Secondary Research

Don't let a little thing like ignorance stand in the way of success. Whether you’ve exaggerated your talents, recently been promoted, switched sector or simply been told to impress on a new venture — and you don’t have a clue — don’t panic. Provided you know how to wing it, you’ll do just fine. Here’s our guide:

1. You are not alone. If you fear being outed as an incompetent idiot, join the club. It’s called imposter syndrome, according to Octavius Black, the managing director of The Mind Gym. “The idea is that we all think that we aren’t up to the job,” he says. Be comforted by the fact that everyone else suffers from paranoia too.

2. Exude confidence. If you are put on the spot and expected to spout business truths, don’t panic. “Generally keep smiling and look like you are enjoying yourself,” Black says. “People will assume that you know what you are doing.”

3. Ask questions. Neville Howard, a partner in consulting at Deloitte, says that consultants are frequently looked up to as the experts. “It’s a real challenge,” he says. “In any kind of business exchange if you are dealing in an area of uncertainty, asking simple, open questions can get you a long way. Ask, ‘Why is this so important?’ for example.”

4. Ask more questions. “People love talking,” Black says. “If they’re busy answering your questions, they won’t be able to probe you to find out your knowledge.” Or rather, the lack of it.

5. Know your limits. If you don’t know the answer to a direct question, don’t wing it. Repeat the question to show that you’ve understood it, then outline what steps you will take to get all the relevant information. You’ll sound authoritative, not lost for words, Black says.

6. Check your information. “It’s really good to reflect back what you hear using simple language to make sure that you understand what is being asked of you,” Howard says. That way, you make sure that you are on the right track.

7. Do your own research. No project, question or problem is ever unique. “So often I see people struggling to reinvent the wheel,” Howard says. “They don’t look at how other businesses have dealt with the same issues before. You can usually find a parallel somewhere.”

8. Indirectly ask for help. If your manager sets you a brain-teaser, go to colleagues and ask for their advice, Black says. “I would probably flatter them.” Tell them that you know they are in the boss’s confidence, then pick their brains. “Go back to your manager with two or three options and ask him to guide you. That way you get more information.”

9. Use your teammates. “It’s amazing how often I’m in meetings when a team is faced with a new challenge and no one thinks to ask if anyone has relevant past experience,” Howard says. “All too often it turns out that the quiet person at the end of the room has done the exact same thing twice before.”

10. Grin and bear it. Working at the boundaries of your knowledge can be an uncomfortable, stomach-churning experience, but it’s not all bad. “It can be beneficial,” says Nicola Monson, a research associate at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. “It’s good for your morale and stretches you that bit further, which contributes to your development.” Now, repeat after me: no two days are ever the same.

Find out more

Read more about imposter syndrome in The Mind Gym: Wake Your Mind Up (£12.99)

When it really matters, stop bluffing. First-time managers should read Becoming the Boss, by Linda A. Hill, first published inHarvard Business Review (Jan). Download it for £3.60 ($7.00) atwww.hbsp.harvard.edu/products/hbr/index.html

But don’t worry, winging it is not the same as bulls***ting. “It’s about dealing with a little knowledge and a lot of uncertainty in a positive way,” Neville Howard says. Steer conversation towards safer ground by talking about what you do know rather than acknowledging that which you don’t. Repeating information that you have gleaned from other people will also make you sound more expert, says Octavius Black.

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Any poker veteran will tell you that to be a good player you must think about many different things during the game. In this article, we will discuss three important psychological concepts that can mean the difference between bluffing and getting bluffed: tilts, tells, and reading hands and situations. With the right amount of practice and skill, you, too, can become a master bluffer. Let's get the ball rolling with an examination of "tilts."

When players make mistakes because something upsets them emotionally, it is called a "tilt" or "being on a tilt." An example is a player who is a huge favorite in a hand but loses to an opponent who hits a miracle card (often called a "bad beat"). That player becomes so emotionally upset that he/she begins to make bad decisions. Another instance that sometimes puts players on a tilt is when an opponent is loud, obnoxious, rude, or otherwise annoying. Players who are on a tilt react in many different ways with the most common being betting with weaker hands than usual. While it's important to realize when one of your opponents is on a tilt, it is more important to realize when you may be going on a tilt and figuring out how not to let your emotions get the best of you.

Recognizing when you are going on a tilt is easier for some than others. If you think you may have played on tilt but aren't sure, one way that may help you is to keep detailed records of your playing sessions. Something else to watch out for is if you start to consider playing weaker hands than you usually play after taking a couple bad beats.

Once you realize that you are going on a tilt, you must, of course, try to avoid it. Some players can avoid tilting by simply suppressing their emotions and concentrating more on the game. If you are too upset, it may be best to simply quit your current playing session. Some players will get up and take a short walk to clear their head before returning to the game. Some find that fresh air also helps. Try different things when you go on a tilt until you find which one works best for you.

