Eight Ways To Spot A Poker Bluff

There are probably more than eight ways to spot a player who is a consistent bluff in the game of online poker but the easiest to spot tells used with some frequency are described in this article.

1. The person bluffing thinks he can uses the “chat option” to his advantage. Keep a close eye on chatty players and what they are doing. Do they raise pots and chat away about not catching any cards only to showdown with an A-Q suited?

2. If a player raises before the flop, it shows for instance 3-3-9 and they quickly re-raise again, you may be up against a bluff all the way to the river. Before you call, be sure you feel confident you can take the pot with what you are holding.

3. If someone clicks their “sit-me out” button back “in” and jumps in suddenly as the cards are being dealt , then quickly calls or raises, the chances are they have run out of patience and are not playing a killer hand.

4. When a player with the lowest stack on the table goes all-in with absolutely nothing you can see as a relevant threat, you may have someone bluffing a pot with a “now or never” viewpoint.

5. The player that bets on the flop and then checks on the turn needs to put his money where his mouth is. If you have a good hand, force them to bet.

6. If you are playing against someone who is an extremely loose player and won’t let one hand slip by without a bet, who does he think he’s fooling? One player doesn’t get that many good starting hands.

7. You will know to watch for a bluff if you pay close attention to what he or she shows at the end of the hand. If the player raised before the flop only to show a 4-5 off suit at the end of the hand, they are almost dangerous. Act accordingly so that there is no next time for that foolishness.

8. They play every hand too quickly to put any intelligent thought into what their hand is capable of. The chances are they hardly ever do and bluff most hands they hold.

In conclusion, try to eliminate bluffers out of the game as quickly as possible as a good strong bluff can become a winning hand on the river. Ensure they don’t make it that far!

David Walker runs free bets and UK poker websites. A free email course: "Seven Days to Better Betting" is available at both of these websites.