When trying to win a poker tournament, almost all pros will tell you, you need to win hands when you don’t have the cards. When you pull this off you are “making a move” in poker terms. Let’s take a look at some of the ways a player does this.
The bluffs you might see can be as ordinary as an attempt to steal the blinds, to very complex schemes. You’re behind or have no cards, but you want those chips. You need to get a fold.
Stealing the blinds is picking a spot to make a raise with the hope of all remaining players folding. This can be done from any position as long as you are the first to act. When you are a short stack this is usually an all in bet. As a big stack, this can raise will vary to match the situation of the remaining players stacks, and their tendencies.
One of the most powerful plays in poker is the check raise. You are in the big blind and call a raise from the button. You miss the flop completely.
You check to your opponent, who makes a strong raise. You then re-raise, a large amount. Unless he has a monster, he will usually fold.
The semi-bluff is a little different. You have KQ of hearts. You call a raise from middle position from the big blind.
The flop comes J74 with two hearts. Your opponent raises the pot, representing a big hand, and discouraging drawing for the flush. This can be a good opportunity to push all in.
You might get a fold. If he calls you have outs, at least nine of them. If he has AJ you will be a mathematical favorite. This is a classic semi-bluff.
The post oak bluff is quite different. You have been calling some moderate raises with a speculative hand. When the last card hits you know your only chance to win is to get a fold.
In this situation you make a small raise. This bet looks like you want to get called. If you try this play you need your opponent understands that this small bet represents a big hand that wants a call.
These are just a very small sample of the bluffs you can try. You need to creatively win chips some of the time. You can’t expect to get enough big hand to avoid this need.