a quote

from The Mathematics of Poker:

bluffing in optimal poker play is often not a profitable play in and of itself. instead, the combination of bluffing and value betting is designed to ensure the optimal strategy gains value no matter how the opponent responds. opponents who fold too often surrender value to bluffs while opponents who call too often surrender value to value bets. 


obviously. but still, at the table, i don't often fully consider my hypothetical value betting or bluffing frequency in a spot while considering the opposite action.

seems like an easy way to stay out of trouble when the exploitive play isn't clear. also, few opponents play optimally, so when we do, we essentially let them choose how they want to pay us.