Bluff

Definition

A bluff is a move where one tries to convince the opposition that one's hand is stronger (or weaker) than it actually is. It can consist of many actions. The bluff is an attempt to tell the opposition an untrue story and get him to believe and act on it; either by folding or by giving up more money to a strong hand because he did not believe it to be strong. Hence, a bluff can take many forms and doesn't always try to get an opponent to fold.

Kinds of Bluffs

We distinguish between pure bluffs, where one can only win by getting the opponent to fold, and semibluffs, where one has a poor hand at the moment, but one that might develop into a winninghand later, like a flush draw.

The profitability of a semibluff comes from the combined chances that either the opponent will fold to the bet, your hand will develop into strong one, or the opponent will bet more because he does not believe your bet.

Slowplay, or the deceptive play of a good made hand as if it were weak, can also be seen as a bluff.


Related Topics:

Bluff Call, Dark Tunnel Bluff, Post Oak Bluff, Slowplay