On the poker table as in life, bluffing should be used sparingly.

Sometimes this tool rakes in the riches and is a real boon. Sometimes it makes you look like a real boob.

So we’re going to tell about the stupidest times you can bluff at the poker table. And then you can play smarter, whether that’s online (bet365 bonus code if you’re looking for a new place to play), at a bricks and mortar poker room or with a gang of friends.

When you’re a newbie

Bluffing when you’re a newbie isn’t really the smartest thing to do. If you don’t fully understand the game, it’s hard to pull off something that’s relatively complex like a bluff. So we’d suggest getting a basic understanding of the game and this technique before you dive headfirst and try to outsmart your opponents.

Pick up a strategy book, listen to a few poker podcasts, check out forums like 2+2 and even Reddit for chat on real players’ experiences with bluffing. And of course talk to your fellow players and friends in person. There are lots of ways to get your head around these topics so you can use them smarter when you do try ’em out.

Doing it all the time

Bluffing works well for you once, so you decide it’s the move for you. You start to do it all the time. And then your players start to figure that out about you. This is dumb.

You should only ever bluff sparingly. The less you do it, the less likely you will to be spotted. If you do it all the time, people will inevitably start to call your bluff. And when they do that, they’re gaining valuable information about how you play.

So don’t bluff all the time. Trust us, it’s simply not smart.

Getting predictable

Alright, so maybe you’re not bluffing all the time. But you have figured out the perfect time to bluff. Maybe you always do it when you’re in a particular position at the table. Maybe it’s always when you’re head-to-head against a particular opponent. Perhaps you tend to do it to when a load of people limp in pre-flop.

If this sounds familiar, you’re making a key bluffing mistake. Doing anything predictably in poker is not smart at all. What you should be doing is mixing it up so your fellow players can’t spot patterns.

So mix it up. When you’re bluffing, don’t always do it at the exact same moment in a game. And don’t always use the same betting pattern either.

The more you vary your game play, the better your chances of staying one step ahead of your opponents.

In unfavourable positions

Throughout this article so far, we’ve told you to switch things up when it comes to bluffing. But having said that, it’s important to know when the odds are on your favour.

Bluffing is more straightforward if you have more information on how other players are acting. So if you’re in a later position, bluffing is a little safer. Because then you’ll know if it looks like some of your other fellow players seem like they’re holding good cards or duds.

If you’re a newbie and you’re tempted to bluff in the small blind, our advice would be to hold off until you’re in a little bit more of a favourable position. Of course, when you get more comfortable with the game, experimenting is good. But as a rule of thumb, bluffing is better the later you act.

When you’re feeling “lucky”

Feel like bluffing because you’ve just won a bluff? Feel like bluffing because you’re simply feeling yourself? Maybe it’s because you’re the big dog in the game so far?

Don’t get cocky. Bluffing is about strategy, not about your ego. And trust us, if you bluff for the wrong reasons, your bubble is going to get burst pretty darn quickly.

If you have no real plan

It’s really important to know where your bluff is going. Have a plan from the get go as to how you’re going to play it. Because if you try winging it, you’ll more than likely get called out pretty quick.

You see when you are bluffing, you’ve got to tell a story. Your actions need to make sense in the context of what the other players are doing and what the board is showing you.

If it doesn’t, the facade is going to crumble and someone is going to call that bluff.

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