By David McClary
The fairness of the poker is
one of its attractions. Since the rules are rooted in mathematics, on the
surface at least, all players have the same chance of winning over the
long-term. Letıs examine this idea a bit further. Ten imaginary players sit
down at a table with the same amount of money. For this example each player
will have all of there cards dealt face up. If none of the money was removed,
for the rake or dealer tips, then the game should go on forever. This is
because the each player has the same probability of getting the best hand. Over
time, each person will have the same number of full houses. If they played long
enough each person would have the privilege beating someone elseıs four of a
kind with a strait flush and so forth. So how do you avoid this inevitable
stalemate? Simple, you bluff.
My made-up example screams of
one difference from real poker. With the cards dealt face up, no one can
represent a hand they donıt have. However, once some of the cards are hidden, a
real game takes shape.
The most important part of a
successful bluff is simple; you canıt bluff the whole table. I have often heard
that it is impossible to bluff in limit, or more appropriately low-limit,
games. People assume that the bets are so small that somebody will always call.
This is not altogether wrong but it misses the real problem. In low limit games
you may have seven or eight players seeing the flop. This means that you may
need to bluff all of these players to win. At least one of them is bound to
catch some card that makes the pot worth contesting. If instead you are in a
hand against one or two opponents than the chances of a successful bluff go way
up. Your cards may still be lousy yet you now have a much smaller chance that
your opponentıs arenıt also.
We should next consider your table image. If you are seen as a player that often shows down winning cards then you have a fighting chance. It also helps if you have represented strength by raising pre-flop. If you have shown strength and a ³scare² card falls you could be positioned to bluff out an opponent that shows weakness. Keep in mind that a bluff is not a play when your cards are too weak to win but more a play that opponent thinks is too strong to call.
A major piece of the bluffing
puzzle is confidence. If you act like you would with a good hand then your
opponent may think have one. This is not limited to having good cards. A good
player can display a great deal of confidence by recognizing a great opportunity
to bluff. If you can remind yourself that you are making a ³smart² play when an
opponent shows weakness, you can often forget how poor your hand is.
One activity that has become
more common with televised poker is players showing hands that are not called.
I see this in lower limit games far too often. If your opponent folds then they
didnıt call the last bet you made. If youıre playing $4-8 Holdem and your
opponent folds on the river than he saved an $8 wager. If he really wanted to
see your cards than he should put up that last $8. By showing your cards after
they fold you are basically giving him $8. If this doesnıt seem like a big deal
then think of it this way; showing the cards for free is essentially the same
as not showing the player your cards and giving that players $8 from your
stack. That is obviously silly. The transaction however has the same net
effect.
To be fair, I am not saying
never show cards. I have done it myself. If the player from our example chooses
to show cards, he can only justify doing so it the expected gain is more then
$8. This is why you see cards shown in tournament play. Large tournaments have
players constantly moving around and changing tables. You may need to show a
bluff or a legitimate cards to trap a player within a few hands. This is seldom
the case in a cash game. You can expect to sit with mostly the same players for
many hours a night. Since there is no time pressure, set them up for the long
term. This way they can lose to you over and over again.
In the end, sometimes you get
called. When this happens simply turn over your cards. Some players may
question you. Some of the lousy one may even ridicule you. Donıt worry. Just
think of those bets you made as an investment. Even if only one player calls
all nine opponents get to see your 4-9 offsuit lose to a queen high flush. You
can bet they wonıt soon forget it the next time they are in a hand with you.
Through all of this you need
to remember that there is no formula for bluffing. It is an art as the title suggests;
but it is an art that all players can get better at. If you bluff with a
purpose and choose spots where you have a good chance of success, bluffing can
be your most profitable weapon at the table.