Bluffing mastery. What’s the difference between a bluff in online and physical poker? 

Poker is everywhere, especially online, and that’s all thanks to the wild advancements that have happened over the last decade. But while physical poker offers an easier way to read your opponent and begin the art of bluffing, online poker now is so far ahead in technological terms, there are ways to bluff through the internet, too.

As it stands, there are currently 100 million poker players worldwide, which beats by a landslide many other sports out there. For instance, there are only 87 million tennis players across the world, and almost 70 million golfers, proving that poker playing is a sport that truly is going nowhere. 

One of the main focal points for any poker player isn’t that of the wins or the thrill of the game — it's the ability to pull off a good bluff. After all, if you can’t bluff your way through cards that have no lady luck, then there are small chances of you coming out with the win. 

In any game of poker, a strong hand of cards can only take you so far — which is why you have to get involved in the world of deception to grab that win. We’re going to take a look at all the psychological aspects of poker and explain how you can truly win at poker through bluffing. What’s the difference between online casino playing and in-person poker? Let’s take a look at the telltale signs.

What is bluffing?

Before we start dishing out all our wise knowledge on this paramount part of playing poker, we need to start with the basics. What is bluffing? 

This essential skill is the most important part of the game. It required physiological depth that only professionals can seem to grasp to a high ability. It involves betting or acting in a manner that makes your opponent doubt both you and themselves. It misleads them in the sense that they have no idea about the strength of your hand, so they slip up and lead you to the win. The main goal when bluffing is to psychologically persuade your opponent to fold their stronger hand, as you have convinced them that you are holding a strong hand — but you are not. To put it simply, bluffing involves manipulation and control, as you are managing the game, without them even knowing it. 

But, it’s not just about lying with a straight face as you see in the movies — no, it's about pulling off a level of sophistication that interferes with all the other players' strategies. You need quick levels of judgment, quick gameplay, and an overarching skill so you can play the game to the greatest of your ability. Bluffing correctly will get you a win with a mediocre hand, but bluffing like an expert will turn your low-scoring hand into one worthy of success. 

What’s the difference between live poker and online games?

The fundamentals of bluffing pretty much stay the same regardless of whether you’re playing online or sitting at the physical table. Some small techniques vary, and utilizing them correctly will set you up for success.

Live gameplay 

It’s a no-brainer, in a game of physical poker you can observe physical tells from your opponents. These include behaviors and habits that are visibly obvious, which give away a player's hand — for instance, facial expressions, the way they touch their chips, their posture, or even their tone of voice when conversing across the table. Professionals use these obvious physical elements to their advantage when playing, and they are often able to use them in a bluff or call out one themselves. 

Online casino 

While it may be obvious, online casinos, especially online poker, really do strip away the physical tells that players use to their advantage. This means that the artful bluff needs to be detected or used in other ways, to really get what you want from the game. When there are no physical observations available to you, you must concentrate on betting patterns, their ability to make decisions, and the time they take to play. This, along with knowing the history of the player, will give you a good insight into their abilities and whether you can pull off a good bluff (or whether they’re bluffing you). This will help with your ITM and make your game much better overall!

An example would be, if their bet size suddenly jumps, or there is a long delay in their gameplay which isn’t normal for them, then this is its digital telltale for them pulling off a bluff — or generally having a good hand. Overall, the difference between online and physical bluffing in poker is that the online method needs a lot more concentration and pattern recognition. When there are plenty of anonymous players in online casinos, this also calls for a high level of bluffing in any game. 

By making sure you are aware of all the tactics in the game and understand the differences between the two formats, and you’ll improve your winning rate as a whole!