Poker Bluffing Psychology and Tips

Anyone who wants to be a professional poker player knows that to do so, you have to be able to bluff. But bluffing isn’t as simple as wearing a pair of sunglasses inside to hide your eyes.

Professional poker players look for far more than just facial expressions and nervous reactions. Bluffing is truly an art form and something a player studies for many years to excel at. Read on to learn more about poker bluffing psychology as well as a few tips!

What is Bluffing?

Bluffing is the ability to hide your true emotions, though it is more often associated with lying. However, a true pro at bluffing knows that it isn’t lying to your opponents—but merely misleading—making them think something about you which isn’t true.

This could be that you have high cards (when really you have a pair of 4’s) or that you’re willing to go all-in if a hand goes far enough (even if you’re not). The point of bluffing is to convince your opponents to act in the way you want them to—namely, folding, leaving you with the contents of the pot.

The Psychology Behind Bluffing

As we said in the introduction, despite common belief, bluffing is far more than just bringing a pair of headphones and sunglasses to the casino. No, a true bluffer learns to read body language, tells, and to know what they need to do to convince the others at the table to do what they want.

In fact, true professional poker players often spend hours watching their opponents play, watching for nervous ticks, tells, and anything out of the ordinary, locking it away for later when they may play that person.

Additionally, in order to ensure you aren’t giving off your own ticks or tells, most poker players spend hours learning to keep their face, eyes, and body language neutral, some even taking classes or swearing by activities like meditation and tai chi. Anything to stay calm, cool, and collected even when they are dealt the best hand.

It’s also important to remember that staying stoic can serve you better than an all-out bluff—again, this comes down to knowing your opponents and knowing what they are likely to believe. A true pro can grow to know the players at their table very quickly, making them an absolute force to be reckoned with.

Of course, that brings up the issue of large tournaments such as the WSOP—as there is no way for anyone to study every player and remember everything they observed. This is where our tips come in.

5 Tips for Better Bluffing

1. Try to Maintain a Steady Pulse

We know this sounds insane, but most nervous actions, from ticks to tells, are caused by a change in pulse. The player sees their cards, their pulse spikes in excitement or nervousness, and suddenly they’re scratching their nose or tapping their feet—both common tells.

Above, we mentioned that many professional poker players use meditation, yoga, and tai chi in order to combat this, teaching themselves to stay calm even when things are going their way, or are going terribly. This is also why you see many poker players listening to music as they play.

2. Call the Flop and Bet the Turn

The thing with this particular bluff is the more you do it, the more people will associate you with this combination. For that reason, we recommend using this bluff sometimes, but not always.

To use this bet, simply call on the flop, and then when they check you, then bet. The reason this works is because new and inexperienced players will often stop betting if they have nothing or next to nothing, making you the automatic winner as long as you have a slightly decent hand. Just make sure you mix it up so the others at the table don’t figure this one out!

3. Bet On Scare Cards

A scare card is an ace or other high-ranking card (when compared to the rest of the river) that has some shock value when revealed. You should bet on this card, even if you don’t have much in your hands, as just the confidence in this action will scare those with mid-range hands.

For example, a player may lay down a higher 2-pair (like 9s) because they think you have a 2-pair with the ace, which was just flipped. The nice thing with this tactic is that it isn’t as easy to spot as the one we mentioned in spot 2, meaning you can always use it. Keep in mind that it won’t always work, though, and you may find yourself battling it out with those who do have a better hand!

4. Pretend to Think

This is the perfect bluff for a beginner, which can really up the ante at a table. Basically, when you have a good hand, spend time “thinking” before going all in. This can fool them into thinking you are bluffing, when really you’re just taking a pause before you take the whole pot! Of course, this bluff requires a good hand, but it’s a great trick to keep in your back pocket when the right moment comes!

Just ensure you have something to think about during this pause—something which won’t change your facial features. Most players use this time to count, or think the lyrics of a song to themselves, keeping their face neutral while they wait for the clock to near the end.

5. Don’t Bluff Too Much

The best tip we can give you is not to bluff too much—if you do, that is what you will become known for, and then people will know that you are bluffing. Basically, you need to mix in a few bluffs with some genuine conversation and hands where you don’t do anything special. This way, players will never know what to expect when they play with you, and you’ll be able to bluff when you need to and increase your winnings!