[OLD HEAD]

In order to really understand the competitive beauty of poker, you need to accept the fact that a good liar can make a great poker player. Acting like you've got something - or pretending like you don't - can take you a long way in a poker tournament, so becoming an expert in bluffing can almost guarantee at least mild success. Personally I love to bluff; it stirs the pot and keeps people from getting a pinpoint idea of the cards you are playing. If you win a hand or two with a solid bluff and your opponent knows this, you're letting your opponent know that you are not afraid of losing and that "you won't be pushed around".

So what is a bluff? Bluffing is representing what you don't have, hoping to win a pot you have no business winning. But remember, your bluffs have to make sense. I like to think of bluffing as telling a nice fictional story. As a kid, I'm sure most of you told a little lie or two to avoid a bad situation, and poker essentially works the same way. But also like as a kid, if you bluff too much, you can get yourself in some serious trouble, so be careful.

You're letting your opponent know that you are not afraid of losing and that "you won't be pushed around". There are a couple different kinds of bluffs you can use as the game unfolds. There is the obvious cold bluff where you've got nothing and you continue to raise the pot to scare everyone else into folding. This type of bluff only works on rank amateurs that don't understand the finer points of the game. I wouldn't suggest you try this if you're sitting with Jamie, Evelyn, David or myself; we will most likely pick you apart.

Bluffing also works well in the complete opposite situation. This is when you've got a good hand, but you play as though you've got nothing and you're just waiting for the right cards to come up. Again, this won't work unless you've set up your opponent(s). In this case you want to give your opponent(s) as much confidence as they can handle. This can prompt them into burying themselves by raising you.

Bluffing is representing what you don't have, hoping to win a pot you have no business winning. But remember, your bluffs have to make sense. The other type of bluff is a semi-bluff. Semi-bluffing is when you represent as if you've got something good, when in reality your hand isn't complete. Most of the time when you semi-bluff, you've probably got 8-12 cards that you can definitely win the pot with if you get lucky fishing, but at the moment you've got nothing. Hands like these are the ones that make the top aggressive pros so deadly. Yeah, you might get the cards in time, but your opponents are going to put tons of pressure on you, trying to convince you to fold your hand.

Even if you do call with the best hand, you're only a small favorite to win the pot. This play is extremely strong for a couple reasons. One, your opponent may fold his/her superior hand; or two, you could make your draw and complete your hand. I would typically use this type of bluff when I know my opponent has the ability of laying down a good hand.

Now, I'm not going to get into every single scenario of when you should and shouldn't bluff, but there are a few things I always keep in mind when bluffing becomes an option. If I have a good read on my opponents and I've been playing at the table long enough to recognize that they are conservative, I will bluff a ton because I know my opponents are looking for good hands, not good situations. You have to keep one thing in mind when you bluff. Remember to ask yourself this question, "Does this make sense?" Remember that you are telling a fictional story and if it's not a good one, it won't sell. The more believable your bluff is, the more often you will win the pot.

Bluffing these days is much harder than it used to be, so I would suggest keeping your bluffs to a minimum and try to make hands. Players enjoy making the "great call" and, if you develop any kind of loose image, you're going to get called down in most situations. Good luck at the tables and just make sure that the story you are telling makes sense.

-Josh Arieh