Everyone loves to bluff – it’s fun, exciting and, when it works, you get that special tingly feeling down there. (Or maybe that’s just me…) There are numerous factors that affect whether a bluff will succeed or not. The more players you face the greater the chance you’ll be called. Also, the tighter your image the more likely opponents will be to respect your bets.

It’s vital that your bluffs are consistent with your other actions in the hand. Therefore, if you’ve called on the flop and turn, and the flush card arrives on the river, a bet or raise from you now has a good chance of being viewed as though you made your flush.

Try to make your bluffs with as much information as possible. Weak payers stick their chips in and hope – strong players understand their opponents’ likely holdings and make their bluffs accordingly, playing their opponents’ hands not their own.

You will find some bluffs have a high percentage of success and occur regularly. For example, let’s say you have A-K in a heads-up pot and the board has failed to improve your hand. Your opponent checked the flop and you made a standard continuation bet on the flop, which he called. On the turn the action went check-check. If your opponent now checks the river it’s exceptionally unlikely he has a strong hand as he’s risking you not betting. Therefore, this is often a clear bluffing opportunity, providing your opponent can fold hands like one pair.

Experiment with making bluffs and learn the situations where they have a good chance of success, but also remember at lower stakes, against players who call too much, they’re rarely successful. It’s showing down strong hands that gets you the money.