Poker players that are the most successful learn how to use a bluff that is well timed. Bluffing is, perhaps, the most discussed poker strategy, but it is not used as frequently as many believe. However, to exclude bluffing from the game of poker would make the game much less interesting. If you never, ever bluff, you become entirely too predictable and will miss chance to maximize your winnings and reduce the number of time you win at all. You bluff when there is no chance of your winning the pot or at times that you want to steal the pot before all the cards have been dealt. In a cash poker game, you can calculate whether the bluff will be profitable or not. In order to know this, you compare odds of making a winning bluff with the size of the bet required and the amount in the pot. This is an important skill to develop in order to determine how likely it is that opponents will fold.

The following are some factors to consider when deciding whether to bluff or not:

1. Type of opponent
2. Number of opponents
3. Your table image
4. Your “reading” skills
5. The board (if any)
6. The size of the pot
7. Your position

Type of opponent:
It is not wise to bluff weak opponents who simply call any wager; these players are called ‘calling stations’. This is a common mistake so you want to be certain the other player is skilled enough to know when to fold their hand.

Number of opponents:
Generally, it is not a good idea to bluff against three or more other players, particularly when playing limit poker. A bluff will be more likely to work when used against a single player. The reason is not the fact that there is only one other play but because the pot is significantly smaller, making it less desirable to take chances.

Your table image:
If you have developed a table image of being a loose player rather than a tight on, a bluff is much less likely to be successful. If you have bluffed recently and been caught, other players will be much more likely to call your wager. However, reverse psychology can sometimes benefit in these situations because when a good player catches you bluffing, if he regards you as a good player also, he could think you would not attempt to bluff him again.

Your “reading” skills:
If you are able to determine what other players most likely hold through ‘reading’ the players, you can identify great times to bluff. This is, however, the most difficult of the bluffing skills to develop but it is the most important.

The board:
If you are playing a poker variation that have a board, should the board appear as if it could have hit the opponents or appears as if it presents the other players a range of drawing opportunities, it is very unlikely that a bluff will be successful. When the board has few draws or cards that are unlikely to help the other players’ hands, then the bluff could work well. In these situations, if you can represent a strong hand, your bluff is more likely to work perfectly. If the board is uncoordinated and has a scare card which you can implement to represent a strong hand, this would be a great time to bluff.

The size of the pot:
Those playing against you are more likely to call when the pot is large because their pot odds rae better. Conversely, if you bluff successfully when the pot is large, your reward is much larger. You simply have to use good judgement when these situations arise.

Position:
A late position provides you with a lot more information about other player’s hands. This makes late positions much better for bluffing than early positions. You may be in a late position and it is checked to you. If the board looks favorable and there are only a few players in the pot, consider a good bluff.

Do not take just one concept from these strategies for bluffing; you must consider all of them together when you are choosing whether it is a good time to bluff or not.

Resources - Read more at : when to bluff and Mastering Body Language to Bluff, Read Tells and Win and   How to Bluff and Win at Poker.

 Before I give you some tips I must say one thing that countless nights have I sat across a table from someone & watched them get plastered silly and throw away their entire stack of chips. I’ve been that person too - and there are nights where you’re just playing with friends for low stakes and it’s more about the fun than the poker - but if you’re in a casino, watch the alcohol. The truth is, while you may be more relaxed after 2 drinks, it may lead to you playing looser and less sharply, even if one’s not ‘drunk.’

1. Practice online before playing live. You can get a lot of hands per hour in online really cheap. Playing lots of hands is important because it gives you a feel for the cards. And playing the cards in poker is the beginning of strategy; the other stuff, like bluffing and reading tells, only works if you already know how to play the cards.One of the reasons you shouldn’t jump into a $5/10 game after winning a huge bunch of money at $2/4 is because as the stakes rise, so does the average skill level of the players sitting there. You want to be one of the best at the table, not the fish who sits down with sharks. If you’re making stacks of money at a lower level game, why move? You’re winning stacks of money. The swings up & down at higher limits are much bigger, and one big night’s win won’t last long at a high-stakes game.

