Lessons in Poker Bluffing: Part Three
09/04/09 19:15 Filed in: Poker Strategy | Poker Bluffing
This is the third part of a three part series of Poker Bluffing. The first part can be found here - Poker Bluffing Part One and the second part can be found here - Poker Bluffing Part Two.
Having a few basic strategies with poker bluffing related to table position is obviously important but it’s also a good idea to know how to deal with the number of players still left in the hand when considering your bluffing actions.
The number of opponents still active at a table or within a given hand can be important to consider in your bluffing choices. When you’re bluffing an entire table you become much more likely to escape scrutiny and hold a greater opportunity to trick others into favourable actions. Regular semi-bluffing can be a valuable technique against larger sets of active players but quitting bluffing entirely in the end game is often advisable.
Poker Bluffing against one or two players becomes much more difficult and can present some problems as we mentioned above. Consistent bluffing is unadvisable when you’ve reached a showdown situation for the simple fact that your every decision is now being closely monitored by a single competitor. By the time you’ve reached a showdown the goal is usually to take home the pot rather than bulk it up so the risks associated with bluffing are often too great to warrant.
A good rule of thumb for bluffing any number of opponents lies in always reading the known table cards. Whether you’re up against one or nine other competitors, manipulating the amount of information available through the river, your own pocket and any mucked hands, allows you to bluff intelligently and, ultimately, persuasively.
Having a few basic strategies with poker bluffing related to table position is obviously important but it’s also a good idea to know how to deal with the number of players still left in the hand when considering your bluffing actions.
The number of opponents still active at a table or within a given hand can be important to consider in your bluffing choices. When you’re bluffing an entire table you become much more likely to escape scrutiny and hold a greater opportunity to trick others into favourable actions. Regular semi-bluffing can be a valuable technique against larger sets of active players but quitting bluffing entirely in the end game is often advisable.
Poker Bluffing against one or two players becomes much more difficult and can present some problems as we mentioned above. Consistent bluffing is unadvisable when you’ve reached a showdown situation for the simple fact that your every decision is now being closely monitored by a single competitor. By the time you’ve reached a showdown the goal is usually to take home the pot rather than bulk it up so the risks associated with bluffing are often too great to warrant.
A good rule of thumb for bluffing any number of opponents lies in always reading the known table cards. Whether you’re up against one or nine other competitors, manipulating the amount of information available through the river, your own pocket and any mucked hands, allows you to bluff intelligently and, ultimately, persuasively.
Lessons in Poker Bluffing: Part Two
26/03/09 19:00 Filed in: Poker Strategy | Poker Bluffing
This is the second part of a three part series of Poker Bluffing. The first part can be found here - Poker Bluffing Part One.
Knowing how and when to bluff in early position is also important to learn. An early position can be a great spot at the table when you want to manipulate the pace of a hand as much as possible and bluffing can obviously play a large part in this.
Take note of those players that fold right off of the flop regularly. These are usually the competitors that are only playing at a novice level of experience and they can be manipulated by pure bluffs more often than not. A frequent folder can be a goldmine when they’ve hit on a pair of cards that they believe will take them to the end of a hand. The particular lack of confidence that makes them fold on a regular basis is the same phenomena that will allow you to bluff them into folding when the heat is on, after they have already committed many bets in the endgame of a hand.
The early position will also allow you to identify stronger poker players so you can better gauge when to attempt bluffs or not. Aside from their more frequent winning of hands, solid competitors will often play cautiously and only strike hard occasionally in a typical tight-aggressive style. Having an early position allows you to test the waters of the entire table and note the better and worse players before attempting to bluff them unsuccessfully later on. Semi-bluffs are usually much more advisable than pure bluffs against better players who are more skilled at spotting tricks at the poker table.
Knowing how and when to bluff in early position is also important to learn. An early position can be a great spot at the table when you want to manipulate the pace of a hand as much as possible and bluffing can obviously play a large part in this.
Take note of those players that fold right off of the flop regularly. These are usually the competitors that are only playing at a novice level of experience and they can be manipulated by pure bluffs more often than not. A frequent folder can be a goldmine when they’ve hit on a pair of cards that they believe will take them to the end of a hand. The particular lack of confidence that makes them fold on a regular basis is the same phenomena that will allow you to bluff them into folding when the heat is on, after they have already committed many bets in the endgame of a hand.
