Bluffing while playing online poker is something you absolutely must start doing as you move up in stakes and play against better players. Playing low stakes, you can get away with being more basic, but if you want to move up the ranks you need to make bluffing a skill.
How Often Should You Bluff in Online Poker?
There really is no fixed percentage, but I’ve found that if you see a flop with 1 to 2 players and you’re the person who open raised pre flop you should usually continuation bet bluff most of the time. In this hand I’m about to break down I had a Q6s playing on Ignition Poker 500nl where I absolutely blasted off for around $600 on the turn and my gut instinct was right that my opponent was weak.
I also that’s another thing you need to think about when you bluff someone for a large amount. How weak do you think they are because if you have a sense that they have something like a draw or maybe mid pair betting large can often get them to fold.
Q6s Preflop
So, I was doing decent in this session to kick things off and about 20 minutes in I was dealt a Q6s and open raised to $12.50 and player 3 called re raised me to $60. Normally I would have folded in this spot, but my gut was telling me this guy was full of it, so I called.
Q6s Flop
Honestly, for calling with Q6s and 2 hearts hitting the board I was feeling pretty good about this situation. I’m also in a decent spot to bluff possibly against hands like AK or AQ, but if player 3 is holding an over pair I would need running cards for straights or the heart to come in on the turn or river. To my surprise player 3 checked it so I was okay with seeing a free turn card.
Q6s Turn
The turn didn’t really change anything and instead of letting this get to the river I decided to put the hammer down and go for the all-in jam on a complete draw. I was really thinking if player 3 had a strong holding like AA, KK, he would have done something at this point. A part of me was also thinking maybe he has a lower pocket pair like 99 or 88. However, after he took some time to think about it he decided to call me down with a Q10. He only had second pair to this board and had the courage to call me with this garbage. Not going to lie I was impressed. The other bad part about this is that he’s blocking out queen so only a heart would save us going to the river.
Q6s River
Unfortunately for me I got stacked because my heart didn’t come in. But after running this hand back I still don’t regret the way I played it. I felt like my opponent was weak and I was right it’s just that he also didn’t believe I had anything so called me off with second pair. It was truly impressive and sometimes when someone calls you down like this you just must tip your hat to them. And it is what it is.
Should You Ever Shove as a Bluff?
Yes, there are situations where shoving as a bluff makes sense, but it has to be based on the hand, the board, and what you think your opponent is capable of folding. I recently shoved the turn with Q6 suited for around $600 and ended up getting called and losing the hand. Even though it didn’t work, I still don’t regret the play.
The main reason is that a bluff shouldn’t be judged only by whether it wins that specific hand. If the shove puts enough pressure on a large part of your opponent’s range and tells a believable story, it can still be a good decision. Sometimes you are going to run into the top of their range or a player who simply doesn’t want to fold.
When I bluff shove, I want there to be a clear reason behind it. Maybe I have blockers to strong hands, picked up equity on the turn, or believe my opponent’s range is capped. I’m not just jamming because I feel like going for it.
The biggest mistake is shoving with no fold equity. If your opponent is never folding, the bluff has almost no purpose. A good bluff shove should put real pressure on hands that are strong enough to continue normally but weak enough to fold to an all-in.
Do I Regret Bluffing?
The thing is that when you bluff you won’t always get it right. It’s something you always get better at and even then, you will still be put in situations like this where someone catches you and you take a loss. It’s important to look at the bigger picture and make sure that your bluffs get better over time. Even with this loss I still feel confident saying my bluffs in these spots get through 70-80% of the time and I’m good with that.
Final Thoughts
If you want to move up the ranks in online poker you will inevitably have to get better at bluffing. It’s not something someone can just teach you, it’s something that comes with better instincts and noticing player tendencies at the table you’re sitting at. Understanding different concepts like blockers and things like that helps, but you still must play the man sitting at the table.
Did it hurt to lose my whole stack in this spot with Q6s? Yes, I can’t deny it. But if I had to run this hand back over and over I still liked the way I played it and player 3 just had my number this time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should you bluff in online poker?
There isn’t one perfect bluffing percentage. How often you bluff should depend on your position, the board, your opponent, stack sizes, and whether your hand blocks strong combinations. Against tighter players, you can usually bluff more often than against players who hate folding.
Is bluffing more important in online poker?
Bluffing is important online because stronger players pay attention to betting patterns and ranges. If you only bet big when you have strong hands, you become easier to play against. That said, you don’t need to force bluffs just to look balanced.
Should you ever shove all-in as a bluff?
Yes. An all-in bluff can make sense when you believe your opponent has a lot of medium-strength hands that can fold. I recently shoved around $600 with Q6 suited on the turn and lost, but I still don’t regret the play because I believed there was enough fold equity to justify it.
Is bluffing profitable at low stakes?
It can be, but you have to choose your opponent’s carefully. Some low-stakes players call far too often, which makes large bluffs less effective.
What hands are best for bluffing?
The best bluffing hands usually have blockers, missed draws, or additional equity. Random hands with no equity and no useful blockers are usually poor bluff candidates. In this spot I just felt like my opponent was weak even though I was holding a pretty garbage hand to begin with.
Edward Pao is an online poker and casino affiliate marketer with over 10 years of experience in the industry. He has referred over 30,000 players to major poker platforms and specializes in reviewing the best online poker sites and casino bonuses.