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A risky tactic, bluffing in poker is not something to apply regularly. But for that extraordinary chance to take down a big pot at poker night, you might just be able to bluff your way through. Here are some suggestions for successful bluffing in poker.

Steps

1. Understand the stakes. Bluffing can go wrong and cause you to lose a lot of money and possibly face! By betting money into a pot that you know you're not necessarily going to win, you're taking a big risk. On the other hand, sometimes opportunity strikes and seems so winnable, and the other players so "bluffable", that it's worth the risk. It is worth understanding from the outset that bluffing is a lot less common than shown in the movies; in most cases, you do need to have good cards.[1]
   
   • In tournaments avoid shorter stacks who will be looking to get their money in lightly or deeper stacks that can afford to look you up. Medium stacks are the ideal target.
     
   • Bluff when it's worth doing so but also when the stakes are highest; bluffing works best in higher stakes because the pressure's on!
     
   • Talented poker players acquire their skill from thousands upon thousands of hands of experience. If you continue to play poker with discipline and an open mind, your chances of bluffing successfully should increase consistently. A good bluffer is a good story-teller and "makes it real".
     
   • The best bluff is one where nobody knows you've bluffed and you don't get caught![2]
     
2. Understand how to read the tells. "Tells" are important - they're the analyzing side of playing poker. Not only does a good knowledge of tells tell when someone else is bluffing, knowing common signs of bluffing will help you to try and avoid your own unconscious giveaway signs. And listen to other's advice about when they consider you're bluffing; being consciously aware of your subconscious tells can be used to your advantage by forcing the "bluff" tells when you want someone to think you're bluffing but you're not!
   
   • Watch how chips are put down. They can be placed down gently, counted down, banged down, slid forward, etc. If a player bets his chips very strong and far away from himself, it can mean that subconsciously their chips are going away from them, and they might be bluffing. On the other hand, a person betting closer to themselves can subconsciously mean that the money is coming back to them.[3]
     
   • Watch the body language. Look for eye twitches, lip movements, scratching, flaring nostrils, holding of breath, and hand movements (such as covering parts of the face). All of these things can indicate bluffing.
     
   • Shaking is considered to be a sign of strength.
     
   • When your opponent acts strong they are likely weak. Staring you down whilst you act, splashing the pot, or forcing a smile when a certain card hits are all common signs.
     
   • Watch other players to learn the tells when they're bluffing. Learn good tricks from those who bluff well.
     
3. Develop the proverbial poker face. Keen instincts and sharp intellect must be combined with the ability to show no emotion, or reveal nothing other than casual involvement in the game. Look at your cards casually. Don't give away any information and keep your face as expressionless as stone. Avoid expressing disappointment at seeing bad cards - this is crucial if you're playing face to face.
   
   • Consider using props. Cowboys in the Wild West used to use their hats to cover their faces. In the age of televised poker, novelty props such as crazy hats, spooky glasses, and fancy wear can turn a player's chosen image into a big business affiliated product.
     
   • A hoodie and sunglasses can work to cover your face.
     
4. Begin bluffing. While the instructions outlined in the following steps are specialized for "Texas Hold 'Em," they can be applied to any type of poker game.
   
5. Start by counting how many players are in the hand. Your chances of successfully bluffing are greater with fewer opponents because you have fewer people to drive out of the pot. Bluffing one or two players is more profitable than bluffing three or more players.
   
6. Bet, or raise someone else's bet, in the first round of betting, before the flop. Do not bet too much, and don't raise an already large bet. If you think someone else actually has a great to play another hand.
   
7. Make a check, if it's available, either after the flop or turn. Make a reasonable bet in the other round. Consistent betting makes your opponents think you really have a winning hand and are trying to get as many chips out of them as you can. It takes guts to carry out a good bluff, but if it's done right it will work.
   
8. Remember that the bet following the river card is the most important. This one must be powerful and intimidating. If the check comes to you, place a large bet. If a player bets in front of you, there are two things you can do. If they bet small, a significantly larger bet might push them out. However, if they make a large, bluff-like bet, your best chance would be to call and go all in. The best feeling in poker is catching someone on a bluff and taking down a large pot with a bluff of your own.
   
   • The turn card is very important. If you bet big on the turn when you've been betting moderately earlier, players will be more intimidated. If you think you've won the hand on the turn card, you may even want to check and then bet like crazy on the river. People are more likely to call a big bet if you checked before, thinking you might be bluffing. This works even better if you've been (accidentally?) caught bluffing earlier.
     
9. Remember that the most important aspect is to tell a story with your bet. No matter how much advice you've followed from this article, an ill-timed river bet will not tell a cohesive story on its own.
   