When one of your opponents is on a tilt, remember a few things as you try to take advantage of the situation. Players on a tilt are often unpredictable, especially when deciding their starting hand. Entering thepot (the total amount that has been bet in a single game) with weaker hands than usual is the most common thing players on a tilt do. Another thing to remember is that players may realize what they are doing and correct it at any time. In addition, solid players may be trying to convince you they are on a tilt when they are not. Deception in poker is a frequent occurrence.

It is important to remember not to play weak hands in order to take advantage of the player on a tilt. The fish may become so tempting to you that you become a fish yourself.

Very similar to tilts are "tells." In the next section, we will look at the signs that can reveal a player's hand, intentions or mood.

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1. Understand the stakes. Bluffing can go wrong and cause you to lose a lot of money and possibly face! By betting money into a pot that you know you're not necessarily going to win, you're taking a big risk. On the other hand, sometimes opportunity strikes and seems so winnable, and the other players so "bluffable", that it's worth the risk. It is worth understanding from the outset that bluffing is a lot less common than shown in the movies; in most cases, you do need to have good cards.^[1]

   
   

   • In tournaments avoid shorter stacks who will be looking to get their money in lightly or deeper stacks that can afford to look you up. Medium stacks are the ideal target.
   • Bluff when it's worth doing so but also when the stakes are highest; bluffing works best in higher stakes because the pressure's on!
   • Talented poker players acquire their skill from thousands upon thousands of hands of experience. If you continue to play poker with discipline and an open mind, your chances of bluffing successfully should increase consistently. A good bluffer is a good story-teller and "makes it real".
   • The best bluff is one where nobody knows you've bluffed and you don't get caught!^[2]
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   Understand how to read the tells. "Tells" are important - they're the analyzing side of playing poker. Not only does a good knowledge of tells tell when someone else is bluffing, knowing common signs of bluffing will help you to try and avoid your own unconscious giveaway signs. And listen to other's advice about when they consider you're bluffing; being consciously aware of your subconscious tells can be used to your advantage by forcing the "bluff" tells when you want someone to think you're bluffing but you're not!
   • Watch how chips are put down. They can be placed down gently, counted down, banged down, slid forward, etc. If a player bets his chips very strong and far away from himself, it can mean that subconsciously their chips are going away from them, and they might be bluffing. On the other hand, a person betting closer to themselves can subconsciously mean that the money is coming back to them.^[3]
   • Watch the body language. Look for eye twitches, lip movements, scratching, flaring nostrils, holding of breath, and hand movements (such as covering parts of the face). All of these things can indicate bluffing.
   • Shaking is considered to be a sign of strength.
   • When your opponent acts strong they are likely weak. Staring you down whilst you act, splashing the pot, or forcing a smile when a certain card hits are all common signs.
   • Watch other players to learn the tells when they're bluffing. Learn good tricks from those who bluff well.
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   Develop the proverbial poker face. Keen instincts and sharp intellect must be combined with the ability to show noemotion, or reveal nothing other than casual involvement in the game. Look at your cards casually. Don't give away any information and keep your face as expressionless as stone. Avoid expressing disappointment at seeing bad cards - this is crucial if you're playing face to face.
   • Consider using props. Cowboys in the Wild West used to use their hats to cover their faces. In the age of televised poker, novelty props such as crazy hats, spooky glasses, and fancy wear can turn a player's chosen image into a big business affiliated product.
   • A hoodie and sunglasses can work to cover your face.
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   Begin bluffing. While the instructions outlined in the following steps are specialized for "Texas Hold 'Em," they can be applied to any type of poker game.
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   Start by counting how many players are in the hand. Your chances of successfully bluffing are greater with fewer opponents because you have fewer people to drive out of the pot. Bluffing one or two players is more profitable than bluffing three or more players.
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   Bet, or raise someone else's bet, in the first round of betting, before the flop. Do not bet too much, and don't raise an already large bet. If you think someone else actually has a great to play another hand.
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   Make a check, if it's available, either after the flop or turn. Make a reasonable bet in the other round. Consistent betting makes your opponents think you really have a winning hand and are trying to get as many chips out of them as you can. It takes guts to carry out a good bluff, but if it's done right it will work.
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   Remember that the bet following the river card is the most important. This one must be powerful and intimidating. If the check comes to you, place a large bet. If a player bets in front of you, there are two things you can do. If they bet small, a significantly larger bet might push them out. However, if they make a large, bluff-like bet, your best chance would be to call and go all in. The best feeling in poker is catching someone on a bluff and taking down a large pot with a bluff of your own.
   • The turn card is very important. If you bet big on the turn when you've been betting moderately earlier, players will be more intimidated. If you think you've won the hand on the turn card, you may even want to check and then bet like crazy on the river. People are more likely to call a big bet if you checked before, thinking you might be bluffing. This works even better if you've been (accidentally?) caught bluffing earlier.
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   Remember that the most important aspect is to tell a story with your bet. No matter how much advice you've followed from this article, an ill-timed river bet will not tell a cohesive story on its own.
• For example: Let's say you raise pre-flop, and bet hard again on a flop of 9-3-J. With no available draws, your opponent might put you on a pair of jacks or pocket pair. If the turn brings a 3 and you bet again, your opponent will certainly not put you on a real hand, as you couldn't have raised hard pre-flop with any hand containing a 3 only to bet bottom pair hard on the flop. A savvy opponent will simply call your bets and rake in the pot with any made hand. Pay attention to the texture of the flop and watch how the hand unfolds. Represent a certain specific hand consistently with your betting pattern.
• Bluff cards that will likely have weakened your opponents hand. if your opponent has called on a J-7-2 flop and the turn comes a 7 this is not a good time to bluff as any pair your opponent may hold will still be as strong as before. If the turn comes down a K unless your opponents pair of jacks or sevens is not looking so good now so they are more likely to fold.
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How To Bluff In Poker

