If you have been reading up articles on how to win Texas Holdem, you would have come across the word deception being used quite often. Most of the amateur players assume that bluffing is being deceptive. It’s true that without bluffing poker wouldn’t have been the same however its not the only way to be deceptive.

Bluffing has been largely overrated. Any new player will vouch for bluffing to be the core of Texas holdem. They just fail to understand the game right and believe that bluffing is the key to beat your opponents. However, an expert poker player will disagree with this opinion. It is possible to win even without bluffing.

The goal should be to win the money and should not be to bluff your way through your opponents. If a player is able to win more money from their opponents when they have strong hand than they lost with weak hand, there would still be profit. That’s what matters in the game.

An experienced player will pick his spot and will take down a few pots which is highly difficult for a beginner to do. Picking the right spot is the key else you might end up loosing all your chips. This comes with some amount of practice. Also the experience will let you when bluffs work more effectively.

There are advantages of bluff too. Most players hate to be deceived into losing and when a player successfully bluffs against an opponent, they tend to get frustrated and their game goes bad in trying to retrieve their lost money. This is known as Playing On Tilt.

Bluffing does have its extra advantages. It gives you a loose table image and you can probably win a lot of money. However, this kind of bluffing comes with experience. It needs to be executed well else your opponents will see through your bluff and you might end up in the receiving end.

In Holdem, bluff should be used when you think that your opponent is about to fold and this comes through a lot of practice. Few of the situations where bluff can be of advantage are:

Most of the successful bluffs happen in the last position. If you happen to be the last to act and your opponents have checked to you then its a sign of weakness and you might want to bet and win the pot.

If you raise pre-flop and miss on the flop you can make up for it if you make a continuation bet. The chances of you opponents calling is low and they wouldn’t unless they have a top pair.

Always remember that it is not important to bluff to win the game. If you are new to the game then avoid bluffing as most of the players will read through your bluff. Playing a good had can also get get you the money rather than making your opponents fold.

It’s better to try bluff when you are looking to expand your game and keeping a track of the situations where bluff worked for you is a good idea from the learning perspective. As you become more experienced, you will be able to time it well and your opponents will fall for it.