One of the reasons poker is so popular are the many opportunities to win a pot with a well timed bluff. Watching poker tournaments on TV makes it seem like bluffing is the key to winning. While this may not be true, pulling off a big bluff is definitely one of the most thrilling experiences any player can have. Trying to bluff too often or when there is little chance of success will send you to the rail pretty quickly.

The Nature of No-Limit
It is said that successful bluffing in no-limit is to know when to put your opponent to the test. Stack size is everything in no-limit poker. If your bet requires your opponent to put in all their chips or such a large amount that they would be left with very few chips, they are much more likely to fold a mediocre or even a strong hand in the right situation.
Having a strong table image is also important. If you have been bleeding chips, players are more encouraged to call your bet with a weak holding. They hope you are pressing in attempt to get some chips back. If you have been on a good run, they are likely to fold because they are used to seeing you with the goods.

Bluffing is much harder to do successfully in a limit game. At the smaller limits, it is almost impossible. The cost to find out if the player betting has the goods or not, is so low that most players with any kind of hand will call just to find out. A big percentage of players at the low limits will call even if they hold cards that have no chance of taking the pot.

In order to bluff successfully in limit games you need to be playing at a limit where calling a bet means something. This can vary from player to player so it is important to know who you are playing with and how much they value their chips.

Bluff the Right People
A bluff is much more likely to succeed against someone who plays the same hand the same way every time. You can put them on a hand with reasonable certainty and if it looks like they missed, fire at the pot.

The table sheriff is someone you almost never want to try bluffing. They pride themselves on catching people trying to steal a pot and throw away a lot of chips calling bets when they convince themselves there is the slightest chance the bettor could be bluffing.
Avoid trying to bluff more than two other people in the hand. Ideally, you only want to bluff when you are heads up. The more people in the hand, the more likely it is that somebody connected and will call you down.

Successful Bluffs Look like Value Bets
Make sure the bet you make when you bluff, looks like the same bet you make when you have the goods. In order to do this, you need to pay attention to how you are playing the hand from start to finish. Making an oversized bet on the end when you have checked the hand all the way is probably going to get called by any kind of reasonable holding.

The other side of this coin is that the player you are bluffing needs to be paying attention to how you are playing. They need to have constructed a story in their mind that you have a real hand. If your actions and decisions are consistent with how you would play a big pair or two small pair, your bluff on the end is much more likely to succeed if they have been calling along with middle pair and hoping to fill a straight.

The key to successful bluffing is paying attention. Be aware of the nature of the game you are in how the table is playing. Your table image is an equally important factor, so keep in mind how other players perceive your plays. When the right situation presents itself, you will be ready and able to pull off an exhilarating bluff.

Andrew Greene is a freelance writer and blogs for poker.org.uk a great site for playing poker.