Poker Strategy - Deception

Deception

By employing deception, a poker player hopes to induce their opponent(s) to act differently than they would if they could see their cards. Bluffing is a form of deception where players bet strongly on a weak hand to induce opponents to fold superior hands. Related is the semi-bluff, in which a player who does not have a strong hand, but has a chance to improve it to a strong hand in later rounds, bets strongly on the hand in the hopes of inducing other players with weaker "made" hands to fold. Slow-playing is deceptive play in poker that is roughly the opposite of bluffing: checking or betting weakly with a strong holding, attempting to induce other players with weaker hands to call or raise the bet instead of folding, to increase the payout.

Even if a bluff or slow play fails, the attempt can benefit players in future hands. If opponents observe that a player never bluffs, they won't call his bets unless they have very good hands. If opponents observe that a player never slow plays, they can pounce at any sign of weakness.