Lying Through Your Teeth: Timing It in Texas Hold'em

You need to lie in order to become a great poker player. It does not matter if your game is the ever famous Texas Hold'em or some obscure poker variant. If you're playing against other people, you're going to need to lie at some point. The cards don't always like you and sometimes, seem to actively try to make sure that you end up with the worst cards ever. Playing good old honest poker will make your chips get up in leave, no matter what you do. In short, you need to bluff. This means betting an amount higher that what your cards are actually worth. That means having guts - of course, if you're playing high stakes Texas Hold'em, you probably have a lot of that. All you need now is to know when to bluff and to be able to follow through when the chance arrives. The following poker tips are only the tip of a very large iceberg.

If the flop, turn or river looks like someone might actually have something, it's generally a good time to try out a bluff. This means being able to read the cards quickly. If you can read the board or the spread at a moment's notice and no one seems to like anything there, it may be a good time to wager something, to see how the others react. Act as if you had the straight - almost believe it yourself. Throw in the amount of chips you'd throw in if you had the straight or the full house and perhaps they'll react the same way as if you actually had it. This of course suggests that you are able to at least get a basic read on your opponents, which is another vital skill in poker entirely.

Experienced players got to the final tables of Texas Hold'em because they were good and to be good, you need to develop some good habits. It can't be helped, as it's a part of any skilled endeavor. You need to spot the habits that these players live by and take advantage of it. Some gamblers play so tightly that at any good reason to fold, they'll do so. Do your best to provide them with a reason to give up their chips. Large bets in general can scare off the tight player if you time it just rise.

Poker tips are all well and good, but they're no substitute for experience and time at the tables. Spend some time in the casino or join a cheap tournament or two and you may discover one or more situations where your bluff becomes more valuable.