Tue 24 Nov 2009
The key to pulling off a successful bluff against a reasonably wise online poker opponent is providing for him a picture of a hand that he can imagine will have him beaten. The reason most bluffs fail is that the player firing them off fails to make the hand he is representing match up with the image of the hand he has represented throughout the hand. Sudden river bluffing, obvious scare tactics, and bluffing in spots where someone would almost never bet are all leaks in an intended framework.
Taking care to make sure that your poker online opponent can buy into your bluff is one of the first considerations of the successful bluffer. Analyze the ‘to bluff or not to bluff’ question from the angle of, “Is it within the realm of possibilities that the card I am bluffing on be perceived as an actual threat?” Bluffing turn cards that are a blank when you had not previously represented a hand, and have never slowplayed big hands against your current opponent before, are not going to add up to that player’s mind as you actually ‘having it.’
Make sure your hand tells a story. If it seems too inconsistent, you might just be throwing chips into the pot to have them taken. Also make sure your opponent is capable of folding. Some men just won’t die at the casino.
