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Bluffing
Bluffing, maybe the most integral part of the game, is a skill that needs to be developed. It is also one of the skills that can almost only be learned (or practiced) through live play. Here, you will be given everything you will need to know how to successfully bluff your opponents and to know when your opponents are bluffing you. All of the information here assumes you know your opponent, at least a little, because some of the information should be looked at in perspective of what you know about your opponent.
When you bluff, memorize everything. Memorize exactly how you put the chips into the pot, where exactly were your eyes looking, where you placed your chips, where your off hand was, the look you had on your face, etc. so that when you get caught bluffing you can use all those little details that you memorized (preferably against that same opponent) when you have the best possible hand.
Good times to bluff are when dangerous cards come on the turn/river:
Example...
You have a flush draw, but the straight card hits (here is one example where it is a good idea to know your opponents style)
... or you bluff all the way through the hand.
Remember This: if you know that your opponent has nothing, (if you also have nothing) he might know that you have nothing as well.
When you do bluff, (if you believe that your opponent is on a draw) be sure to bet enough so that he does not have the pot odds to call you. Betting the size of the pot, in general, is more than the pot odds are laying the player.
A strategy that can work is if you get the right flop (like Ks-9d-6s) and your opponent bets out into you and you just call and when a 4h come on the turn you go all in or just bet a major amount, and in his mind, he may be thinking that you just called on the flop, therefore you must have a pretty strong hand if you just called him, cause you would have raised him if you were on a draw (this is, if you are playing like Phil Hellmuth or aggressive! or if you know this is how your opponent thinks you play).
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Vary your play! While using a conservative type of play, throw in a bluff every once in a while to mix it up and keep your opponents guessing, by doing this you will get more action. This is not easy to do, and everyone knows it, but if these bluffs start working, make sure not to get excited and over-do it, because you will start to lose.
Sometimes, being called by an opponent when you are trying to bluff is not a bad thing because now your opponents know you are capable of making that big bluff and they may call you later on when you have a strong hand winning you more money.
Bluffing is best when done before the flop and on the flop, which goes hand in hand to find out where you stand. Also, people become more stubborn to fold their hand on the river as opposed to the flop because of the additional money they have already invested in the pot.
There are two people that you do NOT want to bluff: the idiot/bad players (because a lot of the time they are not smart/skilled/experienced enough to know what you are doing to fold their hand) and the great players (after all, that is how they make their money).
NEVER bluff all your chips, usually less than everything will do the trick. That is, of course, unless you know he has nothing, but beware.
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