Killing a Good Run with Bad Bluffs and Fancy Play
When you have a run of good luck at online poker, enjoy it – but don’t abuse it. One cardinal sin that players who are on a rush of good luck make is to attempt to bluff too often. They become deluded that they cannot lose and can win with anything.
Bluffing is a skill and an art that should be carefully planned from the start of a hand. It should be used rarely when certain selective opportunities arise, such as late position where everyone checks after a scare card comes out. A deluded player who begins making too many bluffs is going to blow off chips and the potential profit that good luck has bestowed.
Another trap that good runs can bring is the willingness to engage in too many fancy plays. For instance, you check-raise on the turn, and then when the opportunity arises again on the river, you check-raise again. That is solid online poker play for building a pot. It becomes irrational and predictable when continually attempted and will quickly turn on you. Do not start engaging in your favorite fancy play over and over again. Instead, reserve it for those select opportunities when you can ambush your opponents by surprise. When you lose the element of surprise in poker, you lose an edge.
