What "Underbluffed" Really Means In Poker

In a recent coaching session, I was reviewing a final table spot with a high-stakes pro who normally crushes online PLO cash games.

He comes to me for 1:1 coaching specifically on final table strategy whenever he binks a tournament, and it's always a sharp, collaborative process.

We looked at a river spot where he block bet and then faced a raise. He turned to me and asked, "What would you do here?"

I said, "I'd fold... it's a really underbluffed line."

Without missing a beat, he shot back: "That usually tells you that you're not bluffing enough."

That line hit me hard.

Mainly because he had a point.

If my immediate read is that the pool isn't bluffing here, is that really about them — or about me?

Am I folding because the pool underbluffs, or because I don't know how to construct a bluffing range in that spot myself?

Now, to be clear: I still believe that in many of these river scenarios, population tendencies skew heavily toward value.

So yes, folds are often fine.

But what struck me in that moment wasn't the strategic accuracy of the fold — it was the mental shortcut I'd taken to get there.

The term "underbluffed" has become poker shorthand.

It's often true, but that doesn't mean it's always helpful.

When we label a spot that way, we stop thinking. We stop asking the hard questions, like:

• Could I construct bluffs here?

• What would they look like?

  
  

And most importantly: If I can't find the bluffs, am I sure that my opponents can't?

This is a leak I see all the time, especially in part-time players trying to simplify the game.

They fold rivers because the spot "feels underbluffed" without checking whether that's based on data, logic, or just being uncomfortable in that spot.

But here’s the kicker: even if your opponents are underbluffing, learning to find your bluffs in those spots still makes you better.

It strengthens your fundamentals. It makes you tougher to play against. And it trains your brain to construct better responses rather than avoid the discomfort.

So next time you catch yourself saying, "this is underbluffed," take a beat.

Ask yourself: What does that say about my game? 

You might just find a leak you didn’t know you had.

I'll leave you with a funny story about bluff catching rivers from WSOPE Main Event Champion Jack Sinclair who told me about a Blind vs Blind hand he played against Charlie Carrel.

On the river, facing a sizeable raise, Jack said that he wasn't 100% sure what the bluffs were supposed to look like in this spot, but he knew that Charlie would.

And that's why he called.

And that's why he was right.

Makes me laugh every time I think about it.

That's it for this week.

See you next time.