Fear

Bluffing is about fear. Managing yours and taking advantage of theirs.

The player with a King lives in abject fear of losing the pot to someone with an Ace.

A better player will always fold when an Ace hits on the turn or river and a player who'd been calling up to that point suddenly turns aggressive.

Why don't people bluff? Fear. Fear they'll either lose their bet, or I suspect MORE often, fear they'll get caught.

Umm, who cares? Getting caught is a GOOD thing. It makes sure when you really HAVE the cards that the player who caught you out will call you all the way to the end.

You have to bluff a certain amount to know that bluffing is only going to work some percentage of the time.

It's a calculated wager, just like every other bet you place. If I bluff five times, and it costs me X to bluff, and I win Y in the 2 times it works, am I money ahead?

I've told you before, bluffing is (usually) not some huge, all-in wager when you're in a showdown at the river. Its a series of moderate bets here and there that nobody even recognizes as a bluff.

Seen in this light, getting caught, or losing your bet is no big deal. It's just part of the cost of doing business.

Bluffing has to be as routine as betting when you do have cards. You have to spot bluffing opportunities as quickly as recognizing when you have the nuts and act quickly on them. Fear has no place in bluffing; it's business as usual.

The only fear in bluffing should be the fear you put into your opponent's heart.