Texas Holdem Strategy

Bluffing

Opponents hands

If you can tell from the way your opponents bet or raise how strong you? opponents' hands are, you can derive from the calculation their chances to fold as well. Remember, that you may not be the only person bluffing!

Position

You can sometimes use your position to identify good bluffing opportunities. E.g. a wildly used bluffing opportunity it to bet in last position when everyone has checked. Another bluffing opportunity is to bet out from the blinds when all rags, cards lower than a 9, or small pair flops.

Early or late betting rounds?

Bluffing is more difficult on the river than on the earlier rounds of betting (though you will have a larger reward in the latter case). This is a good tactic, especially if apparent drawing hands have missed. This is when players tend to react to rule of "the moment you know you can't win, throw in your cards."
It is often a good idea to bluff with a weak hand, like ace-high or lowest pair with these kinds of bluffs, because some players will stay in just because of pot odds. If you do that, it is actually semi-bluffing (see later on).

Type of flop/Board

Those flops or boards, which create a great possibility for having a strong hand, represent a considerable impediment to bluffs. Some players will fold automatically if all they have is an overcard. With a rainbow flop of 2, 6 and 9, not many players will have much. This is another example of a bluff that can go horribly awry. I wouldn't be too persistent in this case, unless only more low cards pop up. Once again, know your players.

When are THEY bluffing?

This isn't about reading tells. This is about the situations where bluffing is plausible, and when other players will do it. You can generally look at the reasons YOU should bluff and apply them to other players. Of course, you also have to know the player, and evaluate it from there, but here are some ideas...

They are keeping the initiative despite a poor flop

If they bet pre-flop from a poor position, and the flop is something like 4, 5 and 5, they are probably just trying to keep momentum going and bluff their way out of this hand. They probably have genuine drawing chances with overcards or maybe an overpair, but a re-raise could have them rethink their strategy. It might also give you a betting round or two to try and make YOUR hand.

Pot odds are in their favour

If everyone folds on the turn with a big pot, like when an obvious draw was missed, expect a bluff. It's almost certain that anyone will bluff against a big pot. With the pot odds the way they are, you probably want to stay in those hands also.