My Poker
The Bluff of Poker Experts
If you got the chance of playing against one poker great, say Phil Hellmuth or Doyle Brunson, what would you do? A lot of people will automatically assume that the game will be full of bluffs, especially coming from the poker great at the table. As a result, the less-experienced players will try to bluff a lot, in fear that the great players bluff them.
They say that fear stems out from not completely understanding something. It is obvious that the less-experienced players clearly misunderstand the skills of poker experts. In their mind, they see poker greats as persistent bluffers, but in reality, they are truly not.
The professionals do bluff at the poker table, but what sets them apart from the novice players? They not only know how to bluff, but more importantly, when to bluff. Novice poker players are too consumed with mastering the art of poker face, when they should be focusing more on the timing of their bluffs.
Put in mind that there's always a time for everything, and waiting for that perfect time is what poker experts are good at. Notice that the most successful ones do not gain their prestige overnight. It's not something that anybody can achieve in one go. Reputation and greatness, even in poker, are hard-earned.
It shows in the way they play their every single game. Poker experts were matured by time, and they have learned that patience is the key. They bluff only when there is minimal risk, compared to novice players who bluff so much, thinking they can get away with it because of their perfect poker face.
What poker experts do is that they bluff at the moments you least expect it, say, when the pot is small. Small pots are unattractive to most poker players, but not to the experts. They have learned that with many small pots, they will accumulate a number of chips equal to a very big pot. They try to snatch the small pots so that they can build a strong number of poker chips.
This is the time they strike. Just when you thought that you are safe because the expert has only been getting small pots, this is the time he pounces on you. He now has a larger number of chips, thus, he can risk more than you can.
Remember that most experts will win against you because they are aware of your assumption that they bluff all the time. They know that you are scared, so they will use that fear against you.