Poker : Bluffing and Semi-Bluffing at Poker

Dear Mark,

The announcers for the Sky poker programmes use the terms bluff and semi-bluff. Could you please explain the differences? Are they not really the same, or is a semi-bluff just a bluff but with less money?
Melba H.

A bluff and a semi-bluff are only very distant cousins, Melba, not distinguished by the amount of money at risk. In poker, Melba, there are generally two ways to win a hand. One is for your opponent to fold, conceding the pot; and the other is for your opponent to call your hand and then wince when you prevail in the showdown. A bluff is a bet or raise when you have little chance of winning the pot if called. With a bluff, you have only one way to win: your opponent folds.

A semi-bluff is a bet made when you have more cards to come, and although you might not have the best hand right now, you have some outs if you are called. An "out" is a possibility that cards can turn up on the next round that could turn your hand into a possible winner. For instance, you have two spades in the pocket (your hand) and two on the board. Here, you might semi-bluff hoping to catch another spade on the turn (Fourth Street) or the river (Fifth Street). I've got to ask, Melba: with that lovely name, are you more frequently referred to as Peach or as Toast?