Bluff less and improve other poker skills

For some reason, it seems that more and more players are concerned and tend to make more and more bluffs to try to maintain a profit at micro and small stakes, even if it goes against the advice of great coaches or instructors.

Whether it's to improve the Hold'em Manager "red line" (win line without showdown), to improve "player image", or even simply for the sake of being "fun", many players mistakenly believe that learning to bluff will be a quick tool that will propel them to the professional level in poker.

Take advantage of these 5 minutes of study and create your 888 Poker account by clicking this link! You'll get $88 free* and you can also play our weekly $100 freeroll every Tuesday! (*$8 in cash and $80 in bonus).

Bluffing should not be your first tool, but rather an additional one.

While almost all skilled players agree that learning to bluff is a very important tool, it should be one of the last “weapons” you add to your arsenal before you really enter the world of professionalism and high stakes. Several other skills are more important at the beginning, for example: controlling tilt and psychological factors, making continuation bets accurately, multi-tabling well, making good reads, making good value bets, regulating bet sizes well, selecting appropriate tables, following good bankroll management, planning the course of action of a hand, inducing bluffs and even mastering the basic mathematics of poker.

Party Poker is back in Brazil! Learn about the bonus and benefits when creating your Poker Dicas affiliate account.

Of course, games are tougher these days and you need to learn how to bluff earlier, but regardless, if you master the skills mentioned above, even without bluffing, you will most likely be a winner in the game. It's all about priorities. Playing thousands of hands practicing and using the most basic tools will lead to a natural learning of when a bluff can be executed well.

Bluffing is a part of poker, and good bluffers make tons of money, that's a fact. But the only reason they're so good at bluffing is that their opponents always think they have the best hand. They have a tight image, they don't care about the red line, and they know they're making tons of money. Follow this line, bluff rarely at micro and small stakes, and focus on improving your basic poker skills first.

Article translated and adapted from: Hone Your Other Poker Skills Over Poker Bluffs