When you think of poker, chances are that the phrase “poker face” comes to mind.  What is a poker face?  Well, of course, it's the generic term given to being able to hide your emotions and deceive your opponents when you play.  If you associate poker with this ability to conceal the truth, known as bluffing, you aren't the only one.  Many people think you have to bluff to win at poker.  Is that really necessary, though?

Well, the short answer is no.  You do not need to bluff in order to play poker.  In fact, if you try bluffing and don't do it well, you stand to lose a whole lot more than if you didn't bluff at all.  Bluffing is something takes time, patience and practice to master.  It's not for a beginning player or a player that isn't good at hiding their emotions.

Bluffing is, basically, lying to your opponent.  It's pretending to be weak if you have a strong hand or pretending to be strong if you have a weak hand.  Any way you look at it, it's a lie.  So, if you're a bad liar or if you just don't want to lie then bluffing is not for you.

Even though it isn't necessary and isn't always a good idea, though, a good player can make a lot of money bluffing at poker, if they do it properly.  So, bluffing is still a good poker skill for you to master.

One of the best times to use bluffing is against a short stack.  If a player is running low on chips, they're going to feel some pressure.  They're probably going to fold to you, allowing you to take down the pot.  Of course, they could catch their hand, though.

Another good time to bluff is if you're on a draw.  That's called a semi-bluff.  Semi-bluffing is when you try to show strength when you don't have a hand, but you have a good chance of making a hand.  On a draw, a large raise could get your opponents to fold and allow you to win.  Even if they do call you, though, you can still catch your draw to win.  Either way, you have a good chance of getting some chips.

Other than that, when to bluff will depend a lot on the situation at hand.  For example, if you have a good read on an opponent and know they didn't catch their hand, raise.  You can often get them to fold to you.  Also, sometimes you can raise in late position, even if you don't have a hand, and get everyone else to fold to you.

How often to bluff is another question.  You can't bluff all the time, obviously.  If you do, you'll become too predictable.  One of the main reasons to bluff is to be unpredictable, so that would be counterproductive.  That's why it's so important to pick and choose when and how to bluff.  Don't just do it all the time or you'll get caught in your own trap.