Bullets in poker normally mean pocket aces but not this time. This other type of bullet, just as handy in free poker games as cash games, is actually a bluff-bet.

- By 'first bullet' i mean a continuation bet.
- By 'second bullet' i mean a bet at the Turn like continuation bet.
- And by 'third bullet' i mean a bluff on the river.

So why do i continue to fire bullets even though i don't have the best hand?

That's exactly the reason. I bluff on the pot because i have nothing.

Suppose you have A-8 in a Flop of K-K-5 (no Flushes possible), i fire a continuation bet at the Flop and hope that our opponent believes i have the King and they fold. If they raise, well, it's the end of the hand for us.

The Flop above would be a hard board to raise if you have nothing. You can assume that a raiser will have a King, and usually many players who do not have it fold after someone else bets. That first bettor should be you, not anyone else.

If someone calls at the Flop above, it's the end of the hand for us, too. Should they have the Five, they have the top hand, and even if i pair one of our hole cards, there is still the lingering possibility that the caller has a King and is slow-playing it, so i slow down. The 1st bullet is sufficient.

Now, here's a situation where i can fire a second bullet.

In this example you have 7-6 and the Flop shows 8-5-K. You are first to act so you bet. Here, you still do not have a hand, but if your opponents fold, the pot is yours.

But, if someone calls, and the Turn doesn't give you a made Straight, (say 8-5-K-J) it's still possible to fire a second bullet. Your opponent may have a King, but he may also have a mere Eight, and when the second overcard popped out, he may be feeling a bit uncertain already.

Possibly he thinks you're betting because you have a King (which you don't have) so you continued betting to show that amid the Jack, you're feeling undaunted.

Should you succeed in making the other guy fold then great. If not, you want to hit that Straight. If i hit our Straight, and fire a third bullet, our opponent has no clue that the last card helped us immensely!

He might interpret it as a bluff again and call. If he folds, then it is just what i expect if he was hanging on with a weak hand. But he may have called since he had the King all along and is now beat.

However, imagine i do not hit the Straight. I fired two bullets. Shall i fire a 3rd?

Say the river came 8-5-K-J-7. The 3rd card made possible a possible Straight. That is among the good reasons to bluff. Make it larger - make it look authentic.

Finally, suppose the Board didn't help us fully, like in a Board of J-3-7-9-2 and i have A-10.

I fired two bullets (with the pure goal of making the opponents fold) already. Shall i fire a third?

If i had A-7 with this example, i can just check-check and hope that out pair of Sevens are good in a small-pot showdown. However, if i have A-10, i should bet again.

Which is the only way to win the pot. That is among the best ways to maintain an aggressive game throughout. And, that is among the best ways to spare us the embarrassment of checking Ace high and forcing to reveal it first.

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