Playing online poker requires the same skills as playing poker live. That includes the skill of bluffing.
How important is bluffing in online poker or idn poker, though, and is it something you should do often?
How important is bluffing in online poker? — As nobody playing online poker can see the faces of the other people playing at the same table, bluffing goes on far more than it does when you play poker live.
That means not only are your opponents bluffing, but you should be too. If you are not, you are at a distinct disadvantage.
How important is bluffing in online poker then? So important, if you do not do it correctly you will never have a chance of winning.
How to bluff in online poker — There are certain things you have to think about when bluffing in online poker that you may not have to think about when playing poker live.
Are you in a tight or a loose game? If you are in a tight game, you have a much better chance of being successful bluffing than if you are in a loose game. If the game is loose, it will often include players that are far more likely to call you on your bluff than if they were in a game that was less of a free for all.
Bluffing during a high stakes games is likely to be more successful than bluffing in a game where you are betting a couple of dollars. In lower stakes games, your opponents are far more likely to call you on your bluff. After all, they have little to lose.
If it is a crowded table, you should also be wary about bluffing in online poker. More people at a table means more people that may be willing to raise your bluff, and more people you will not be able to survive.
Are you in an early or a late position when you are thinking of bluffing? If you are in an early position, bluffing is less likely to be effective. You have no idea what your opponents’ plays are likely to be. Nor whether anyone has been dealt the perfect hand.
Setting up the perfect image for bluffing in online poker — As nobody can see your face when you play online poker, you need to set up another way for your opponents to assess their successful chances of raising your bluff.
This can be done by setting yourself up in their minds as a strong player. A player that probably would not bluff unless they have a very strong hand.
You can do this by always playing good cards, and by setting yourself up as seeming to be someone that plays a tight and thoughtful game. Once you do this, in other players’ eyes you are the player they are not going to call, as you are the least likely to be bluffing.