Poker Bluffing: An In-Depth Guide

What Is a Bluff?

A bluff is a bet or a raise if you believe that you don't have the best hand with the hope of inducing your opponent(s) to fold a stronger hand.

That is, you are pretending strength to win the pot without having the nuts (or close to it).

Types of bluffs:

• Pure bluff: You don't have much or any showdown value, and you hope your opponent folds.
• Semi-bluff: You do have some equity (e.g., a draw), which can improve to the best hand.
• Representation ("story") bluff: You represent that you have a strong hand corresponding to the board texture.

Why and When to Bluff

Why bluff?

• To steal pots when no one has a strong hand.
• To counterbalance your play (so you can't be taken advantage of too easily by others).
• To exploit too-frequent folders.
• To pressure and dominate table dynamics.

When to bluff

The Mechanics: How to Bluff Correctly

1. Pick the correct hand

• Prefer semi-bluffs with equity.
• Use blockers (e.g., Ace of the flush suit).
• Never "random" bluffs — always have a strategy.

2. Create a consistent story

Each street (flop, turn, river) must logically conform to your "strong hand" story.

3. Bet sizing

• Big bets = maximum fold pressure.
• Small bets = low risk, good against easily folding opponents.
• Overbets on fear river can work — but are dangerous.

4. Balance and frequency

• Don't bluff as much — keep people guessing.
• Mix up value bet and bluffs to stay unpredictable.

5. Know when to stop

If your opponent is playing in with real strength, fold. Bluffing into a made hand is burning chips.

Common Bluff Types (with Examples)

Popular bluff tactics

• C-bet bluff: Pre-flop raise, miss flop, bet anyway.
• Double/triple barrel bluff: Bet several streets to portray strong hand.
• Check-raise bluff: Check, then raise to intimidate opponents.
• Semi-bluff: Bet drawing hands.
• Probe/river bluff: River bet after opponent checks, for made hand.

Example video

3 Bluffs That ALWAYS Work | SplitSuit Poker

Famous Bluffs

Tom Dwan's $479,500 River Bluff

Tom Dwan shoved all-in on the river with 7-2 offsuit into a pot of \\$162,000 — opponent folded a strong two-pair.

Tom Dwan on Wikipedia

"The Craziest Poker Bluff of All Time"

A bold player bluffs Garrett Adelstein out of a hand in a high-stakes game. Classic move.

Watch on YouTube

Mistakes to Avoid

• Over-bluffing: Too many bluffs = you get called.
• Bluffing calling stations: Some people never fold.
• No backup plan: If called, know your next move.
• Poor sizing: Bet too small, nobody folds; too large, you burn value.
• Neglecting table image: Alter your frequency according to the image other players portray towards you.

Bluff Catching: Identifying When Someone Bluffs You

How to identify a bluff:

• Contradicting story throughout streets.
• Unusual bet sizes.
• Intimidating board your opponent is probably over-representing.
• Blockers in your hand make it less likely that they have the nuts.
• Opponent behaviors — high frequency bluffers = higher likelihood bluffing again.

The Mechanics of Bluff Catching in Poker

Sample Hand Walkthroughs

Example 1: Flop Miss, Turn Draw

• You raise preflop, flop miss (K-J-4).
• C-bet on the flop — opponent calls.
• Turn is low — you barrel again, depicting a King.
• River: if the opponent shows weakness, you fire again — triple barrel bluff.

Example 2: River Overbet Bluff

• River is a straight or flush card.
• Opponent checks; you bet the pot too aggressively.
• The story works — opponent folds middle pair.

Recommended Videos

Final Thoughts

Bluffing is art and science.

A good poker player understands:

• When their story holds water,
• When opponents are vulnerable,
• And only after the risk is warranted by the reward.

Skill in the timing, psychology, and table dynamics of bluffing can turn small edges into enormous profits.