Is it good enough to be in the value betting range? If not, is it bad enough to be in the bluffing range? If the answer is no to both questions, the optimal move is to check. We calculate that we need to be bluffing 33% of the time, so the other 66% of our betting range on the river should be value hands.Īt the table, we would look at how our hand stacks up in our range. So let’s use the equation to figure it out. However, before we bet, we want to figure out how often we should be bluffing. We’re in a hand on the river and decide to use a full pot bet-sizing of $100. Let’s use a real-life example to make this easier to understand.

F is the optimal bluffing frequency, X is the size of the bet, and Y is the size of the pot. The equation for calculating the optimal bluffing frequency is as follows. This will lead to our opponents calling too often or folding too often, both of which make us money. We want to reach this equilibrium because it’s nearly impossible for our opponent to know if we’re bluffing enough and then to call at the right frequencies to break even. We do this so our opponent becomes indifferent between calling and folding, and the expected value of calling and folding for our opponent becomes the same. If we’re playing optimally, we need to balance the number of value hands and the number of bluffs in our range based on our bet size. In that case, the money we lose from our unsuccessful bluffs will outweigh the money we make from our value hands. However, suppose we go too far the other way and start bluffing too often. If we start bluffing, our opponent becomes incentivized to call, and therefore our bets with strong hands get paid. If we only bet when we have a strong hand, our opponent has no reason to call and will only call if they also have a strong hand. We bluff in poker to ensure we get paid when making a value bet. A low-paired board can be an optimal time to bluff because the other cards are either still in the deck or could have been discarded already.

Paired Board: Few things provoke a reaction at the poker table like a paired board.

This is the perfect opportunity to bluff, as other players are more likely to fold, given the current lay of the land.

Post-Flop: Say there’s a rainbow flop–no pairs, no high cards–and the hand is checked to you in late position.You can typically judge this when playing in a late position at the table. This can be done if you are playing against tight players who are not likely to be too aggressive.

Pre-Flop: Making an early bluff in a game can be surprisingly beneficial as it can help you collect the blinds.

There are many occasions to bluff during a game of poker, but specific opportunities are going to prove to be more fruitful than others:

What is best hand in poker