In some cases a player may be on a draw but with odds strong enough that they are favored to win the hand. A player making a semi-bluff can win the pot two different ways: by all opponents folding immediately or by catching a card to improve the player's hand. In games with multiple betting rounds, to bluff on one round with an inferior or drawing hand that might improve in a later round is called a semi-bluff. The opponent will have a positive expectation for calling the bluff if the opponent believes the probability the player is bluffing is at least 33%. In this example, the opponent will be facing 2-to-1 pot odds for the call. Note, however, that the opponent may also consider the pot odds when deciding whether to call. If the player bets the size of the pot on a pure bluff, the bluff will have a positive expectation if the probability of being called is less than 50%. A pure bluff has a positive expectation (will be profitable in the long run) when the probability of being called by an opponent is lower than the pot odds for the bluff.įor example, suppose that after all the cards are out, a player holding a busted drawing hand decides that the only way to win the pot is to make a pure bluff.

The pot odds for a bluff are the ratio of the size of the bluff to the pot. A player making a pure bluff believes they can win the pot only if all opponents fold. Pure bluff Ī pure bluff, or stone-cold bluff, is a bet or raise with an inferior hand that has little or no chance of improving. By extension, the phrase 'calling somebody's bluff' is often used outside the context of poker to describe situations where one person demands that another proves a claim, or proves that they are not being deceptive. The size and frequency of a bluff determines its profitability to the bluffer. The objective of a bluff is to induce a fold by at least one opponent who holds a better hand. In the card game of poker, a bluff is a bet or raise made with a hand which is not thought to be the best hand. The Russo-Japanese War began 17 days later. Bushnell, the Russian Empire (represented by a bear) and the Empire of Japan (represented by a fox) play poker, with their respective arsenals as stakes. ( October 2007) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ī game of Texas hold 'em in progress.

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How to call someone bluff in poker