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No Limit Texas Holdem - How to Bluff

In No Limit Texas Holdem a bluff can be used effectively to increase the amount of chips in your stack. This is a key difference between Limit and No Limit Texas Holdem. Generally speaking, bluffs do not work well in limit Texas Holdem until you reach the higher limits. It is too easy for your opponents to call one more bet, especially when the pot is much larger than the bet they must call. In No Limit where you can bet much larger amounts bluffing becomes a useful tool. See No Limit Poker for more differences between limit and no limit.

Why bluffing works in no limit

Bluffing works in no limit Holdem because you can push many more chips into the pot than in limit. In fact, in a limit game, even tight players who are capable of folding big hands should call when the size of the pot is large. For example, consider the following scenario. You are playing in a $4-8 limit Texas Holdem game and the pot has gotten to be $120. At the end the flush hits and a player capable of making a move bets. A tight player should call if he/she believes this player is likely to bluff more than once in every 15 times. This is because the $8 is roughly one fifteenth the size of the $120 pot. Once in every 15 times is not very often and thus you can see that it is very tough to make a bluff work effectively in limit poker.

In No Limit Texas Holdem strong players are capable of making bluffs work to their advantage. Consider the same scenario where the pot is $120 and the river again completes a flush. Now since the same player can bet as much as he/she wishes they can actually make the bluff work. If they bet $120 or more it makes it a very difficult decision for the other player to call. They have to have a very strong read on the player making the bet in order to commit so much money when the player is representing the flush. It also takes a great deal of heart on the player representing the flush to make a large bet on the end as well.

Table Image in No Limit

Why bluff the guy willing to call you?

In No Limit the philosophy behind buying pots with bluffs is simple. The amount of chips that you obtain from buying pots must be more than the amount of chips that you lose when caught. Sounds simple enough right? In order to be successful in stealing pots you need to consider your table image and play from it accordingly.

For example, if players believe that you are a tight player (See Poker Tips on knowing your competition for more details around player types) you should be able to bluff occassionally against your opponents who are smart. However, if your table image is that you are loose and aggressive then you should not bluff because you will be called. This is a very simple concept which I see aggressive players fall into on a regular basis. Since I am a young, aggressive flashy player my opponents believe that I am always bluffing. I make it a point to not bluff against these players since they never believe I have a strong hand. After awhile they get to know me and then I loosen up with more bluffs. Finally, don't bluff a guy who always calls no matter what your table image is. Many weak players don't even think about who they're going up against, they simply call.

Semi Bluffs in No Limit Texas Holdem

Now that you've attained the proper table image and are going up against a player who pays attention and is capable of making a laydown when should you make a bluff? If you have an excellent read on your opponent you can just bet with nothing and push him out of the pot. However, there will often be times when you have only a marginal read on the competition. In times like this a bluff with an out, a semi bluff, can be quite effective.

A semi bluff is when you are pretty sure you don't have the best hand but have a great shot at improving to the best hand if your opponent calls. For example, if the pot has $30, your opponent bets $10 and you push all in with $40 with middle pair and the nut flush draw. This is a semi-bluff because you don't want your opponent to call as he likely has a better hand than yours but if you are called you have a chance at your hand improving to the best.

Conclusion

Successful bluffing in No Limit Texas Holdem is very difficult. The true key is understanding your competition. What they hold, how they think, and how they think of you. If you're going to play poker online you should be aware that it will be more difficult to judge when bluffing will be appropriate. (See No Limit Poker Online for more details.) Often you will run into games where this is no need to steal pots, you only need to be patient and wait for strong hands. Other games will be much tighter and you'll need to steal more. Experiment with different techniques and note which are successful and more importantly, why are they successful. With time you'll understand the concept of bluffing and it will become more natural.

And hopefully more successful.

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