First of all you should know that there are not so many pure bluffs in Texas Holdem poker. Many people think that poker consists of bluff. And it is not surprising. They always show bluffing poker players in Hollywood movies. Therefore bluff is associated with Texas Holdem poker.

But real Texas Holdem poker is totally different. You won’t probably see bluffing players often. And of course you won’t see royal-flush beating straight-flush as it can be shown in movies.

There are several types of bluffs in Texas Holdem poker

•  quick bluff

•  semi-bluff

•  pure bluff

Quick bluff

Most bluffs in Texas Holdem poker are quick bluffs. Quick bluff is a small bet. A Texas Holdem player uses quick bluff to win a small pot. The risk is extremely small, but the potential winning is tiny either.

Example: You are in position. Three opponents check . The flop just brought K-K-7. Nobody raised before the flop. And it does not look like anyone is interested in the pot and ready to battle for it. So, there are just two possible situations:

•  One of your rivals holds a king and is using slow play

•  Nobody has got a king and all Texas Holdem players are ready to fold if you put pressure on them

Therefore bluff would be useful in this case. And if you do have neither king nor 7 you should try to finish this Texas Holdem hand before the showdown.

Semi-bluff

Let’s say you raised before the flop having pocket AK hearts. Two opponents called your bet. The flop brings J♥ 9♠ 5♥ . You do not have any pairs. But at the same time there are flush-draw and high cards. First player checks, second one places a bet with the size of ¾ of the pot. In this situation you can use Texas Holdem poker semi-bluff. At the one hand you can lose cause at the moment your cards do not make a difference. At the other hand, you can still win this completing flush or getting A or K. Your pocket cards have got potential value and you should use it. Therefore your raise would be a Texas Holdem poker semi-bluff. Semi-bluff I a very important tool of Texas Holdem poker. But you should not use it too often. Remember that it is very important to be unpredictable.

Pure bluff

Probably the best example of pure bluff was shown in the clash between Brad Booth and Phil Ivey (the 3 rd season of High Stakes Poker). Brad had tiny chance to outclass Ivey. His pocket cards didn’t have a real value and 99.9 % of poker players would fold the cards. But Brad has decided to bluff and it worked! You can see pure bluffs in Hollywood movies with poker scenes. But in the real game pure bluff usually leads to a huge defeat. If you want to use this Texas Holdem poker trick effectively you have to be able to read your opponent. You have to understand perfectly everything what is going on at the table. This trick is only for Texas Holdem poker pros.

If you want to stop losing money playing Texas Holdem poker you should stop using pure bluffs. At the same time do not apply quick bluffs and semi-bluffs too often. The best option for beginners is to play ABC Texas Holdem poker. Raise when you have best pair and fold if the situation is dangerous for your stack.

Also recommended:

1. Bluffing Techniques against Solid Holdem Players
2. Deception and bluffing in Texas Holdem
3. Texas Holdem Bluffing Tips
4. Five typical mistakes of Texas Holdem poker beginners
5. Value bets for Texas Holdem beginners