When you play any form of poker there will always be the chance that you can bluff or semi-bluff the hand. There is a difference between the two plays and if you don’t know what the difference is already then you need to learn it if you expect to a winning player. If you assume that a bluff and a semi-bluff are the same thing or you’ve only heard of bluffing and not semi-bluffing in the past then you have a couple things to learn throughout this article. We’re going to walk you through the definition of a bluff and a semi-bluff so that you can differentiate the two of them while playing.

Bluffing

Generally you should be bluffing a lot less then you semi-bluff when you play poker. A bluff is when you bet at the pot in hopes of taking it down right then and there. The reason you want to take the hand down right away is because you have absolutely nothing in your hand and no hope of making a better hand. You don’t want to bluff that often simply because of the fact that once your opponent’s catch on too what you’re doing you’ll end up getting caught. It only takes one or two bluffs where you get caught to make you have a horrible day at the poker tables so make sure you’re careful about picking your spots wisely when bluffing.

Semi-Bluffing

A semi-bluff is when you make a bet at the pot with nothing in hopes of taking the pot down just like on a normal bluff. The difference between the two of the bluffs though, is that when you semi-bluff you have a draw. For instance, a semi-bluff would be when you bet on the turn with a flush draw. You currently would have nothing in the hand, but if you hit your draw then you will most likely have the best hand. Semi-bluffing will get you in a lot less trouble then bluffing as long as you remain cautious. You don’t want to semi-bluff a pot when the other player’s have been betting the pot simply because they could come over the top of you. The last thing that you want to do when you’re semi-bluffing a draw is have someone come over the top of you.

As you can see there is only a slight difference between the two bluffs, but it’s important that you know the difference. Remember that bluffing shouldn’t be a regular play on your part. If you find yourself bluffing the other players and getting caught with your bluffs then you should try spacing them out more. Typically the reason you get caught bluffing is because the other player’s have picked up on what you’ve been doing. This is only a small part of playing poker and you need to know a lot more then just bluffing, but it’s a nice skill to learn and will definitely come in handy down the road when you’re playing poker.