Out of all the strategies players learn at the beginning of their journey, bluffing is probably the most talked-about poker skill. In the past, we've talked about what bluffing entails and how often (or rarely) you should use it. But there is so much more to bluffing than that!
There are multiple types of bluffs you can use as you play Everygame Poker, and as long as you understand how and when you can implement each and every one of them, you might increase your chances of pulling off a bluff without your opponent's noticing!
Different Types of Bluffs & How to Use Them
- Continuation bet (c-bet) bluff – We're talking about a bet a player makes on the flop after raising pre-flop, even if they don't have a strong hand. Players who choose to raise pre-flop do it to display strength and put some pressure on the rest of the players, but the true test comes after the flop: if the new community cards don't help you create a stronger hand, should you check, fold, or keep up appearances and raise again to create the illusion you have an even stronger hand than before?
Before you choose to bluff in this scenario, you need to think about which hands your opponent might have and if he has the chance to beat you. If there are decent chances they have the upper hand, and they are not folding under pressure, you shouldn't continue with the bluff! - Semi-bluffs – In this scenario, you make a bet on the assumption that your hand might improve in value in future betting rounds, but it isn't necessarily the best hand currently. Essentially, you're inflating the value of your hand in the hopes of everything turning out to be to your liking by the river. However, since you can't guarantee that, any raise you make with such a hand involves a degree of deception, hence the nickname semi-bluff.
This is the least risky type of bluffing, as it involves some risk, but at the end of the day, your hand might still be good enough to bring you a win even if your opponents choose not to fold. You still need to look at your opponents' range and odds of winning before going down the semi-bluff road, but the rules are not as strict in this scenario. - Pure bluff – Also known as the stone-cold bluff or zero-equity bluff, this is the type of bluffing most people think of when they hear of this poker strategy. In this case, you choose to keep raising even if you have almost zero chances of getting the highest-ranking hand at the table and you rely solely on fold equity to make a profit.
This is the riskiest move of all, and it should not be used often, as your opponents might have a strong enough hand to remain in the game, and your bluff will be discovered. Only use a pure bluff when your opponents also have small chances of building a strong hand with the help of the community cards. Also, keep your bets small in case someone chooses to call your bluff. - Opportunistic bluff – When no one else around the table has an interest in the pot, you can try to pull off the opportunistic bluff. Chances are the other players would have folded anyway since they are unlikely to have a strong hand, so why not try to raise the pot a bit?
In Conclusion
It is not a coincidence that bluffing is considered a form of art. To execute a perfect bluff, you need to know which type of bluff to use and choose the perfect timing for it.
Are you ready to go out there and use bluffing as a tool for winning?