Bluffing

From PokerAI

In poker, bluffing is the practice of raising with a hand that you don't believe is the best hand on the table. Depending on how much the opponent calls, bluffing either provides value by causing the opponent to fold a stronger hand, or by causing the opponent to call with weaker ones.

There is a wide variety of notions about bluffs. Semi-bluffs are bluffs with a drawing hand, and representing a hand is the practice of bluffing in a fashion that is similar to the play of a legitimate hand.

From a game theory perspective, because the value of bluffs is dependent on an opponent folding or calling with a hand that is below the legitemate calling range, and above the bluff range, it's clear that bluffs are best with hands that are at the bottom of the hand strength range, or, for semi-bluffs, hands that are very weak if they don't hit their draw.

In simple poker games, it's relatively easy to calculate the ideal bluff rate, and how much value bluffing provides.

The inverse of a bluff - not raising with a strong hand - is referred to as slow playing.