One of the things that differentiates poker from other card games is that in poker, you don’t always need to have the best hand to scoop in the pot. A well-timed bluff can win you a pot that you would have no chance of winning at showdown with your 7-2 offsuit.

There is more to bluffing than just throwing some chips in the middle and then hoping your eyes don’t give you away. To succeed with a bluff in poker, you must know when a bluff is likely to succeed, and when you shouldn’t even bother.

TV and movies have romanticised the importance of bluffing in poker. Many a Hollywood blockbuster has the hero win the World Series by making, or reading, a particularly clever and risky bluff for all his chips. The truth however is that while an ability to make bluffs in effective situations is a characteristic of all good poker players, they are rarely the most important skill in a player’s repertoire. Hand selection, understanding position, and pot odds are skills at least as important as bluffing to successful poker player.

How to Bluff in Poker:

Bluffing in poker when the situation is right is still a powerful and profitable move however. Here are some things to keep in mind when considering making a bluff:

When To Bluff:

Bluff when you have recently showed down winning hands: It doesn’t matter if the winning hand was Ace high or a full house, all that matters is that people saw you show the winning hand. That sticks in people’s memory (at least for a few rounds) and they will give your bets and raises more respect. Use that respect to win a few extra pots by bluffing.

Bluff when a small bet had a good chance to win a big pot: If you have a $1,000 and the pot is only $50, then shoving your entire stack in to win is probably going to lose money in the long run. You will definitely win the pot most of the time, but when you are called, you will have lost $1,000 trying to win $50. Conversely, if you bluff with a $25 bet to win a $50 pot, you only need to win 1 time in 3 to break even, and anything above that is profit.

Bluff against good players: This might seem counterintuitive, but one of the defining characteristics of a bad player is their inability to fold. A bad (or inexperienced) player will tend to call all the way to the river with a hand as week as bottom pair. A good player will usually be able to understand the strength you are representing, and will be more likely to fold their medium strength hands.

Bluff when your betting tells a consistent story: Lets say your raised preflop in a Texas Hold’em game holding 6-6. You get one caller, and the flop comes A Q 5. This is often a good spot to bluff, because your hand tells a consistent story: You raised preflop representing a strong hand (usually high cards), now the flop has come with some high cards, and you bet again. You could easily have hit this flop (although in this instance you didn’t) so your opponent will be likely to fold unless they hit the flop hard themselves.

When Not To Bluff in Poker:

There are some times when even the best poker player in the world wont be able to get away with a bluff. Be wary in these situations; often the best choice is just to let the hand go.

Don’t bluff when you’ve recently been caught bluffing. If you have bluffed and been caught the last 3 hands in a row, chances are slim that you are going to get away with a bluff on the 4^th attempt. Change gears and play tight for a little while, and then you can go back to bluffing once your image has evened out a bit.

Don’t bluff against multiple players. The more players left in the hand, the higher the chances that someone has a hand good enough to call or raise you, and that’s not what you want to happen when you are bluffing.

Don’t bluff when an opponent probably has a strong hand. There are some situations where you can be reasonably confident that your opponent’s hand is pretty good. Lets say that your opponent raised preflop from under the gun and you called on the button with 22. The flop comes A K Q, and your opponent bets into you with a full pot sized bet. This would be an ill advised situation to put in a bluff-raise, since your opponent’s early position raise and large flop bet on a dangerous board likely indicates a very strong hand, 2 pair at minimum.

Don’t bluff bad players: There is a saying in poker: “If you try and bluff a bad player, you’re a bad player”. This is because bad players tend to call, even when they should fold. When you bluff into a bad player, all you are doing is helping your opponent to make “really great calls”, when they call down your bluff and they only have a weak pair.