The early position will also allow you to identify stronger poker players so you can better gauge when to attempt bluffs or not. Aside from their more frequent winning of hands, solid competitors will often play cautiously and only strike hard occasionally in a typical tight-aggressive style. Having an early position allows you to test the waters of the entire table and note the better and worse players before attempting to bluff them unsuccessfully later on. Semi-bluffs are usually much more advisable than pure bluffs against better players who are more skilled at spotting tricks at the poker table.
Lessons in Poker Bluffing: Part One
25/03/09 14:37 Filed in: Poker Strategy | Poker Bluffing
Bluffing is an important part of your poker game but it is often misunderstood and used too often or not enough. Here are a few tips to get you started toward proper bluffing and good times to use it in your game. First off, remember your positions. Our first few tips here will focus on late position bluffing simply because it is the best opportunity to bluff successfully as well as the one time wherein most players make avoidable mistakes or miss chances.
Your goals in bluffing should be clear. When you’re in a late position you essentially control the pace of the hand. If you’ve taken note of those players that have folded out of a lack of confidence in the past then you’re ready to start forcing them out. When forcing out other players your bluffs should be more frequent and of a riskier nature, raising in large increments and made up of more pure bluffs than you might have gone in with otherwise. Late position allows you to pick off the weaker competitors noted by their tendency to have waited a long time before checking or folding directly off the flop often in the past.
If you’re only trying to bulk up the pot then forcing players out becomes unwise (except in tournament situations). A late position isn’t as good for early positions when it comes to “milking the table” but you still have the opportunity to see a great deal of action before it’s your turn to call or raise. Your notes come into play to a large degree and keeping concentration on the table is essential. You can look for patterns in weaker players then use your late position bluffing to force them into showdowns, betting them into constant raising before they are forced to fold.
Your goals in bluffing should be clear. When you’re in a late position you essentially control the pace of the hand. If you’ve taken note of those players that have folded out of a lack of confidence in the past then you’re ready to start forcing them out. When forcing out other players your bluffs should be more frequent and of a riskier nature, raising in large increments and made up of more pure bluffs than you might have gone in with otherwise. Late position allows you to pick off the weaker competitors noted by their tendency to have waited a long time before checking or folding directly off the flop often in the past.
If you’re only trying to bulk up the pot then forcing players out becomes unwise (except in tournament situations). A late position isn’t as good for early positions when it comes to “milking the table” but you still have the opportunity to see a great deal of action before it’s your turn to call or raise. Your notes come into play to a large degree and keeping concentration on the table is essential. You can look for patterns in weaker players then use your late position bluffing to force them into showdowns, betting them into constant raising before they are forced to fold.
A Handful of Poker Tells: Part Four of Four
23/02/09 19:43 Filed in: Poker Strategy | Poker-Tips
This is the fourth part of a four part mini series on Poker Tells. The first part can be found here. The second part can be found here.The third part can be found here.
Our last look at tells is focused on picking up on deliberate poker tells that can be found through the actions of a player who is bluffing on weak hands. While players with weak hands attempt to stay under the radar and keep the pot as low as possible they may exhibit certain behaviour that can be turned to your advantage.
Staring is one of the easiest giveaways you can hope to find in a bluffing situation. An opponent who attempts intimidation through a persistent stare is most likely trying to unnerve you or others and actually holds a weak set of cards.
Threatening with poker chips is another deliberate tell that can greatly help in informing your decisions. A competitor that reaches to place his or her poker chips during an opponent’s turn is most likely making an intimidation attempt and is bluffing with a weak hand. The same is true for a competitor who rushes the last moments of their competitor’s turn in an attempt to force their action or make a premature claim of the pot (a move that tries to show that they are just acting slightly ahead of their “inevitable” win).
Inexperienced poker players will be the safest bet for waging any serious money within these situations. It may not be wise to risk too much of your bankroll on bluffing tells unless you’re quite sure that what you’re noticing is clear enough to place money on. Remember the importance of caution in trying to exert pressure on a bluffing player.
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Our last look at tells is focused on picking up on deliberate poker tells that can be found through the actions of a player who is bluffing on weak hands. While players with weak hands attempt to stay under the radar and keep the pot as low as possible they may exhibit certain behaviour that can be turned to your advantage.
