Editing Bluff (poker) (section)

== Pure bluff ==
A '''pure bluff''', or '''stone-cold bluff''', is a bet or raise with an inferior hand that has little or no chance of improving. A player making a pure bluff believes they can win the pot only if all opponents fold. The [[pot odds]] for a bluff are the ratio of the size of the bluff to the pot. A pure bluff has a positive [[expected value|expectation]] (will be profitable in the long run) when the probability of being called by an opponent is lower than the pot odds for the bluff.

For example, suppose that after all the cards are out, a player holding a [[Glossary of poker terms#busted|busted]] [[Draw (poker)|drawing]] hand decides that the only way to win the pot is to make a pure bluff. If the player bets the size of the pot on a pure bluff, the bluff will have a positive expectation if the probability of being called is less than 50%. Note, however, that the opponent may also consider the pot odds when deciding whether to call. In this example, the opponent will be facing 2-to-1 pot odds for the call. The opponent will have a positive expectation for calling the bluff if the opponent believes the probability the player is bluffing is at least 33%.