The bluff in poker is one of the most celebrated skills—usually by those who don’t understand poker. There is no question that nothing feels quite the same as a well executed bluff, and raking in a pot of chips that you really don’t deserve (based on the quality of your hand) is a fantastic feeling. However, the bluff is a technique that should be done rarely, as the more often it is attempted the more it loses power, until it becomes more of a disadvantage than otherwise.

The basic idea behind a bluff is to act as if you have the best hand in such a way that the other players either believe you, or simply can’t afford to take the chance that you might not be bluffing. This usually involves betting at a pot at a time where only a player who was ahead or held the nuts (the best hand) would do so, and with sufficient chips to cause the other player to fear calling. The problem with a bluff is that it requires you to actually NOT have the lead or the best hand, which means there is a chance that one of your opponents actually DOES. This results in a loss of chips for you.

There are a few different kinds of bluffs, including the “semi-bluff” and the “continuation bet.”

The semi bluff comes from having some kind of hand but not the best hand. Middle pair, for example, or betting when you have a draw. As long as there is a chance you can actually win with your hand and you are betting as if you have the best hand, this is called a semi-bluff. This is as opposed to having absolute garbage—no pair, no draw, and cards lower than the board (so that even if you hit a pair you are likely beat by anyone calling your bet) which is a complete bluff.

The continuation bluff is a string of bluffs. Say you raise pre flop and the board misses you, and you suspect it missed your opponents as well. A reasonably strong bet at this point is a continuation bluff, as you are still representing a strong hand. The more “bullets” you fire at a pot, the more convincing it is to your opponent that you have something strong. Just hope that he doesn’t have what you are representing and is stringing you along.