When to Bluff

The bluff is used mainly to scare away other players from a hand (make them fold) or to keep an opponent from raising.

Scaring away other players at the beginning of a deal is designed to limit the last betting rounds as much as possible. This accomplishes two purposes for someone with a hand that has not "closed" yet (a "draw hand" or hole cards that need specific cards in subsequent rounds in order to amount to anything.) The first objective is that the cost of staying in the game will be more affordable. With more players, there is a chance for more bets and raises, so that the price of the wager may go up. (A contrary consequence is that the "pot odds" may not be high enough to justify risky tactics to improve a hand.) The second objective of bluffing is to chase away all the players that have hands like yours - lousy, but open to improvement. If they stay in the game, they could easily strengthen their hands more than you strengthen yours.

In the later stages of betting, bluffing will only work if the opponent ultimately folds. It is obvious to say this, but you can not win with an inferior hand unless every one else flees. Two scenarios describe when the right sort of fleeing will occur:

• your opponent is also bluffing and thinks that you are not, or
• your opponent has a stronger hand, and is made to believe that you will beat him or her in a showdown. This is where seasoned players derive the most enjoyment from the game.

There is almost nothing in poker quite as satisfying as catching another bluffer in a head-on situation and prevailing by force of will. The crowning glory is being able to collect the chips without showing your hand to anyone. Everyone will want to know, but there is no rule that requires you to tell them. Even though it is sometimes good tactics to let others know when you were bluffing (to help create ambiguity for later hands), it is a sound principle never to show your winning cards after a hand when everyone else folds against them.

It is almost as sweet a victory to win a hand by force of will against someone who legitimately should win the hand. Compelling an opponent to throw away a winning hand after he has invested nicely into the pot is also one of the classic and dramatic conquests in the game of poker.

There is, of course, the obvious warning, stated less than two dozen lines above, which is so easily forgotten or disregarded: You can not win by bluffing against a player who will not fold. At some point it is a mistake to invest additional bets in a fruitless effort to build credibility when you do not deserve it. At showdown time you will not only be poorer, but foolish. Nothing you can say after that can help or save the situation. It is best just to say nothing and go on.