Some of the best players know when to bluff at Texas holdem poker. The truly great ones and the ones who consistently win prizes at the major Texas holdem tournaments both on and off line are the ones who have learned when not to bluff. These types of players are known as percentage players. They have long since realized that they do not need to win every hand, every game and even every tournament. If you check the winning tables of major tournaments over the period of the last few years, you will observe a hard core of maybe 20-25 professional Texas holdem players who consistently win prizes, and not always the first prize.
Sometimes they don’t finish up in the first three, but consistently make it to the final table. These are the true professionals who have learned the strategies and skills required to keep their heads above water and have made them wealthy by pitting their wits and their nerves against some of the more aggressive players on the Texas holdem circuit.
If you observe these players, they are usually less obtrusive, don’t wear cowboy hats or jackets with tassels. Their anonymity is what makes them very difficult to read and the low profile that they establish on the final tables of major Texas holdem poker tournaments can scare their opponents more than many other more “in your face†players because they are virtually impossible to read. Because they understand the percentage possibility of every hand, they very rarely bluff. On the other hand, they also understand that if they never bluff, their opponents will read this as being part of their strategy. So just to keep things interesting, they will bluff now and again to keep their opponents on their toes.
So the next time you recognize a player sitting at Texas holdem poker table that looks a little like your bank manager or your accountant, be wary and don’t try to bluff him.