ineffective, so remember this to get out of the game with minimal losses or winnings.

Start with yourself. You can learn how to bluff, but you also need to be aware of what your opponents are thinking and doing when playing poker. First of all, you should start with yourself, because a lot depends on your logical thinking and ability to notice what others do not see. You should immediately understand that you can figure out any opponent if you work on yourself and train your memory. If someone in poker was able to outwit you, then you are primarily to blame for this, because you simply did not notice.

In order to quickly determine bluff, you need to develop visual memory. Try to find exercises to train your visual memory and work hard on yourself before you sit down at the poker table and place high stakes. This is the only way you can most effectively analyze your player and get maximum information about his further activities.

How to recognize a bluff?

Many psychologists argue that scratching your nose at the moment when a person says something is already a definite sign that he is bluffing. It also means a lot if a person covers his mouth with his hand while uttering a phrase or after it. But you shouldn’t take everything so unambiguously, because the percentage of probability in this case is minimal.

Professionals of the world poker claim that a bluff can be recognized by changes in a person’s behavior throughout the game. This means that as soon as a person starts doing something atypical for himself, you should be wary and take a closer look at him. This may be a misconception or a sign for you, so always pay attention to your opponent's behavior and try to notice any changes.