Your position can also affect the chances of a bluff’s success. In most games with tough players, I've found it easier to bluff if I'm first than if I'm second and my opponent has checked. There are two reasons for this. If my opponent has checked to me, he knows he has shown weakness with his check, and when I bet, he suspects I am trying to take advantage of his weakness. So he's likely to call with any kind of hand. And, if he has a really bad hand, he might very well have tried to bluff himself. Since he checked instead, the chances are good he has a calling hand, and when I bet out on a bluff, he's likely to call, even if he thinks he's a small underdog. So in situations on the end where your hand can't win by checking but where you have reason to believe your opponent may be weak, a bluff in first position is more likely to succeed than a bluff in second position.

A bluff is a bet or raise with a hand you do not think is the best hand. With more cards to come, you should generally restrict yourself to semi-bluffs with hands that may become the best hand.

When deciding whether to make a pure bluff, you estimate whether your chances of getting away with it are better than the pot odds you are getting. However, if there are more cards to come and you plan to continue to bluff, you must take into account your effective odds.

On the end you should usually bluff with a busted hand when you think your opponent is weak. Against a tough player, the bluff tends to work more often in first position. However, if you have a hand with some value, don't bet when you are first so that you can snap off your opponent's bluffs. If you are in second position and your opponent checks, show down these same hands since they have little chance of winning if you bet and get called.

The odds against a bluff s working increase almost geometrically with each extra person in a pot. Therefore, it is rarely correct to try to bluff out two or more players, especially on the end.

When to bluff and when to bet a fair hand for value is a difficult problem of judgment and experience. In general, if you do not think you could get away with a bluff, you should bet your fair hands for value; if a fair hand cannot be a profitable bet, then a bluff should be.

Bluffs are another tool of the well-rounded poker player. In my opinion, they should show a long-run profit the same as any other poker play. Even if you get caught only occasionally, you can still expect to get paid off when you do have a hand.