2. Fold a lot.  In Texas holdem, for example, you’re probably going to fold preflop at least 85% of the time, and possibly fold on the flop another 50% of the time or more. This is called “tight play”, and it’s also fundamental to a good beginning poker strategy.Probably the number one mistake beginning poker players make is that they play far too many hands. When you’re just starting out playing poker, you want to play poker, and that means staying in hands that aren’t very good just to be part of the action. But playing more doesn’t mean winning more, it usually means losing more. If you find you’re staying in half or more the hands you’re dealt, you need to upgrade your

3. When you do play a hand, play it aggressively. Raise a lot. Raising gives you two chances to win the pot. Your opponents can fold, or you can show down the best hand. Either way, the money is yours. This is called “aggressive play”, and some people phrase it this way: “Raise or fold”.

4. Learn how to calculate outs. Outs are the number of ways you can improve your hand. If you have four cards to a flush, for example, there are nine cards which can improve your hand to a flush. There are also thirty-nine cards which won’t improve your hand.

5. Learn how to calculate pot odds. This is how much of a payoff you’ll get if you win. If there is $100 in the pot, and it costs you $10 to call a bet, you’re getting 10 to 1 pot odds. If you’re chances of making your hand are 2 to 1, then this is a profitable bet to call.

6. Don’t bet hunches. You’ve either got a positive expectation or you’re folding. Otherwise you’re not playing correctly.

7. Learn some basic tells. Strong usually means weak and vice versa, at least during live play.

8. Don’t bluff much. If you’re a beginner, don’t bluff at all. Most players bluff less than 10% of the time.A lot of beginner’s understand that bluffing is a part of poker, but not exactly how. There’s is NO rule that one must bluff a certain amount or at all during a poker game, but many players don’t feel like they’ve won unless they’ve tried a poker bluff. Bluffs only work in certain situations & against certain people, and if you know a player always calls to the showdown, it is literally impossible to bluff that player. It’s better never to bluff than to bluff “just to bluff.”

9. Don’t be intimidated by other players. A good player will run over your endlessly if you’re scared.You must know your feeling.When you play poker, you shouldn’t do it to escape from being depressed or having a really bad day. You start out on tilt — playing emotionally, not rationally — and you won’t play your best. Likewise, if during a poker game, you lose a big hand or get sucked out on and feel yourself going on tilt, stand up & take a break until you feel calm later on. Fellow players will sense your mood & take advantage of it.As you play, one of the single best things you can do is observe your opponents, even when you’re not in a hand. If you know if one player always raises in a certain position, & another has a poker tell when he bluffs, & a 3rd folds to every re-raise, you can use that information to help you decide how to play against them. Once you know that player 3 always folds to a re-raise on a river, that’s when you can bluff & steal a pot.

10. Get a good feel for starting hand requirements.  Know the difference between a high pair, middle pair, low pair, suited connectors, and big little suited, and have a strategy for playing each starting hand. Also learn what effect position at the table should have on your play. (You’ll loosen up in later position and tighten up in earlier position.)Another common mistake beginners make is to think that “Well, I’ve already put that much in the pot, I have to stay in now.” Nope. You can’t win a pot just by throwing money at it. There may be cases when pot odds warrant a call, but if you’re sure you’re beaten, and there’s no way your hand can improve to be the best hand, you should fold right away. The money you’ve already put in the pot isn’t yours anymore, and you can’t get it back just by playing a hand all the way to the end.

Any tip from you ?

Why play poker? It seems like a simple question, but the answer is both complex and personal. There are many different reasons to play or not to play poker. Often, the reasons a person has for playing poker will shed light on what type of player that person is and what limits and games he should play.

Reasons to Play Poker

Social rewards. This is a major reason behind the traditional home game. Many friends like to hang out and play cards, and many people become friends over the card table. If this is one of the major reasons you wish to play, stick with low stakes, where the games are more fun and friendly.

Entertainment. Poker is a competitive game. To win, one needs the skills and the bit of luck the game necessitates. Many find this enjoyable and compare poker to playing a sport. Make sure you don’t get swept up in the ‘entertainment’ nature of poker, because it is possible to lose a lot of money at the game.

