Poker is not just a game of mathematics

Poker is not just a game of mathematics, random chance, statistics and probability. It involves a degree of personal cunning and self-awareness, being able to know and conceal your own tells whilst remaining ever vigilant for those of your fellow players. Bluffing whilst a powerful tool is only best served under the right conditions. Bluffing is actually counter-productive within lower stake games, because at low stake games the cards end up being shown face up anyway so if you are bluffing it is for peanuts. Bluffing is best served at high-limit and high-stake games, especially where you want to act as if you possess a particular set of cards (when you don’t) and there is very few players still in the game, and a term used that causes confusion especially among novice players is “semi-bluffing.” Semi bluffing is where a player bluffs, when they also happen to have a drawing hand in their possession as well.

In effect, whilst the bet is based on a hand that is not a particularly strong hand at that current time, it has the potential to become a far more powerful hand, even a winning combination later on within the game.

Semi bluffing therefore is a two prong attack, either the initial effect works, whereby the rest of the players simply fold and thus the bluffer wins the round. Or, players remain in play, but a card needed to elevate the “bluffing” card to a more powerful hand is subsequently found. Slowplaying is the epitome of bluffing, tricking your foes into thinking that you possess a weak hand, when in reality you have a winner on your hands, this is best used when you have a very strong card combo (one that is unlikely to be beat) and you want to tease out some additional bets before show time.