In geography, a bluff is a steep slope or rounded cliff, usually near water, and is unrelated to poker.
Poker
Bluff definition
A bluff in poker is a bet or raise made when you likely do not hold the best hand, aiming to scare opponents into folding stronger hands.
- Also called
- Stone-cold bluff or pure bluff when the hand has little or no chance of improving.1
- How it works
- The player represents strength through betting action rather than hand strength, hoping opponents fold hands that are currently better.12
- Pure bluff
- Succeeds only if all opponents fold; the hand cannot improve later.12
- Semi-bluff
- A bet or raise with a hand that is not currently best but can improve to win if called.12
Key points
- A bluff is a bet or raise made with a weak hand to induce folds from opponents holding better hands.1
- A pure bluff (or stone-cold bluff) has little or no chance of improving, so it wins only if everyone folds.1
- A semi-bluff is made with a drawing hand that can improve to the best hand, giving two ways to win.1
- Bluffing is a core strategy in poker, especially in no-limit games, but its success depends on reading opponents and table image.
- The term also extends to related tactics like steals, where a player raises from late position with a weak hand.3
Bluff example
In a game of Texas Hold'em, the board shows K♠ 7♦ 2♣ 9♥ 3♠. Player A holds 8♥ 6♥, giving only a missed straight draw. Player A bets the river. Player B, holding A♣ 7♠ (top pair), folds, fearing a better hand. Player A wins the pot with a pure bluff. The bluff succeeded because Player B believed the bet represented a stronger hand.
Bluff variants
A stone-cold bluff (also called a pure bluff) is made with a hand that has no realistic chance of improving, such as a complete miss on the board. A semi-bluff is a bet or raise with a drawing hand that is not currently best but can improve to win if called.1 A steal is a bluff from late position aimed at winning the blinds and antes.3 These variants differ in risk: a pure bluff must succeed immediately, while a semi-bluff has a backup plan.
Common questions
What is a bluff on the river?
A bluff on the river is a bet made on the final betting round with a hand that cannot improve. It is a pure bluff, as no more cards will come. The bettor hopes the opponent folds a better hand, making the river a common spot for bluffs because missed draws are frequent.
Where this term is used
Not the same as
- Bluff poker — not a separate term in poker; the correct term is simply bluff
Related terms
Sources
- Bluff (poker) en.wikipedia.org Defines bluff, pure bluff, and semi-bluff in poker.
- Betting in poker - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Explains betting actions and how bluffs work in poker.
- Steal (poker) - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Describes steal as a related poker tactic.
Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.