Staring is one of the easiest giveaways you can hope to find in a bluffing situation. An opponent who attempts intimidation through a persistent stare is most likely trying to unnerve you or others and actually holds a weak set of cards.
Threatening with poker chips is another deliberate tell that can greatly help in informing your decisions. A competitor that reaches to place his or her poker chips during an opponent’s turn is most likely making an intimidation attempt and is bluffing with a weak hand. The same is true for a competitor who rushes the last moments of their competitor’s turn in an attempt to force their action or make a premature claim of the pot (a move that tries to show that they are just acting slightly ahead of their “inevitable” win).
Inexperienced poker players will be the safest bet for waging any serious money within these situations. It may not be wise to risk too much of your bankroll on bluffing tells unless you’re quite sure that what you’re noticing is clear enough to place money on. Remember the importance of caution in trying to exert pressure on a bluffing player.
This post is brought to you from the Findabet.co.uk Poker Blog. If you are reading this on a blog other than Findabet.co.uk then the content has been stolen - Poker Tips and Poker Providers
A Handful of Poker Tells: Part Three of Four
23/02/09 06:32 Filed in: Poker Strategy | Poker-Tips
This is the third part of a four part mini series on Poker Tells. The first part can be found here. The second part can be found here.
Now that we’ve looked at a number of typical signs of unconscious poker tells its worth getting into deliberate poker tells and what they can tell you about your opponent’s hand.
Deliberate poker tells are those behaviours that a poker player puts on consciously in an effort to conceal their true expressions and attitude toward a given situation. Although they can be more difficult to spot than unconscious tells, a keen eye and the ability to pick up on uncharacteristic displays can help a great deal in spotting their presence in a competitor.
One of the easiest deliberate poker tells to spot is when a player is feigning weakness to hide a strong hand. Exaggerated sighs or persistent brooding throughout a hand will usually be the easiest way to pick up on someone attempting this. It is most easily spotted when you notice large pauses between calling or betting action as this is something that is meant to simulate indecision about playing the hand. Competitors with strong cards will exhibit tells that are meant to sweeten the pot as much as possible so it’s important to always be on the look-out for them in order to hang onto your chips.
Weak poker hands and pure bluffs are much harder to spot and are thus a lot riskier to pull off. The next article will detail how to pick up on deliberate tells in this type of situation.
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Now that we’ve looked at a number of typical signs of unconscious poker tells its worth getting into deliberate poker tells and what they can tell you about your opponent’s hand.
Deliberate poker tells are those behaviours that a poker player puts on consciously in an effort to conceal their true expressions and attitude toward a given situation. Although they can be more difficult to spot than unconscious tells, a keen eye and the ability to pick up on uncharacteristic displays can help a great deal in spotting their presence in a competitor.
One of the easiest deliberate poker tells to spot is when a player is feigning weakness to hide a strong hand. Exaggerated sighs or persistent brooding throughout a hand will usually be the easiest way to pick up on someone attempting this. It is most easily spotted when you notice large pauses between calling or betting action as this is something that is meant to simulate indecision about playing the hand. Competitors with strong cards will exhibit tells that are meant to sweeten the pot as much as possible so it’s important to always be on the look-out for them in order to hang onto your chips.
Weak poker hands and pure bluffs are much harder to spot and are thus a lot riskier to pull off. The next article will detail how to pick up on deliberate tells in this type of situation.
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A Handful of Poker Tells: Part Two of Four
17/02/09 10:50 Filed in: Poker Strategy | Poker-Tips
This is the second part of a four part mini series on Poker Tells. The first part can be found here.
In the first half of our look at poker tells we examined a handful of unconscious tells and what they can reveal about your opponents hand. Here we will examine a few more in order to provide you with a better list of tells to watch out for.
The calling-reflex is one of the major patterns to try to spot. A competitor who is obviously attempting to remain calm and inconspicuous is usually bluffing and if their body/facial language doesn’t betray them then watch for any tics when they’re calling a bet.
Card watching can tell a good player a lot about their opponent as well. If a competitor glances quickly at their pocket and then puts it down right after every newly deal it’s quite likely that they’re holding a strong set of cards. Frequent glancing after every development on the river is a sure sign of an incomplete hand. In the same vein, a player who is protecting their cards from view without frequent reference usually means a strong pocket is present.
