Multiway bluff
A bluff into two or more players, which only works if every one of them folds.
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- What it means
- A bluff wins only when every player folds. The chance of that shrinks with each extra player, so good multiway bluffs are rare.
- How it is calculated
- The rule of thumb bluffs only with under 20% equity against both ranges, and only when the share of the range that folds, multiplied once per player, beats the bluff's break-even of bet ÷ (pot + bet). The folding share is every hand weaker than one pair, and the players are treated as independent: a simplification.
- Worked example
- A half-pot bluff needs folds 0.5 ÷ 1.5, about 33%, of the time. If 55% of the range folds, heads up that is enough, but both of two players fold only 0.55 × 0.55, about 30%, so the bluff loses.
- Why it matters
- Bluffing into two players is an expensive habit that heads-up players bring to a full table.
See also: Bluff, Bluff break-even, Multiway pot