Sure, we’ve all seen the over-the-top Hollywood productions that one killer bluff is enough to win. With one perfect camera angle, a little eye contact, and a careful tap on his cards face down, it is enough to get the last player to fold. After flipping the card, the crowd goes wild, and the winner gets the bombshell girl.
If only real-life poker games with your homeboys or playing in a high-stakes live online poker tournament could work that way. To succeed with poker, especially with games like Texas Hold’em, which is all about the bluff, requires a great setup.
The best way to think about the setup is what a great setup pitcher is for a dominant closer in Major League Baseball, you know, sort of like how Rick Honeycutt was for Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley back in the Oakland A’s heyday.
Of course, a great bluff setup requires first understanding the particular poker game you play. While many poker games have some similarities, there are usually some differences you should know about before sitting at the table.
- Understand the rules: Some poker games, like Stud Poker, involve players competing against other players, while others, like Caribbean Stud Poker, involve players going against the dealer. Fortunately, playing poker online might have plenty of poker glossaries to help explain the terms and rules for each game.
- Set your budget: While this sounds like a no-brainer, don’t even think about sitting at the table until you have a budget. Different poker games might have higher playing hands or ante and blind bets that require a bankroll to meet the challenge.
- Watch the drinking: I get it. You just want to kick back with your buds and play a little poker with some gin or beer. However, like you shouldn’t drink or drive, drinking too much can ruin a winning bluff in the making or cloud your judgment.
While everyone wants to bring the house down with an almighty royal flush, there are plenty of ways to set up the winning bluff. The art of most poker games like Texas Hold’em is knowing which community cards and hole cards to keep and discard. While it is a mistake to keep low-value cards, getting rid of valuable cards to try to get a royal flush or the highest straight possible can cost you when it’s time to bluff or in the showdown. Getting a simple straight, or even three-of-a-kind, is enough to bluff your way to the finish line.
With all of these basics in place, perhaps the most crucial detail of them all is to study your opponents. Pay attention to their mannerisms because it is going to take a gut feeling to know when to bluff and not to. Misreading this might have them calling your bluff and taking you to the cleaners.
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