That's why it's called the art of bluffing because it's an art in order to work. The bluff is a "story" that you are telling.
Raising preflop, betting on the flop, betting on the turn, and showing the river on an AcAs9h - 5h-2c is telling the "story" that you have a big hand like AK, AA, AQ, 99....BUT you can do it with a bluff as well having 72, 87,65 etc....The only thing is that the player or players you are against need to be good poker players in order for them to fold. If they have a hand like 89, or J9, or K9 or 75 or 42
If they are donkey players they will call with those hands because they got a pair...and they don't understand.
Another interesting thing is the art of bluff catching. For example, i did one just two days ago.
I was in the big blind, one player from the middle position called the blind and everyone else folded. I had A-8 suited. I raised 5 times the blind he called.
The flop came JsJc5d, turn 4c river 2d...we both checked it until the river and on the river, he pushed all in. It didn't make any sense to do this.
A jack would have bet the turn to get value, and to defend against the straight draw and the flush draw...full house would have also bet to get value from a jack that I might have and the only hand that made sense was an A-3 but I didn't believe him, so I called with ace high, he had 7-9.