When it comes to bluffing, many an online poker player has blindly started to stare down the competition without knowing what they’re doing or why. Bodog Poker’s guide to the game for beginning and intermediate continues with an examination of bluffing and how players can approach the aspect of poker that many players struggle with more than any other.
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There are two approaches to bluffing: a stone-cold bluff and a semi-bluff. The stone-cold bluff is the more popular one, likely because of its inclusion in almost every piece of fiction that features a poker game. In a stone-cold bluff, there’s very, very little chance that the hole cards you have could be used to build a winning hand. An example of that would be 3-5 offsuit. Stone cold bluffs should be used infrequently, as overexposure to this method in a game can cause one’s opponents to punish the player either by calling them or finding other ways to force them to bleed chips.
Semi-bluffs are less common but more practical for many players because they involve having cards that could potentially be worth more than they are before the flop. Examples of this would include holding a 7-7 pair and raising dramatically from an early position, or a 9-K suited late in the game and going all-in to shake up the play. Be careful not to chase cards too much with this technique: if the flop hits and other players begin betting with gusto, it may be your prompt to leave the hand before you get bled out in front of everyone.
Take the time to learn proper bluffing technique and your success rate at the tables at critical points can radically improve. It’s not something you wish you overindulge in, but it can help even the best beginner have an edge.
Amanda is a most welcome addition to Team Bodog Pro (now playing under the alias “BodogMander”), and she says that she couldn’t be more excited about what the future holds.
Born: October 4, 1984 – Philadelphia, PA
Home: Las Vegas
Occupation: Professional poker & online poker player
Education: Kutztown University – Speech/Mass Communications Major, Political Science & Public Relations Minor
Claim to Fame: Befriended female poker pro Anna Wroblewski at the Aussie Millions, then moved out to Las Vegas with Wroblewski, who trained her and staked her and together they shared a condo owned by Anna’s friend, poker pro Barry Greenstein.
Bodog Poker Screen Name: BodogMander
