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Treat betting as a conversation
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At the start of a hand the blind bets and antes (if
used) go into the pot to be played for. If someone at the table
wants to win those chips, they declare their interest by an initial
bet. That is the beginning of the conversation.
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Sat around your poker table are all completely trustworthy people,
who you can assume are being honest with their betting. You can
trust 100% what their betting tells you. |
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Mother Teresa of Calcutta |
Yourself |
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bb $20 ~ The vicar's daughter |
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A New York policeman |
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sb $10 ~ Your mum |
(D) ~ A prominent British politician |
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Your Pocket cards are
Pre-flop
A player folding now will be saying, "I have bad cards and/or no
position to play them."
A small bet (minimum or single raise) may say, "I have a weak hand
or a hand that needs to improve with more cards coming to the board."
A medium bet (single raise or 2-3 times the big blind) says, "I
already have a good hand, that still may improve."
A large bet (3-6 times the big blind) says, "I have a strong hand
which also may get stronger."
With that considered information plus the exact knowledge of your
pocket cards, you still cannot know for sure if another player has
a better poker hand than you. But by listening to the language of
the bet, you can make judgements.
The 1st action |
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Raises 3xbb (raise three times the amount of the big blind) |
"Yo dudes, I'm looking at a big one here... no one is going to limp in to this pot"
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You make a mental note of this and smooth call the bet (also put in 3xbb) |
"I'm with you baby... lets get it on" |
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Folds |
"Too rich for me, I'm out of here" |
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Folds |
"One declines for a better opportunity yet to come" |
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Folds |
"You're on your own kids" |
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Smooth calls (puts in 2xbb, because she has already paid 1xbb) |
"It's not too expensive for me to call....I'm in" |
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Initially, keep things simple. If you think you are in front,
consider making a bet. If you think you are behind, think about
folding. An exception is if you have a good chance to increase
your hand, to one capable of beating the hand you believe you are
behind to.
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Post-flop
Your parameters for betting will be in relation to how the three
flopped cards affect your hand (exact knowledge) and how they may
affect your opponents hands (considered knowledge), as well as how
future cards may affect the hands.
Other considerations will be your table position, the current pot
size, the potential pot size and how many players are still in the
hand. Often when you see a poker player on television, these factors
are being calculated behind their concentrated stare.
Take a moment to think things through before making every decision in
poker.
Your Pocket cards
The flop comes
Having a pocket pair of kings, you must consider if Mother T' has paired
with the ace, because with a substantial early raise Mother T' has already
declared she has some kind of hand. You must also think about the vicar's
daughter, it did not cost her very much extra to see the flop from the big
blind position.
She may be playing many various cards including perhaps an ace with a low
kicker or is looking at a straight draw. Both could be on a flush draw.
The vicar's daughter will be first to act.
The 2nd action |
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Checks |
"I would like to see another card please" |
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Checks |
"Word up Rockefeller... I want another too" |
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More often than not, it is right for you to bet at this point.
This is not the same as bluffing. You are not telling the other
players you have an ace, rather you are asking a question. You
should consider how much to bet based on how much you are willing
to lose.
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By checking, neither the vicar's daughter or Mother T' have spoken
but have given limited information.
You know that you do not have an ace, nor do you have a heart, so
you may check too. However, if you do that you will not know if
Mother T' or the vicar's daughter are ahead of you. If either
believe they are they will call your bet, or more likely want to
raise; if not they may fold.
So your betting poses a question. |
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You bet a quarter of the pot |
"erm... ok Mother T' and the vicar's daughter. There is a big scary ace on the board and two hearts; have you connected there." |
The 2nd action continued
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Calls the bet |
"Okay I wanted a card for free... but like good sex you have to pay for it" |
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Folds |
"Yo dude, I ain't payin' fo' nuttin" |
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Large bet (pot sized or rarely, pot sized plus) |
"Bend over my lap and let me spank your botty... thank you very much." |
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Folds |
"Well played, I'm guessing you have a pair of hearts in your hand and know when I am beaten." |
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If the vicar's daughter had not made a large enough bet to
force the fold, you may have called and may have found a card
on the river to give you a winning full house. The smartest
thing you did was gain enough information to make the right
decision. |
Things done differently
#1
You could have bet more after the flop to prevent another card coming
to the board making the flush possible, if others in the hand were
wary of the ace on the board you may have won the hand right there. I
would not recommend that as a standard play with an ace on the board.
You should not be afraid of any card in poker. Just be aware that aces
and kings are the type of cards people will want to see a flop with.
#2
If you had not bet after the flop, asking the question and listening to
the answer, you may have later thought your three kings were a strong
enough hand to win the pot.
The pre flop bet gives you three cards to connect with, later bets are
usually more costly and may only give you one card.
A check by you post flop (last to act when the others had checked) would
have given you no information, and would have given the others a free
card with which to beat you.
#3
If, when the Kh came on the turn, the vicars daughter instead (1) checked
or (2) made a small bet, would you;
(1) bet again or
(2) make a large re-raise?
There are many variables; you will not always know if you have made the
correct decision.
Poker is a game of skill, luck and timing; by exploiting your skills at
the right time and reducing the luck factor you will enjoy a more
successful game.
Treat betting as a conversation (reprise)
There is a language in poker betting, as you learn it you will make the
correct decisions more often. Making correct decisions is the key to
successful poker.
One way to learn the language is to earwig on other player's conversations
by selecting a poker tournament that is in the closing stages. Look for
hands that involve two or more medium sized stacks, see if you can follow
the talk and guess what the players are holding.
Listen to the lilliputational squeak of "all-in" as a short stack tries
desperately to puff their chest out and double through on the big stack.
The big stack in turn declares to all at the table "Back off Buck-o, this
is mine to gobble up" and re-raises an uncompromising ten times the
previous bet.
As you learn the language you will find there are four types of poker
conversationalists;
1. Those who do not bother to learn the language
2. Those who are cunning linguists
3. Those who at times refuse to listen
4. And then there is you
Here is how to play them.
1. These are easy to beat. Any player who has not learnt the language
will not have learnt that a good looking hand, can turn bad. Easy to
trap.
2. Skilful talkers are fun to play against. If they outplay you or
just get better cards, then enjoy the game; see what you can learn
from them. The difficulty is defining between those who talk well
and those who talk big.
3. These are annoying, your way to beat these players will depend
on how large their stack is compared to yours. Sometimes you can shout
until you are blue in the face but will go unheard. Do not try to trap
these people, just play your best cards against them.
4. Ah yes... you. You pose a question when it needs asking, are polite
and always give honest answers. Yeah right! |
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