Rafael An awesome hybrid of a pro poker player and a content writer
Updated: 2024
A good poker bluff is one of the main strategies to execute during a game. However, when the game is online, players don’t have the physical read of their opponents, like reading facial expressions or noticing nervous tics and habits.
There isn’t one best way to bluff in poker. Players must have their own logical tactics but without creating an easily readable pattern.
So let’s talk about the connection between bluffing and reading a player, and how exactly bluffing can be done in online poker.
Online Poker Bluffing Strategies
When it comes to online bluffing the start is understanding the table and the players: figure out who is the most aggressive, the players that only play with strong hands, and the players that bet preflop very often even with medium or medium-low hands. After this first quick general read of the table, we can start to apply strategies:
1. Bluff the Right Amount of Players
If you want to do a bluff, make sure you are not against more than 2 players in that hand. Try to isolate a maximum of 1 or 2 players. It will be more difficult to bluff 3 or more players in the same hand because one of them probably has a good hand and will call or raise your plays very often.
Also, have in mind the type of player you are bluffing (from the previous table recognition)!
2. Continuation Bet or C-betting
Since you started your bluff move it’s important that you don’t show weakness and continue betting. If your opponent misses the flop or the turn and you keep betting high, they will have a much tougher choice to make, if they’re taking the risk or not.
When you are c-betting it’s also important to pay attention to your and your opponent’s stack size. If you have a much bigger size than they do, you can put more pressure in your bluffs and they will mainly call only with good hands or the nuts.
3. Semi-Bluffing
This is one of the best bluffs to do. It’s the same process as a normal poker bluff but with a main difference: you can actually have the best hand!
Imagine after the flop you have a straight or a flush draw, but until that draw you need, you are probably with the worst hand. With this you can win in two ways: continue applying pressure on your bluff with a raise or high betting or actually connect the card you need on the turn or river.
Alongside these tips, remember to stay consistent but without creating a pattern, and don’t be afraid to show your bluffs, you might tilt some players!
How To Read Your Opponent in Online Poker
The second part of a good online poker bluff is the audacity and capability to read other players.
1. Take Notes
This is one of the main keys to read a player. You need to take notes about how they react in certain situations, for example when you raise them if they call very often, in which positions they usually play hands, if they play fast or slow or what kind of hands they play. This will give you a better perception of their moves and how you can adapt your game.
2. The Bet Size
The bet size can easily tell you if a player is a beginner or if they have some experience in the game. Usually, new players bet much smaller than an experienced player because they are more afraid of losing the money and don’t tend to bluff too often so you can exploit it in your favor by bluffing them and showing strongness.
3. Fast Playing
When you are against a player that plays fast almost every time, it usually means that he is a new player because he doesn’t take much time thinking about the options and what is going on in the play.
An example of that is when at preflop or postflop you make a bet and your opponent instant calls or raises (most of the time this shows that they are new and have a strong hand because they didn’t take any time thinking and didn’t try to persuade you with a slow play for a possible bluff).
Taking all of this into consideration you might start having a better performance in your games, especially when it comes to poker bluff and reading!
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