   • For example: Let's say you raise pre-flop, and bet hard again on a flop of 9-3-J. With no available draws, your opponent might put you on a pair of jacks or pocket pair. If the turn brings a 3 and you bet again, your opponent will certainly not put you on a real hand, as you couldn't have raised hard pre-flop with any hand containing a 3 only to bet bottom pair hard on the flop. A savvy opponent will simply call your bets and rake in the pot with any made hand. Pay attention to the texture of the flop and watch how the hand unfolds. Represent a certain specific hand consistently with your betting pattern.
     
   • Bluff cards that will likely have weakened your opponents hand. if your opponent has called on a J-7-2 flop and the turn comes a 7 this is not a good time to bluff as any pair your opponent may hold will still be as strong as before. If the turn comes down a K unless your opponents pair of jacks or sevens is not looking so good now so they are more likely to fold.
     

Tips

• Know your game. Can you predict when one player is going to take the pot without showing his hand? Bluffing involves recognizing that situation and exploiting it.
  
• Don't bluff too much. It is essential that the other players think you only play good hands.
  
• The basic bluff goes like this: You have nothing. Your opponents have nothing. You bet. They fold. Sometimes it's difficult even to make people throw away an inside straight. Know your opponents.
  
• Bluffing is best with a very small pot because no one really wants to vie for it with you. They think to themselves, "alright, if he has something good, he'll win. If he doesn't, I might win but it's not worth the risk." Although it doesn't seem like much money, it can be your edge if you do it well.
  
• It is a mistake to think that there are no mathematics involved in bluffing. It is mathematically a good idea to bluff if you're in late position against one or two opponents going into the flop. The small pool guarantees that no one has a very good idea of what the other person has. In other words it's a high risk bet for everyone. Betting into a high risk pot is bad poker strategy, so if a young/inexperienced player bets, he is probably bluffing (raise him) and if the player is older and better, you can trust his bet is backed up with at least something (fold). Keep in mind that the early position player might try to draw a bluff by checking if he has a good hand. That's part of the game.
  
• Conversely, it's generally not a good idea to bluff if a lot of people saw the flop. There is a very good chance that someone made at least a two pair or trips (the average winning hand in 10-handed hold'em). It will take a very strong bet and strong reputation to scare away someone with a real hand.
  
• Some flops (three of a kind for example) lend themselves towards bluffing (betting with nothing) or semi-bluffing (over-betting your hand). For a flop to be "bluffable" it must be rare and there must be a small number of ways to win. Three queens on the flop is a perfect example. There is anxiety about who has the pocket pair. Fear and risk are a bluffer's best friends because good poker players look for easy money. In this case it is best to bluff in early position because if someone in early position has the nuts, they are likely to check and call the bluff.
  
• One fundamental requirement for successful bluffing is a table with other players who are thinking about what cards you have. In many low stakes (so called "No Fold'em) Hold'em games, players think only about their own hands; in these games, a bluff will rarely work.
  
• You don't have to show your cards if everyone else folds. You can take the pot and leave everyone to wonder what you had. This is almost always advisable.
  
• Learn how to calculate the odds of winning a particular hand and use this information to inform your play.
  
• Try to remember how each player bets! Each player tends to have a pattern to their betting based on what hand they have and what they think others have. It is probably easiest to pay attention to this when you are not actually playing a hand (i.e. you have already folded).
  
• To clock a good player, watch their betting structure. They tend to mix their play up a lot, for example, they'll enter a pot with a raise with a big pocket pair, and then make the same bet in the same position a few hands later with suited connectors. This tends to throw you off the scent so that when you end up betting with them, you, as the opponent, are not totally sure what they have.
  
• A good player knows when to fold, when to throw away those pocket aces on the river to possible flushes and straights. Too many novice players tend to call on the river with weak hands because they don't calculate what their opponent has, they just see their own two cards.
  
• For this reason, which seems counter-intuitive on it's face, it's better to bluff a good player than a novice; a good player will generally have raised by the time you are ready to bluff, alerting you to pick a better spot, unless they have the nuts. A novice has seen too much tv poker, and suspects every bet is a bluff.
  
• Another mistake a novice will make: if you watch the players on your table, you can spot the novice quickly just by certain cards they play, or the way they play certain cards, for example:
  
  • Player gets dealt a big ace (ak); when the flop appears they hit none of their cards, then make the dreaded mistake of calling big bets hoping to hit on the turn, and they miss their cards completely on the turn as well, but for some strange reason continue to call bets. The golden rule is know when you're beat and fold! Of course, a pro is going to play AK, too- but he is going to pop it pretty good pre-flop to get heads up, preferably.
    
  • This mistake is not just based on (ak), but many novice players doing the same thing with an ace and any second card. An ace is only good if you can make use of it, if the ace you have been dealt doesn’t make a hand then fold.