if you aren't bluffing at least some percentage of the time, then:
a) you are leaving chips on the table for others;
b) you will not go as far in tourneys
c) if you've admitted it above (or below), you'd better change as I'll add this to your player notes and it is going to hurt you even more.
But bluffing takes several forms.
- There are the "out and out bluffs" which is basically having nothing of value for showdown. These are sometimes called stone-cold bluffs as they have zero
equity.
- There is the C-bet bluffs where you haven't hit, but have a decent enough hand to continue , but are not necessarily leading post flop...you're essentially bluffing on the hope that your opponent has not connected on the flop.
- There is the semi-bluff where you're betting, but without top/nutty hand
- Finally you have your oppoprtunistic bluff, which is less dependent on your hole cards, and simply more focussed on specific opponents you are pushing out of the pot. Its considered opportunistic because you are making a move based on the specific villain.
As a person on the other side...if you play straight-forward only, then you are going to be giving up on pots where your equity is higher than the person taking it down. Further, you set yourself up for being exploited by opportunistic bluffs.
My view is that if you never get caught bluffing, you're not bluffing enough.
And when you DO get caught. You have now primed your opponents to be suspicious. This can increase your value when you tighten up post-catch-out and increase your bet sizing. You'll get more callers, more chips.
What one must make sure they avoid is bluffing in non-sensical spots. You don't try to bluff a fish/call-station. you don't go bluffing the nit who hasn't played for 15 hands and has all of a sudden woken up and is betting when AAK hit the flop.
Sometimes you need to set up your bluffs to be able to pull them off. Fopr example, bluffing that you've hit a straight or flush is a lot easier if you have been C-Betting prior to the bluff. It makes it look like you're slowly building a pot on a strong draw. It's more useful to do this on flush draw boards as these are quite obvious to your opponent. Doing it with straight draws works too, but straight draws might be more likely to simply go unnoticed by villain, especially if they are very gappy.
At any rate....the long and the short of it is -- all the best poker players bluff. Bluffing might not make you the best, but you'll never be the best if you don't learn how to do it properly.
Cheers,
JT
PS -- I over-bluff...so what do I know!?!