Definition of a bluff: When you are sure that your hand is not the best hand at the Showdown, or when your hand has no value before the Showdown, and you bet. This is a bluff.

When to bluff: If you think the odds that you can succeed in making the other players fold are higher than the odds offered by the amount in the pot, you should bluff. For example, if there is $20 in the pot and your bet is $5, if you think you can take the pot more than one out of five hands (i.e., in more than 20% of the total hands played), you should bluff.

Try to get caught bluffing once in a while to vary your game and image, but on the other hand, don’t show off with your bluffs too much. It makes your opponents focus on how to beat you.

Important things to consider before bluffing:

1. Knowing your opponents is crucial – are they capable of folding? What is their game style? What is your image at the table? Have any of your opponents been bluffed lately? learn poker players style

2. Reading hands and Poker tells – If you can analyze the previous bets in this hand or if you saw something that makes you think your opponent is weak, go ahead and bluff. Check for signs of strong hands before and after the Flop, and check for other psychological signs before you decide to bluff. For example: when a player from the big blind has checked pre-Flop, called after the Flop and checked after the Turn –  it’s probably a good decision to bluff after the River, if a trash card was dealt.

3 Look at the size of the pot – If the pot is big and your opponents are committed to it, your chances of success are small.

4. Look at the board – If the community cards are

, you shouldn’t bluff because these cards give the remaining players many options for making good hands, and chances are, someone is holding a hand that is worth playing.  On the other hand, if the board is

  , it’s probably a good signal for a bluff. 

5. Look at your opponent's stack – If one of the opponents is short-stacked compared to the pot size, he will probably call your bluff. On the other hand, if you have a marginal hand and think that the short-stacked opponent is weaker than you, bluffing could be a smart move; if there are three players in the hand, a good player won't call the bet because he knows that the short-stacked player will.

6. Your image – Sometimes, if you want to make it harder for your opponents to read your game later on, it’s a smart move to bluff even if the pot odds don’t justify it.  On the other hand, it’s a smart move not to bluff even when the pot odds do justify it when this can preserve your tight player image for later.

7. How many opponents are still in the game – As the number of opponents rises, your chances of taking the pot decrease.

An example of a natural bluff is when the board got paired and you think the chances of someone having that card are relatively small.