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by:
Rick Braddy
The
"Language" of Poker Bets
We
humans are very perceptive creatures.
We are able to communicate in many
different ways with one another. By
saying something, by saying nothing,
by shrugging our shoulders, by
winking, delaying, etc. These are all
forms of communicating.
 
Do
you realize that when you place a
poker bet you are actually
communicating something to the other
players? Understanding what you are
communicating with your betting, and
understanding what the other players
are communicating with their bets is
one of the cornerstones of good poker
play.
By
mastering this form of poker
communications, you will find yourself
becoming a truly formidable poker
player. If you ignore this betting
language, you will consistently lose -
it's as simple as that.
When
a player calls, it often just means
they're limping to see the next card
with the hope of improving their hand.
When a player checks, it typically
means they're not too happy with their
current hand, and would like to see
another card before making any move.
Yes, they could be trapping, but
that's the exception, not the rule.
When
a player bets, they're communicating
that they like their hand and they
want some action, so they're risking
more chips in order to take control of
the action or just take the pot.
Whether this communications is "real"
or not depends - upon what style of
player they are: tight, solid, loose,
maniac, etc. and how this player
communicates.
If
you've been paying attention (like you
should be), you'll have a pretty good
idea of how "honest" this player
typically communicates (bets/plays).
Aggressive players who play a lot of
hands and raise a lot to drive people
out of pots can be generally
considered "dishonest" and can't be
trusted to communicate (bet) honestly.
Tight/solid players are relatively
honest, usually betting more in
accordance with the true strength of
their hand, making them easier to read
most of the time. Learn to read these
different player's betting signals and
you'll be amazed at how much your game
improves.
Decide how "honest" or "dishonest" you
want your betting signals to be that
the other players are reading from
you. Try mixing these signals up a bit
so the other players can't quite tell
what to expect from you and it'll help
by causing them to make more mistakes
against you, resulting in bigger
winnings.
Now,
let's have a look at an example
situation. Let's say you're in a game
with 9 people at the table, and on the
button, so you'll get to act last and
have the most information to work
with. Your starting hand is good, but
not great, such as a 67 spades-suited
connector. The action comes around and
half of the players have dropped out,
and several players have limped in.
You go ahead and limp in as well,
wanting to see the flop like everyone
else. The flop comes: 4s, Jc, 9d - not
exactly what you'd hoped for. The
first three players check. The 4th
player throws out a bet of 3 times the
big blind. So, where are we?
Ignoring your hand for just a moment
(since we're talking about betting and
communicating - right?), everyone
except the 4th player communicated
that they didn't really like the flop,
then the 4th player placed a decent
bet. Is he trying to steal the pot or
does he now have a pair of Jacks?
Since we've been watching these
players' style of play all along, and
we quickly realize that this is a
fairly tight player, we would
correctly conclude that this basically
"honest", tight player has hit that
pair of Jacks.
On
the other hand, if the 4th player had
instead been playing loose with lots
of bets and raises, stealing many pots
and pushing people around quite a bit,
then they can't be trusted since
they're fundamentally "dishonest" with
their betting communications patterns.
See
how this works? Now, about your hand.
You need to fold either way here,
since the odds of you making a flush
or straight aren't good, and there's
an overpair of Jacks that's possible
and likely based upon what's being
communicated (and someone could also
be trapping that checked, too).
So,
what are you communicating with your
bets? Are you even thinking about
that? Before you fire out a bet, you
need to consider what "message" you
want to send the other players, and
make sure your intended message gets
through, in order to affect the other
players' actions and control the
outcomes more often.
What
are the others communicating to you
with their bets? What kind of
"communicator" are they? Honest or
dishonest? Consistent or variable? How
much do you believe what they're
telling you? Are you really listening,
or just looking at your own hand too
much?
So,
Betting Is Communicating. Become truly
fluent in this "poker language" and
you'll be amazed at how much it boosts
your winnings.
Good
luck!
Rick
About The Author
Rick Braddy is an avid writer, poker
player and top professional software
developer and marketer. Visit his
Texas holdem website at
http://www.poker-sidekick.com websites
to learn more.
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