Every poker player knows exactly that nothing will give you more satisfaction but succesful bluff. If we get the monster hand and win a big kitty then we are pleased but they are the wins of succesful bluffs. We remember them as long as possible and we are very proud of them.

For many less experienced players bluff can be one of the games elements. Watching the transmissions of poker show or big tournaments we can see quite often many succesful bluffs and we can get the wrong conclusions that bluff is such an easy thing to do. You have to play hard and if we have nothing left then the kitty is ours. It is very misleading. Below there is an example of the wrong bluff from the last live poker tournament, which I played.

Blinds 100/200, 2 players limp, one player goes for 700, I am on the button and I have got 7-7 and I add. All the rest folds.Flop K-J-5 / two times ace ...../. My opponent waits, I wait too. Turn is useless low card and my opponent waits as I am. River – another crap card, it pairs the table. In this moment my opponent wakes up and plays nearly 1500$ per pot. I was almost sure that he has got nothing and he decided desperately to bluff the lost pot – I quickly checked and he got rid of his cards without showing them.

What to do to make a succesful bluff?

We have to relize that the bluff is inseparable element of the game of pokerand we cannot overdose it. To create the perfect bluff you have to follow lots of conditions.

Firt advice is to be higher than your opponents. It is difficult to bluff from UTG if there are two more players and we know nothing about their intentions. The art of bluff gets easier when we play as last and we know what our opponents already did.

Secondly, bluff is easier for the tight player. Playing not too many hands we use only the strong cards and the others will believe faster in our strength than the multi hands player and he has already been caught on the bad move.

Thirdly – our opponents. Tis is one of the most important elements succesful and good bluff. We must remember NEVER bluff the weak players, so called 'calling station' who always check with 2nd or 3^rd pair. Good bluff works only against good and very good players, wwo can throw medium strong hands.

The example of my bluff from the last live tournament. I was in the darkness and I had 10-8 in my hands. Everyone passedfrom the button, who only put like the other player lucky dip. Flop A-J-5. The player o small dark plays for ¾ of pot. I think for a second and conclude that none of my opponents has the ace, both of them could have bid the preflop. I make a strong re-raise and the button player folds and the small blind after a little while of hesitation adds. Turn gets Q. My opponent waits, I play again and play for a half of the pot. My opponent immediately fold showing me is ace. I used the lucky position over the aggressive player and my image, I did not bluff at all and played very few deals.

Another problem is to show our unsuccesful bluff to the opponents or not?

Everything depends on our situation and how are we going to play later. Showing the bluff can cause one problem in the nearest future when we will get a strong hand – all the other players will be willing to pay for it. On the other hand if we would like to bluff again we might be checked more often by our opponents. I usually show my bluffs apart from the last stage of the tournament when I am on the shortstack and i play positional all-ins. I know that till I will not double or I am out of the game I will have to repeat that many times, but to be more awkward to my rivals I never show them my cards.