When Not To Bluff

Believe it or not, bluffing is an important part of poker, but it is something which should be used sparingly if you don’t expect to go broke quickly. It’s easy to play very aggressively but difficult to not spew off chips left, right, and center. However, by knowing when not to bluff, it will help you identify situations of when you should not pull the trigger.

Executing a successful bluffing strategy in poker is all about deceiving the other players at the table by making them think that you have a better poker hand than what you really do. A large aspect of the game is being able to read the other players to determine the strength of their hand, and to know if they are weak and possibly bluffing.
When it comes to bluffing timing is everything and if its not executed correctly you will be spewing a lot of money. Here are some common situations of when not to bluff. If these conditions are met, its more then likely not a good time to bluff when you have nothing because the competent players will be able to put you on a bluff.

First and foremost, if you have been caught in the act bluffing in a previous hand, the other players will be on the lookout. Be patient and give it some time before attempting another bluff, and hopefully they’ll have forgotten about it by then.

Secondly, the more players that are involved in the pot, the greater the chances are that someone will have a much better hand and will stay in. This is very true for players who are on strong draws, because they will be getting great pot odds to make the call if they are many players in the hand. Consider the board texture and the number of players when considering a bluff.

Thirdly, if you’ve received a consecutive number of bad hands and have lost several times in a row and clearly shown your frustration, the other players will expect you to bluff to get back into it. Don’t do it! It’s a desperation move, and good players will spot it, and will probably be waiting for it.

Finally, when you limp in and start out conservatively pre-flop then decide to show aggression post flop, it can be a sure sign that you’re bluffing. If the flop comes and you lay down a large bet, the other players will generally assume that you had a poor hand to begin with and may expect you to bluff. You are trying to tell a believable story when you are bluffing, and when you show weakness pre flop and decide to be aggressive post flop, it really isn’t very believable. If you had a strong hand, you would have bet strongly pre flop.

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