Chip placement is also a great place to pick up a few hints about your opponents. If they try to conceal any emotion while placing their bets then it’s likely that they’re trying to hide any emotion and probably have a good hand. Over-exaggerated behaviour usually means the opposite and is meant to hide the existence of a weak hand.
This post is brought to you from the Findabet.co.uk Poker Blog. If you are reading this on a blog other than Findabet.co.uk then the content has been stolen - Poker Tips and Poker Providers
In the first half of our look at poker tells we examined a handful of unconscious tells and what they can reveal about your opponents hand. Here we will examine a few more in order to provide you with a better list of tells to watch out for.
The calling-reflex is one of the major patterns to try to spot. A competitor who is obviously attempting to remain calm and inconspicuous is usually bluffing and if their body/facial language doesn’t betray them then watch for any tics when they’re calling a bet.
Card watching can tell a good player a lot about their opponent as well. If a competitor glances quickly at their pocket and then puts it down right after every newly deal it’s quite likely that they’re holding a strong set of cards. Frequent glancing after every development on the river is a sure sign of an incomplete hand. In the same vein, a player who is protecting their cards from view without frequent reference usually means a strong pocket is present.
Chip placement is also a great place to pick up a few hints about your opponents. If they try to conceal any emotion while placing their bets then it’s likely that they’re trying to hide any emotion and probably have a good hand. Over-exaggerated behaviour usually means the opposite and is meant to hide the existence of a weak hand.
This post is brought to you from the Findabet.co.uk Poker Blog. If you are reading this on a blog other than Findabet.co.uk then the content has been stolen - Poker Tips and Poker Providers
A Handful of Poker Tells: Part One of Four
17/02/09 08:19 Filed in: Poker Strategy | Poker-Tips
This is the first part of a four part mini series on Poker Tells.
The best way to look at poker tells is within two distinct categories: unconscious and deliberate tells. Being able to understand the difference between these signs can be of great importance for serious poker players and is well worth studying for use in face-to-face games. The first half of our examination of poker tells will focus on typical examples of unconscious tells.
Unconscious tells are the type that you’re most likely to notice in an amateur game where the table is comprised of competitors who have not yet trained themselves to properly conceal these signs. They’re categorized by the player’s lack of control over the noted behaviour and occur without deliberate intention.
Nervousness is often thought of as a sign of a weak hand when in fact the opposite is true. A competitor that seems wary is most likely adopting the behaviour as a way to conceal a strong hand and, luckily, fake nerves are often easy to spot.
Another easily noticeable unconscious tell is found in an opponent’s posture. Players with a strong poker hand are more likely to sit forward or tense their shoulders because they are concentrating on how to best utilize their pocket. A relaxed competitor is more likely to be holding weak cards and will sit back in their seat or display dropped, hanging shoulders due to their psychological resignation for the duration of the hand.
This post is brought to you from the Findabet.co.uk Poker Blog. If you are reading this on a blog other than Findabet.co.uk then the content has been stolen - Poker Tips and Poker Providers
The best way to look at poker tells is within two distinct categories: unconscious and deliberate tells. Being able to understand the difference between these signs can be of great importance for serious poker players and is well worth studying for use in face-to-face games. The first half of our examination of poker tells will focus on typical examples of unconscious tells.
Unconscious tells are the type that you’re most likely to notice in an amateur game where the table is comprised of competitors who have not yet trained themselves to properly conceal these signs. They’re categorized by the player’s lack of control over the noted behaviour and occur without deliberate intention.
Nervousness is often thought of as a sign of a weak hand when in fact the opposite is true. A competitor that seems wary is most likely adopting the behaviour as a way to conceal a strong hand and, luckily, fake nerves are often easy to spot.
Another easily noticeable unconscious tell is found in an opponent’s posture. Players with a strong poker hand are more likely to sit forward or tense their shoulders because they are concentrating on how to best utilize their pocket. A relaxed competitor is more likely to be holding weak cards and will sit back in their seat or display dropped, hanging shoulders due to their psychological resignation for the duration of the hand.
This post is brought to you from the Findabet.co.uk Poker Blog. If you are reading this on a blog other than Findabet.co.uk then the content has been stolen - Poker Tips and Poker Providers
