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Poker Tournaments for You This Week
There is never a dull moment in a poker player’s life. Obviously, the main reason for that is the constant existence of poker tournaments and poker events that one can participate in. These events are not just for making money, but also to have some fun and get better at the game in the process. Several live poker tourneys are lined up for this week and the coming weeks. Here is a note on some of the tournaments you can … Read the rest
2012 PokerStars Macau Poker Championships Announced
PokerStars is one online poker room that never takes a break from hosting tournaments. The poker room recently released details about its upcoming event, the PokerStars Macau Live Tournaments. The Macau tournaments hosted by PokerStars is one of the biggest and richest poker events held in Asia. It includes 4 major poker series – Macau Poker Cup (MPC) Red Dragon, Asia Championship of Poker, Macau Poker Cup Championship or MPCC and the yearly Asia Pacific Poker Tour event at Macau. … Read the rest
The $30,000 Winner Wednesday Dozen Unveiled
Winner Poker has partnered with pokernews.com to bring a new promotion to its new members. The online poker room announced its new promotion called Winner’s Wednesday Dozen Freerolls, which literally lets you win free money. The new promotion is open to all the new players who register with Winner Poker and make a deposit. The promo will run for three months, and all you need to do is play poker and earn as many Winner Points as you can. Here … Read the rest
What Makes an Effective Bluff in Poker?
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011 by Phil
What Makes an Effective Bluff in Poker?
Good poker players understand that it can pay to execute an effective bluff. It’s hard to bluff effectively. Only the best poker players are able to win without top cards.
How do you make an effective bluff in poker? Effective bluffing starts with an understanding of psychological dynamics.
Understand Your Opponent
Some players can fold a decent hand. Some can’t.
Savvy bluffers watch the table to understand which players are actually able to lay down a hand. You can’t bluff a player who never folds, so don’t even try.
Size Your Bet
If you bet too much, you tip off your opponent. She’ll know you want her to fold.
If you bet too little, there’s no incentive for your opponent to fold. She might convince herself that pot odds justify a call.
If you bet the right amount, your opponent will fold. That’s your goal when you bluff.
Set Up Your Bluffs
Don’t try to bluff at a pot without setting up your bluff first. Think like a chess player. Plan several moves ahead.
One way to set up a bluff is to establish a tight reputation by playing few hands.
Another way to set up a bluff is to show a couple of strong hands when you win without a contest.
Make an occasional comment about how you prefer to play when you have the cards.
Effective bluffs only happen when you grease up the table first. Plan ahead. Establish your reputation early. Then exploit that reputation later.
Have Outs
A semi-bluff is superior to a cold bluff. If you have a few outs, you might win a showdown. Flush draws and straight draws can be good hands to semi-bluff with. If you get your opponent wrong, you get a chance to win the pot in a showdown.
Good bluffs are hard to execute. But good bluffs are profitable. Think through your moves and bluff occasionally, but not always.
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