Bluff

A bluff is a bet or raise made with a hand that probably isn't the best, hoping your opponents fold so you win the pot right there. Instead of relying on your cards to be strongest at showdown, you're using your chips to tell a story that you're already ahead. It's the opposite of a value bet, where you want a worse hand to call.

Bluffs come up most often on the later streets, when there's a real pot worth taking and a believable story to tell. The best ones represent a hand you could actually have based on the cards and how you've bet so far. A close cousin is the semi-bluff: betting a draw that can still improve, so you win now if they fold and might win later if they call.

For beginners, the most common leak is bluffing too much, not too little. A bluff only works against opponents who are capable of folding, and it needs fold equity, the real chance they give up. Size it like you'd size a strong hand so you're hard to read, pick believable spots, and when in doubt, lean on betting your good hands rather than firing chips into someone who never folds.