Gross generalization, right? How could I know if you should bluff more? I don’t even know who you are. You could be the most active, three-barreling, never-let-a-hand-go, aggressive player to ever play. You could be tighter than Allen Kessler on a money bubble. Well, you are right. I don’t know you and maybe you are the exception, but in general, most players don’t bluff enough and, when they do, it is in the wrong spots for the wrong reasons.

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Balancing your range is current terminology for not letting your opponent know that you always have a really strong hand when you bet. If you are always going to value bet the nuts and other strong holdings, sometimes you have to bet hands that are not strong so your opponents can’t learn your tendencies to a point where you get no action.

This is important, but leaves out all of those situations where you feel like you are playing with someone you will never see again. You don’t want to take the risk of getting caught in this spot in hopes of balancing your range for a hand later down the road. Balance your range against players you plan to play against going forward. Be more conservative against those you don’t expect to see again.

It’s wrong. It is costing you. You are leaving value on the table and you are making decisions to bluff for the wrong reasons. Balancing your range is an added benefit to plays that should have positive expectation anyway, meaning over time if you make the same play in similar situations, you will come out ahead over a significant sample size. But, your bluffs should be made in spots where you are coming to an analytical decision that bluffing for X amount will win you the pot often enough to be worth it over the long-run compared to the times you get called and lose the amount you bet.

Here is the catch. Most people greatly overestimate how often their opponents will call and underestimate the times a well thought out and executed bluff will be effective. Just because third pair is the best hand doesn’t mean a guy can call with it. Or second pair. Or top pair. Or whatever. Many players will amaze you with their willingness to turn over really strong hands on the assumption that there is no way you could be betting if you didn’t have them beat.

An eye-opener to this concept happened to me many years back when I was in Vegas bouncing around with a friend. At the time, I was mostly playing $5/$10 and a little $10/$20 NL, but we weren’t looking to put in a serious session and were just messing around.

We met some friends at Planet Hollywood and decided to sit down and play a little $1/$2 NL. I was splashing around straddling, raising, and betting aggressively in almost every pot trying to liven the game up and have a little fun. It was working, I was winning pots, and other players were starting to react.

After keeping this up for an hour, I got into a pot with a guy where I raised and bet the whole way. On a K-T-4 board, I raised him, he checked to me on the next two streets, and I made healthy bets the whole way. The turn was a 7 and the river was a 5 – nothing too scary – but on the river, my bet was enough to put my opponent all-in.

He thought for a while and finally showed pocket fours for a set and folded. I did my best not to have a goofy grin on my face as I pushed my hand face down toward the dealer and raked in what was a pretty good pot for a $1/$2 game. I don’t remember what I had. Nothing pretty much and I was amazed that the guy could fold anything there other than maybe a straight draw that left him with no pair.

I was sure he would have called with A-K, or any king for that matter, and the idea of making him turn over a set was something I would never have considered. But he did, and other players turn over all sorts of hands they shouldn’t.

So bluff more. And do it because it is positive EV. You might get caught some, but that’s okay too. Like everything else in poker, you constantly have to evolve and challenge the way you think and act. Bluff more and get some feedback. Pay close attention to what people are folding to you, especially if they actually show you their cards. Take the bottom of your range that can’t win any other way and give it a shot to win by bluffing. It should also help you get paid off on the very top part of your range too.

Court Harrington has worked on the business side of the poker industry in roles including tournament reporting for PocketFives, radio hosting for PokerRoad Radio, coaching for the WSOP Academy and privately, and a variety of behind-the-scenes responsibilities for poker media businesses. He also plays in cash games and tournaments. Harrington is currently doing consulting work and exploring business opportunities outside of the poker industry. You can contact him at Court@CourtHarrington.com.