To win a hand by betting and winning the pot without a made hand can be one of the most exiting things you can do in poker. Bluffing is a lot of fun but also quite risky. If you bluff to much your money will quickly run out. If you don't bluff your giving money away.

So when should you bluff? Well that is not always easy to distinguish. To give you an understanding of when to bluff we will first give you examples of when not to bluff and then suggest situations where a bluff might win the pot.

First the situations where you should avoid bluffing.

Many opponents

If you're going to bluff you should choose a hand when you're against few opponents. The more opponents your playing the higher risk that somebody made a hand.

Avoid "loose" players

Another thing you should consider is how likely somebody is to call your bluff. If your playing against "loose" players than it rarely pays to bluff since there bound to call you anyway. At low limit tables where a lot of people see the flop a bluff seldom works since most of the opposition is loose and will often call to much.

Avoid large pots

A large pot usually means good hands. If the pot is large you should usually avoid bluffing.

Avoid dangerous card combinations

If there is for example two or three high cards on the table there is a good chance that somebody made something. You should avoid bluffing when it´s likely that the cards on the table give an opponent a good hand.

Avoid bluffing in early position

If your in early position it´s hard to know how your opponents are going to act. If they have not yet acted it can be very risky to try a bluff.

When you have read the above you might be thinking that you never can bluff. However this is not the case. Below you will find situations where a bluff can be worth trying.

Your playing against "tight" and/or passive players.

If your playing against "tight" players it is much easier to bluff. They usually will need a good hand to call your bluff.

Your in late position against few opponents.

If everybody checks to you on the flop this might be a good opportunity to bet and pick up the pot.

Your against few players and the flop only shows "rags" (unconnected, unsuited low cards) or just one high card.

This type of flop seldom helps anyone so bluffing could win the pot.

Your in late position and all players have checked the flop and the turn.

Since none have shown any strength this can be a good opportunity to bet and pick up the pot.

Semi bluffing is when you bet a drawing hand which is not currently the best hand but has potential of developing into a good hand. If you are for instance sitting on two hearts and two hearts come up on the flop it can often be correct to bet and hope to win the pot straight away. If someone calls you still have a good chance of outdrawing them on the turn card. A semi bluff gives you two ways to win the pot!

Semi bluffing is in most cases quite a good idea. If you get called you can still make a hand.

The only reason not to semi bluff is if you fear a big raise from someone who has not yet acted. A big raise will now ruin your odds and it can be quite costly to call the large bet.