The difference between a lie and a surprise is that soon everyone will know what the surprise was. A lie has the intention of concealing the truth forever.
Correct, and a bluff is not intended to last forever. Bluffing is revealed eventually, because you can only have a pair of aces so often, statistically speaking.
At that point, the table awareness of the bluff is still profitable because it forces others to bet into your strong hands.
A bluff that is revealed is just as good as one kept secret. Many people seem to misunderstand this.
We tell plenty of lies that aren't intended to hold up forever — whether it's a lie to a stranger that you hope to be away from before the lie becomes apparent, or a lie to a acquaintance that you hope is small enough that the social friction of confronting you over it would be worse than the lie.
At that point, the table awareness of the bluff is still profitable because it forces others to bet into your strong hands.
A bluff that is revealed is just as good as one kept secret. Many people seem to misunderstand this.