Tag Archives: bluff
Thinking and Decision-making In Poker
Thinking is the greatest preoccupation of any poker player. Good thinking is vital so that a player can beat the game and win the pot. And a lapse in concentration can be fatal.
What does one need to achieve the kind of thinking necessary for poker? First is discipline. This means that a player must be able to direct his mind on what he is supposed to think. He should not allow his mind to dwell on inconsequential things such as how the tie worn by his opponent is mismatched with the jacket.
Second is objectivity. A player should evaluate the odds (card odds, investment odds, edge odds) before choosing to bet, raise, bluff or fold. He should not raise simply because he was irritated or he wants to get even.
And third is tenacity. A good player should not lose his concentration. He should endeavor to stay at such level of thinking that does not allow distractions or intense emotions. He should not spend precious minutes staring at his cards before deciding what to do next. He should just take a quick look and then immediately plan his strategy. For such is the only way to make the poker game beneficial to his pockets.
There are two kinds of thinking that a good player employs during a poker game. These are “objective thinking” and “analytical thinking”.
Objective thinking involves the astute planning of what action to take. He assesses the potential of his hand and weighs investment odds against edge odds. He formulates several strategies on how to best win the greatest possible pot. And he stays alert for further developments that will help him decide more precisely about which strategy he will eventually use. To simplify, objective thinking is similar to “thinking ahead”.
Analytical thinking goes hand in hand with keen observation. The goal of analytical thinking is to understand the personalities of the opponents. A good analysis will allow a good player to interpret the actions or movements of his opponents. From such actions, the good player can infer accurately the hand of the other players.
Analytical thinking is at its finest when the player is not involved in a hand. He studies his opponents, takes mental notes of their movements and creates future strategies.
For example, one opponent has the quirky habit of inhaling (perhaps to relax himself) when he gets a good hand and exhaling (perhaps as a substitute for a sigh) when he gets a busted hand. A good player can influence this opponent to either fold or bluff.
Another opponent, when calling a bluff, hesitates and purses his lips, then makes a $20 raise. Depending on the hand of the good player, he will decide whether he will call the bluff, fold, or make a bluff of his own.
Thinking is indeed vital in any decision making in each poker game. It can establish control. It can win the pot. And, if nothing else, it can make a player forget his nervousness.
Top Ten Tips To Successful Poker Bluffing Strategy. (Page 1 of 2)
If it was not for bluffing Poker would be a very boring game. Players would simply put their bets and the best hand would always win on the strength of cards. Bluff in poker is a deception which keeps your opponents alert and when done properly bluffs can help you win more money. Whether you play poker online or live you will notice that players who know when and how to bluff are usually a lot more successful in their game than those who bluff too much or never bluff at all. Poker players who bluffs too often go broke very quickly and those who do not bluff at all not only play a very boring game but also make themselves a easy target to their opponents as they are so easy read. So to be successful in poker you need to take the middle ground approach and be prepared to be caught at times. We hope that when you bluff next time you will keep the following points of poker bluffing strategy in mind to improve your chances and hopefully pull it off.
1. How many players are you bluffing against? You can bluff successfully against one very rarely two people. Never attempt to bluff your way when there are a lot of people in the pot, chances are that you will not succeed.
2. Did you get caught bluffing? Its a good news! Yes it cost you some money but now your opponents know that you do bluff and will be more likely to challenge you when you have a strong hand expecting it to be another bluff.
3. Never bluff a “Calling Station”. If your opponent tends to call every hand bluffing will not work with him and will cost you money. Save your bluffs for good opponents and especially for tough conservative players as they are your ideal audience.
4. Dont bluff just for the sake of it. You dont need to advertise your bluffing too often. Only bluff when you have reasonable grounds to believe that you a fair chance to pull it through. You will have enough advertising value as some of your bluffs will be caught and your opponents will know that you bluff anyway.
5. Try to establish a tight aggressive image at the table. Most of the time play good starting hands and fold the weaker ones. When your opponents are used to seeing you playing a tight aggressive game this is the time to strike. You will be a lot less likely to be called.
6. Imply a specific hand such as a straight of flush rather than raising just out of the blue with a hopeless hand when the board indicates no particular strong hand possibility.
7. Do not bluff when there are more cards to come. Semi-bluffing is the best strategy here as can either get your draw or your opponents might fold.
8. It is a good time to bluff if your opponents checked to the previous round. Its even better if they checked on the flop. However if the next open card helped one of the other players your chance will diminish.
9. Keep your position in mind, its best to bluff from an early position rather than if your opponent checked on you. Betting or raising from the first position indicated that you really have a strong hand and your opponent would be more likely to fold a marginal hand than he would be if he checked and you bet.