Glossary

Pure bluff

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Basic Definition

A pure bluff in poker refers to the act of betting or raising to make your opponent fold when your hand has little to no chance of winning. A bluff made when you have a drawing hand is called a semi-bluff.

Specific Situation

  • When the flop is AdKd7c and your hand is 6s2s, you place a bet with the intention of making your opponent fold, despite having a very weak hand.
  • When the river shows QhJd9s8c6h and your hand is 4s5s, clearly not completing a straight and in a losing position, you make a large bet to force your opponent to fold.

Important Information

  • When executing a pure bluff, it's important to carefully consider the board situation and your opponent's play style. For example, if your opponent is a tight player, the success rate might be higher.
  • Bluffing is necessary to extract chips from your opponent when you have a strong hand. Therefore, it's important to execute pure bluffs at the right frequency.

Examples of Term Usage

"My opponent made a timid check on the turn, so I tried a pure bluff on the river, but they called and I lost."