What might be the most well-known move in poker? That's right, bluffing. Many books and movies have their heroes winning the pot at the last minute with the help of a bluff, even though the odds are against them.
But mastering poker bluffing is not as easy as movies make it out to be since it requires the use of both knowledge and skill to pull this move off. Some players, however, manage to use this move wisely and fool their opponents into folding and leaving them with a major win. Who are those players? And what are their crazy bluff stories?
Best Bluff Stories This Year
A few of the bluffs that were successfully executed in the last year are worth mentioning because of the stories attached to them. Are you ready to hear more about the best bluffs?
- The bluff from no one – Can you imagine losing to a player who is no longer present, let alone losing to a bluff? That is exactly how Bill Perkins managed to unintentionally outsmart a player who goes by the name Handz while playing at The Lodge Card Club.
On the day in question, Perkins had a plane to catch as he was supposed to support a friend. As he looked at his last two cards, he announced it was his last hand. Eventually, he went all in, but before he had a chance to see how his opponent reacted, he had to leave the table.
Handz took his time to debate the situation, deciding to fold, leaving Perkins to learn of his win at the airport. The game was streamed live, leaving both players and the audience in awe of the unexpected win. - Unexpected win at the France Poker Series Main Event – The France Poker Series Main Event, which is a part of the European Poker Tour (EPT), had a starting field of 4,149 entries. Out of all those players, Mateusz Moolhuizen came out on top to win €470,830 out of the €3,983,040 prize pool – and he did that with an extraordinary bluff.
On the 4th and final day of the event, the Dutch Moolhuizen and the Slovenian Blaz Zerjav were the only two at the final table. At first, the odds were pretty even, but soon enough, Moolhuizen managed to get a chip advantage.
With the help of a perfectly timed bluff that put almost his entire stack at risk, the winner of the event managed to outshine his seasoned opponent and get the coveted title that accompanied the cash prize. - A small - but televised - win – The digital era turned poker into a magnificent beast. You can watch the biggest and smallest tournaments unfold, following the success stories of renowned sharks and even those of unknown players.
The European Poker Tour is streamed online for everyone to watch, and the $5,300 No Limit Hold'em event in Cyprus caught everyone's eyes thanks to the successful bluff by third-place winner Jose Gonzalez Sanchez.
Playing against Turkish player Halil Tasyurek, the Spanish player managed to look extremely confident while placing millions of chips on the line – while holding the weakest hand. While the great bluff didn't land him in 1st place, he still left the table with $465,425.
Are You Ready to Bluff?
While to some, bluffing seems like an easy enough poker strategy – after all, you only need to lie through your teeth, right? – in actuality, it is very hard to pull off. You need to have the best poker face around, remain confident as you watch your opponent's reactions, and find the perfect timing for such a maneuver.
Are you planning on trying to bluff the next time you play? Maybe you will get a big win as well!