Abraham Lincoln once said:
"You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time."
Definitely one of the wiser of presidents who have graced the grounds of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Lincoln's words are true of life in general, and especially true of the poker table.
Bluffing is considered by most professional poker players to be a veritable art form, which means it's not something that can be practiced in a mechanical or artificial way, for therein lies the certain failure of your bluff. Good poker players bluff selectively and strategically, and do so only when it is in their competitive interest. Good bluffing technique is also thoroughly holistic, in that a bluffer will construct his impressions and counter impressions over the entire course of the game.
Often this calls for a certain amount of delivery inconsistency - don't allow the other players at the table to get a hold on how you act and react when you bluff. Keep them guessing, keep them unsure of your motives at any and every point of the game, keep them wondering whether you're making a raise or a call or just betting truth. This might mean a semi-bluff, a double bluff, or just playing straight up, so long as it obscures your true intention. It gives you an extraordinary amount of power at the poker table. Others may think that they have cottoned on to your bluffing style when in fact they themselves are being duped. This will lead not only to financial success, but is in fact enormously satisfying in a psychological sense too.
It all comes down to how players perceive you. You should aim for a certain level of consistency in how you play your hand. This will garner you the respect of other players, and it will also make them fairly uncertain every time they try and get a handle on how you feel about your hand at any one moment in time. If you're not that proficient at bluffing, then it's in your interest to follow the first and most important rule of poker: the moment you know you can't win, throw your cards away. We know poker players who, unless their two hole cards are of a face-value or higher, simply fold. This prevents unnecessary losses on your part. It's also one of the primary reasons that players with extremely good hands like a flush or a straight flush will try and "dumb down" the appearance of a good hand by feigning frustration, boredom, or a sense of irritation.
If you find that no matter how hard you try and conceal your emotions your eyes always give you away, then don't be afraid of bringing your sunglasses to the poker game. Even the most professional and official tournaments allow sunglasses to be worn. If it helps you, and it's legal, then by all means go ahead with it. Bluff wisely, selectively, and circumspectly.
"You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time."
Definitely one of the wiser of presidents who have graced the grounds of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Lincoln's words are true of life in general, and especially true of the poker table.
Bluffing is considered by most professional poker players to be a veritable art form, which means it's not something that can be practiced in a mechanical or artificial way, for therein lies the certain failure of your bluff. Good poker players bluff selectively and strategically, and do so only when it is in their competitive interest. Good bluffing technique is also thoroughly holistic, in that a bluffer will construct his impressions and counter impressions over the entire course of the game.
Often this calls for a certain amount of delivery inconsistency - don't allow the other players at the table to get a hold on how you act and react when you bluff. Keep them guessing, keep them unsure of your motives at any and every point of the game, keep them wondering whether you're making a raise or a call or just betting truth. This might mean a semi-bluff, a double bluff, or just playing straight up, so long as it obscures your true intention. It gives you an extraordinary amount of power at the poker table. Others may think that they have cottoned on to your bluffing style when in fact they themselves are being duped. This will lead not only to financial success, but is in fact enormously satisfying in a psychological sense too.
It all comes down to how players perceive you. You should aim for a certain level of consistency in how you play your hand. This will garner you the respect of other players, and it will also make them fairly uncertain every time they try and get a handle on how you feel about your hand at any one moment in time. If you're not that proficient at bluffing, then it's in your interest to follow the first and most important rule of poker: the moment you know you can't win, throw your cards away. We know poker players who, unless their two hole cards are of a face-value or higher, simply fold. This prevents unnecessary losses on your part. It's also one of the primary reasons that players with extremely good hands like a flush or a straight flush will try and "dumb down" the appearance of a good hand by feigning frustration, boredom, or a sense of irritation.
If you find that no matter how hard you try and conceal your emotions your eyes always give you away, then don't be afraid of bringing your sunglasses to the poker game. Even the most professional and official tournaments allow sunglasses to be worn. If it helps you, and it's legal, then by all means go ahead with it. Bluff wisely, selectively, and circumspectly.
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