Education. The skills necessary to become a good poker player apply well to other aspects of life. Poker will help you to improve your judgment skills (reading people) and sharpen your logical and strategic skills (how to play your hand).

To make money. Most people play poker for fun, but some make considerable money at it. Of course, these people are few and far between. Not everyone can make a lot of money from poker. Nevertheless, the desire to win more is definitely a reason to improve your poker skills.

Poker is one of the few forms of wagering where you can actually win. Casino-style betting is rigged against you (it is impossible to win in the long run at craps, roulette, etc., no matter what anyone says. The only exception is blackjack if you count cards, which is extremely difficult). Sports betting is also nearly impossible to beat without insider information. Thus, poker is one of the few forms of gambling where one can actually win money in the long run simply by being good at the game.

Reasons NOT to Play Poker

You have a gambling problem. When anyone plays poker, he or she risks losing money. One should never play poker with money that he or she cannot afford to lose. Poker winnings should not be viewed as a method to ’strike it rich,’ and losses should not be viewed as money that needs to be ‘won back.’ If you are prone to a gambling problem, do not play poker.

Disclaimer: Most jurisdictions view poker as gambling; in some jurisdictions, playing poker for money is illegal. The information contained here should not be construed as legal advice. Many people have become addicted to poker and lost considerable sums of money.

Poker Jargon poker tips

This is a shortened glossary that explains the basic poker terms that are frequently used in the strategy articles at this site. It is assumed that you know the basic rules of Texas Hold’em. For a more complete glossary, visit our Full Glossary Page.

Blinds: The forced bets that take the place of an ante. The person to the left of the dealer must pay the small blind, and the person after him must pay the big blind.

Board Cards: The cards in the middle of the table that are shared by everyone.

Draw: Drawing means hoping to improve your hand with the cards that will come on the board. You are on a draw when you want other cards to come out on the board to complete your hand. If you have 10 9 and the flop is Q J 2, you are trying to draw an eight or a king on the turn or river.

Flop: The first three board cards in Hold’em.

Implied Odds: The same as pot odds, but taking into account making bets in the future. Thus, you may call a bet at the flop, but have implied odds of making bigger bets on later rounds if you hit your draw. So, if you have A K and the flop comes Q 7 6, your implied odds are what you have to call at the flop compared to how large the pot will be at the end of the hand.

Limit Poker: Poker with fixed-size bets. In a $2-4 limit game, all bets and raises are $2 in the first two rounds (preflop and flop), and all bets and raises are $4 in the last two rounds (turn and river).

Longhand: A poker game with seven or more people.

Outs: Cards that can improve your hand. If the flop is Q J 2 and you have 10 9, you want a king or an eight to complete your straight. There are four kings and four eights in the deck, so you have eight total outs.

Position: Where you sit at the poker table. The dealer has the best position because he bets last and therefore has a better understanding of what other people have in their hand. The small blind has the worst position because he acts first.

Pot Odds: The odds you are getting when you are drawing. For example, say you have A 2 and the board is K 7 6. You are sure that someone else has the king. There are nine more diamonds out there (thirteen total minus two from your hand and the two on the board), so you have a roughly 18% chance of hitting a flush on the next card. Thus, if the pot is $100, and the bet is $10, even though you are losing, you have odds with your flush draw. However, let’s say the pot is $100 on the turn (there is one card left) and your opponent bets $300. The pot is $400 and you must put in $300 to see the river. You are getting pot odds of 4:3 which is not enough, because the odds are about 4:1 (12:3) against hitting your flush. Another way to look at it is that you have only a 1 in 5 chance of hitting your flush, but you have to put in 3 of 7 dollars in the total pot.

Preflop: The betting round after you are dealt your two hole cards and there are no cards on the board yet.

River: The fifth and final card that comes on the board in Hold’em, after the turn.

Shorthand: A poker game with six or fewer people.

Turn: The fourth board card that comes out in Hold’em, the card after the flop.