The purpose of a bluff is always to win a pot in spite of the fact that your hand is really not strong enough. Whenever you make a representation of a very big hand you should be prepared to back it up in a way that might earn you hundreds of dollars in cities such as Las Vegas or Los Angeles. Not to mention what you can do on the mercifully anonymous internet. Whenever you have made a manifestation, whether it is online or at a casino, of a big hand you have to back it up with the behaviour and facial expression that would suit if you actually had a killer hand.
You have to be very calculative when doing this, because if you fake certainty too much, then your opponents are likely to see that you look way to relaxed, which you probably wouldn’t if you were actually holding a splendid hand. Then you would want your opponents to not think that you had good cards, in order to call your bluff with a higher bid.
This is really advanced psychology, and the best thing a poker player can do is probably to look as indifferent as possible at all times. Not to show a range of emotions at all, pretty much. Try to practice in front of the mirror of how to look relaxed, but not in a forced way. When you feel like you have the best expression that neither looks too proud or disappointed, then it is time to hit a real table and see if it works. The step after that is to start paying attention to others, while bluffing. Admitted, this is not beginner’s course, but it needs to be dealt with sooner or later. The sooner, the more money you have the chance of winning, and the more fun you will have.
It is always funny also for any audiences when bluffs are called, regardless of the outcome of the situation. Various television producers focus quite a lot on these moments in the editing of recorded broadcasted tournaments. And why wouldn’t they? Acting, bluffing and calling is always good fun.
It is hard to find the best balance between having a suspiciously blank face and looking way too saddened or excited. But remember that this works both ways; if you spend some time paying attention to your opponents, you will note that they probably are struggling with the same dilemma. Keeping a good poker face truly is a science in itself. And it is not your expression in itself, it is everything from the way you’re breathing changes to what you do with your fingers or where you look. One basic rule when you are trying to hide a bluff with a good poker face is to not change a thing. Stay exactly the same as you were one minute ago, in all aspects. This works the same way when you are playing poker online, apart from the fact that you are hidden in another way. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you are totally invisible just because you are playing online. You still have many behaviours that others can note.
There are many ways of bluffing, some of them less ethical than others, and bluffing is the kind of art you can spend your whole time practising. You might do yourself a favour looking up as many tips as possible online, and putting quite a lot of your focus on the way you bluff – and the potential bluffing of others.
But be careful to cross the thin line of cheating, because that will not only make you less popular at the poker tables, but also rob you of that lovely feeling of winning because you flat down earned it.