Some players — and it's only a few of them, to be
sure — never bluff. After you figure out who they
are, playing against them is easy. If they bet once
all the cards are out, you can safely throw your hand
away unless you believe that your hand is superior to
theirs. If it is, you should raise.
Other people are habitual bluffers. When they bet,
you have to call as long as you are holding any
reasonable hand. Although habitual bluffers will also
make real hands every now and then, the fact that
they bluff far too often makes your decision easy. By
calling, you'll win far more money in the long run
than you would save by folding.
Keep 'em guessing
No easy answer exists concerning players who bluff
some, but not all, of the time. Opponents who bluff
some of the time are better poker players than those
found at either end of the bluffing spectrum. Better
players, of course, can keep you guessing about
whether or not they are bluffing. And when you're
forced to guess, you will be wrong some of the time.
That's just the way it is.
Of course, you may be able to pick up a tell (a
revealing gesture) and know when your opponent is
bluffing, but that's not too likely in most cases. The
sad truth is that players who keep you guessing are
going to give you much more trouble than
predictable opponents.
In most low-limit games, players bluff much too
often. After all, when you play fixed-limit poker, all it
costs is one additional bet to see someone's hand.
And the pots are usually big enough, relative to the
size of a bet, to make calling the right decision.
Here's an example: Suppose the pot contains $90,
and your opponent makes a $10 bet. That pot now
contains $100, and the cost of your call is only $10.
Even if you figure your opponent to be bluffing only
one time in ten, you should call. By calling, the laws
of probability suggest that you'd lose a $10 bet nine
times, for a loss of $90. Although you'd win only
once, that pot would be worth $100. After ten such
occurrences, you'd show a net profit of $10. As a
result, you could say that regardless of the outcome
of any particular hand, each call was worth one
dollar to you.
The threat of bluffing
The threat of a bluff is just as important as a bluff
itself. A good player — one who bluffs neither too
often nor too infrequently, and seems to do so under
the right conditions — has something else going for
her, too. It's the threat of a bluff. Does she have the
goods or is she bluffing? How can you tell? If you
can't, how do you know what to do when she bets?
These answers don't come easily, and even top-
notch players are not going to have a terrific batting
average in most cases. As a result, the threat of a
bluff combined with the bluff itself, is designed to
help a player win some pots that she would
otherwise lose and to win more money in pots where
she actually has the best hand.
After all, if you have the best hand and come out
betting, your opponent won't always know whether
you're bluffing or not. If a lot of money is in the pot,
she'll probably call. That's the less costly error. After
all, if she were to throw the winning hand away and
relinquish a big pot, that's a much more costly faux
pas than calling one additional bet.
Bluffing and the threat of bluffing go hand in hand. A
bluff can enable a player to win a pot she figured to
lose if the hands were shown down. The threat of a
bluff enables a player with a good hand to win more
money than she would if her opponent knew she
never bluffed.
sure — never bluff. After you figure out who they
are, playing against them is easy. If they bet once
all the cards are out, you can safely throw your hand
away unless you believe that your hand is superior to
theirs. If it is, you should raise.
Other people are habitual bluffers. When they bet,
you have to call as long as you are holding any
reasonable hand. Although habitual bluffers will also
make real hands every now and then, the fact that
they bluff far too often makes your decision easy. By
calling, you'll win far more money in the long run
than you would save by folding.
Keep 'em guessing
No easy answer exists concerning players who bluff
some, but not all, of the time. Opponents who bluff
some of the time are better poker players than those
found at either end of the bluffing spectrum. Better
players, of course, can keep you guessing about
whether or not they are bluffing. And when you're
forced to guess, you will be wrong some of the time.
That's just the way it is.
Of course, you may be able to pick up a tell (a
revealing gesture) and know when your opponent is
bluffing, but that's not too likely in most cases. The
sad truth is that players who keep you guessing are
going to give you much more trouble than
predictable opponents.
In most low-limit games, players bluff much too
often. After all, when you play fixed-limit poker, all it
costs is one additional bet to see someone's hand.
And the pots are usually big enough, relative to the
size of a bet, to make calling the right decision.
Here's an example: Suppose the pot contains $90,
and your opponent makes a $10 bet. That pot now
contains $100, and the cost of your call is only $10.
Even if you figure your opponent to be bluffing only
one time in ten, you should call. By calling, the laws
of probability suggest that you'd lose a $10 bet nine
times, for a loss of $90. Although you'd win only
once, that pot would be worth $100. After ten such
occurrences, you'd show a net profit of $10. As a
result, you could say that regardless of the outcome
of any particular hand, each call was worth one
dollar to you.
The threat of bluffing
The threat of a bluff is just as important as a bluff
itself. A good player — one who bluffs neither too
often nor too infrequently, and seems to do so under
the right conditions — has something else going for
her, too. It's the threat of a bluff. Does she have the
goods or is she bluffing? How can you tell? If you
can't, how do you know what to do when she bets?
These answers don't come easily, and even top-
notch players are not going to have a terrific batting
average in most cases. As a result, the threat of a
bluff combined with the bluff itself, is designed to
help a player win some pots that she would
otherwise lose and to win more money in pots where
she actually has the best hand.
After all, if you have the best hand and come out
betting, your opponent won't always know whether
you're bluffing or not. If a lot of money is in the pot,
she'll probably call. That's the less costly error. After
all, if she were to throw the winning hand away and
relinquish a big pot, that's a much more costly faux
pas than calling one additional bet.
Bluffing and the threat of bluffing go hand in hand. A
bluff can enable a player to win a pot she figured to
lose if the hands were shown down. The threat of a
bluff enables a player with a good hand to win more
money than she would if her opponent knew she
never bluffed.
Source :dummies
