Poker – Common Mistakes When Bluffing

All players involved in poker understand that it’s a sport that demands strict discipline. While discipline may not always yield the highest profits, it significantly increases your chances of winning. However, if you don’t care much about the money and you play poker just for fun, how does it feel to sit and wait for 2 or 3 hours without getting a top starting hand? Suppose you’re lucky enough to get a beautiful hand like AK suited (AKs) after waiting for hours, but the flop shows 8-9-J rainbow. What will you do? Fold the hand and wait for a few more hours to get AK or AQ again? Or will you bluff and lose your entire stack? So, when should you give up, and when should you bluff, even if it’s a weak hand? This article by NN777 will help you better understand these questions.

Bluffing at the Wrong Time

Most beginners make this mistake. The truth is that pushing all-in won’t necessarily make your opponents think you’re strong. In a poker game where players buy in with cash, they are mentally prepared to lose all their money, so few will fold just because you seem to have a strong hand. Poker is a game full of logic. If you want them to believe you’re stronger, you have to make your play logical.

Example: You’re holding 8-9 suited (89s), and you feel it’s a playable hand with potential draws, but it’s hard to play without hitting something. You call the blind and the preflop bet from the small blind. The flop comes A-A-Q rainbow (three different suits), and you start bluffing aggressively as if you’re holding an Ace.

If your opponents fold, you were simply lucky. But this won’t always be the case. Your opponents can easily read your bluff because of the following illogical moves:

• If you had a strong hand like AQ or AK, why did you only call preflop instead of 3-betting? If you’re aggressive, you’d raise to see how strong your opponent’s hand is.
• Why are you betting out on the flop (donk betting) if you actually had an Ace? Your opponent raised preflop, so they are likely holding an Ace. Can you beat their kicker, and if they don’t have an Ace, aren’t you losing potential profit? This line of play is illogical because players with an Ace rarely play this way.
• If you had an Ace here, check-raising would be a better option, allowing you to bluff more effectively without donk betting.

Given the points above, if your opponent is aggressive and has deep pockets, they’ll likely call your bet or raise back, forcing you to fold in despair. They might even show you a weak hand as a way of saying, “Go home and learn more.”

In poker, each card tells a story, and you are the storyteller. If you want to bluff as if you’re holding a strong hand like AA, KK, or AK, raise preflop, don’t wait to see the flop and then bet based on a whim. Stick to the narrative you set from the start. On a good day, you might even win your opponent’s full stack while they’re left wondering, “How did you have that hand?”

Not Identifying Your Opponent’s Hand Range

It’s no mistake to say that playing tight is great for beginners because you don’t need to focus much on your opponent’s hand – you just need to know your hand is strong. But if you’re ready for a more challenging field, remember this principle: Never Bluff Without Identifying Your Opponent’s Hand Range.

This relies on your hand-reading skills and understanding your opponent. You need to grasp their hand range and compare it with the hand you’ve been representing. If your hand looks much stronger, bluffing will be easier. But if your opponent is drawing to a flush, and the turn completes it, it’s best to check or check-fold for dignity.

“Hand Range” refers to the possible range of hands your opponent could be holding. There’s a 300-page poker book dedicated to this topic alone. Be sure to find and read it!

Bluffing When You Have No Winning Chance

I advise against this strategy because it’s heavily based on luck. Don’t use this tactic if you don’t know your opponent well or are on a losing streak. In poker, there’s a concept called “call to bluff,” used when you plan to bluff with air (a hand with 0% chance of winning). For example, holding Ace-high with no other value is considered air.

In this situation, you call on the flop or turn (or both) to make it seem like you’re drawing to a flush or straight. Even if the turn or river doesn’t bring the card you need, you can still bet or raise, making your opponent hesitate and possibly fold.

Not Knowing When to Quit

Remember, if you can bluff others, they can bluff you. If you’re trying to represent a strong hand, it’s possible you’re misreading your opponent, as they might be pretending to be weak while holding the nuts. If you stubbornly continue bluffing without letting go, you’ll taste defeat.

Conclusion:

Poker is a passionate and intellectual game. No one, not even the top players in the world, can claim to fully understand it. So, join us and experience the game in your own unique way.