The Book of Bluffs

by Matt Lessinger

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Reviewer: pjensen

Bluffing is an essential part of poker. It is one of the reasons why it’s possible to make a living playing poker – your long-term results don’t rely exclusively on beating the odds of the game, which is the case will all other casino games. If you spend a lifetime playing craps or roulette you will inevitably lose money, because even a perfect player cannot beat the house odds over the long-term. But in poker, there are many times when you find yourself winning a pot that you were destined to lose, simply because you got your opponent to fold. And that is thanks to the art of the bluff.

Many poker books discuss bluffing, but The Book of Bluffs takes a much more exhaustive and comprehensive approach. The book begins with some basic understating of bluffing, and discusses the type of players who are more likely to be bluffed (and those who are not). Subsequent chapters delve into specific bluffing situations, using real-world hands as examples; some examples even come from championship events, like the WSOP. For each type of bluff, Lessinger assigns a "degree of difficulty", the bluff's rate of success, how often you should attempt it, and the frequency with which that bluffing scenario comes up. He teaches you how to uncover calling and betting patterns in your opponents, so you can use that information to figure out when someone may be bluffing you. The author also points out when and why bluffs don't work, and when to abandon a bluff when it goes wrong.

Each bluff is categorized by its purpose, such as Attacking Weakness, Representing Strength, and The Implied Threat. Some bluffs are common ones that most players have done before, such as betting after everyone else has checked. Or posting a late blind and raising (with any two cards) when it gets folded around to you. Or semi-bluffing a drawing hand. But others are more complex and difficult to pull off, such as the pot-limit Omaha bluff when the board shows a three-flush and you have the lone ace of that suit, and you bet big representing the nut flush. There is even a chapter that discusses bluffing online.

This is not a book for beginners – you should build a solid foundation before reading this book and putting any of it into practice. And by no means should The Book of Bluffs be taken as gospel. Most of the book’s advice is subjective, and not all players will agree on a particular topic. But this book will definitely help you to think “outside the box” and learn to play more than just the cards you are dealt. If you want to take your game to the next level, learning when and how to bluff – and also when and how to pick off someone else’s bluff – is an essential art to master. Just make sure you pick your spots carefully.

4/5 

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