Poker is not just a mathematical game. It is also a game that requires and includes a lot of psychological combat. Three of the most important weapons you have in poker are bluffing, semi-bluffing, and slowplaying.

Bluffing:

Bluffing is much more useful in a no-limit game than in a limit game. In a no-limit game, a player's entire stack is at risk each hand. In a limit game, players know they can only lose so much if they call to the river.

Semi-Bluffing:

Semi-bluffing is the name for bluffing when you also hold a drawing hand. If you bet with this hand, you are still bluffing, but you also have a high likelihood of gaining a strong hand on later betting rounds. Semi-bluffing can be a very useful technique, especially in no-limit games.

Slowplaying:

Slowplaying means deceiving your opponents into thinking you have a weak hand, when in fact you hold a monster.

Say you flopped a full house. There is no need to scare people out of the pot, because there is little chance of someone drawing out on you. You should wait till the turn or maybe even the river to jam the pot with bets and raises. You should slowplay if two conditions are met:

1. You hold a MOSTER, and there is almost no chance of someone drawing on you

2. You will only get action if some other cards come out that improve your opponents' hands but not by so much that they will beat your hand.


Once again good luck to all,

USC