An integral part of online poker is knowing when to bluff to keep your opponents guessing. Most players can pull a bluff when the occasion rises. In times like this, you need to know how to spot these bluffs if you want to be good at poker. Below are some tips to teach you how to read some of the most common poker tells.
- Flop Continuation Bet
The continuation bet is where a poker player decides to bet on the flop after raising preflop. C-bet works well and can be considered a powerful strategy in poker but this may only work against weak players. You cannot simply bet every flop without thinking. There are players who make use of this move so frequently that it’s easy to identify and exploit them.
The flop continuation bet is one of the more common poker bluffs, with many players using it way too often. You should be on the lookout for those said players so you can counter them or mix in some check-raise. This way, you can force them to give up on whatever equity they might have.
- The Button Raise
One of the most common poker bluffs is the button raise. This is where players raise all sorts of hands from the button in an attempt to steal the blinds. When you notice players opening two cards, you can try to add more hands in your 3-betting range. Your opponents will have a hard time defending against your 3-bets if they were playing too wide. Aside from that, if you know how to structure your calling range, you have plenty of opportunities to take down the pots.
Even if your opponent on the button has the advantage, if you notice their play is too aggressive, you can easily bring them down.
- Bluff to See Where They’re At
This is usually marked by a small sizing and not a very good poker bluff as it can reopen the action for anyone with a stronger hand.
The bluff is designed in such a way that you have to buy the pot when everybody else has whiffed completely. This move is not usually done by more experienced players, but you may encounter this in multiway pots from someone new to the game.
- Instant Bet-Bluff
This is a common poker bluff you can usually encounter among live casino players. This is to confuse the opponent so they won’t have time to think. You will recognize this move when you check to your opponent, and they immediately fire a sizable bet.
This move is usually effective against newbies because they are pressured into deciding immediately.
When you encounter such bets from fellow poker players, try to break down the entire hand to check if it can represent a strong hand.
Playing poker means you are opening yourself to the idea of dealing with bluffs on a regular basis. This article covers just a few of the most common spots. Bluffing in poker is a topic that is impossible to tackle in just one article and that many of your opponents may already be aware of this knowledge. If you think your bluff is showing, then maybe it’s better to cut your losses and save your money for another game.