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The vast majority of your opponents don't bluff enough.
Recreational players and nut-peddling regulars do not understand blockers and capped ranges well enough. Even if they do, they'll regularly fail to pull the trigger.
Why? Getting caught bluffing sucks. Everyone at the table has something to say about your 'bad play.' They're trying to get the bluffer to stop their attacks because bluffing makes them uncomfortable.
Most people also believe that bluffs don't work because "nobody ever folds to me."
You'll see big bluffs on occasion, sure. But they usually occur when someone is pissed off that their huge draw missed.
If there are no missed draws on the board and your opponent isn't tilting, you should give them the benefit of the doubt.
Ask yourself if they're value betting anything worse. Ask yourself if they could be betting some missed draws.
If the answer is no to both, then fold more. Don't pay off these players. They're not creative enough to deserve your river calls.
Alex Fitzgerald is a best-selling author and head coach at Poker Headrush. D&B Publishing will release his latest book, How to Beat Players Who Never Fold, this summer. You can follow Alex on X.
