Big Slick: Ace King. A very good hand, but still a slight underdog to any pocket pair.
I remember the first time I went in a real poker room in a casino. It was a very intimidating experience. I had no idea what to do. The kindly man at the desk informed me that I would have to put my name on the waiting list and that they would call me when a seat was available. I hung around, getting increasingly nervous, for about ten minutes until a voice came over the p.a. calling my name. Back at the desk I was told there was a seat open at table two for me. I had to ask which table was table two. I walked over to table two and sat down. I took out my money and asked the dealer for chips. The dealer, and everyone else, looked at me like I had just fallen off the turnip truck. "You don't buy chips from me. You get them from the cash cage," she said, motioning toward the barred cashier's window. Oh. I got up, got chips from the cashier, and returned.
It was $1/$2 no-limit hold-'em. But the chips I was given were all $5. This seemed like a problem to me - I needed to change some chips into $1 denominations, didn't I? I asked the dealer to change some of my chips and she actually let out a little exasperated sigh. "Don't worry sweetie, we make change as we go." After playing for a while, I figured out how it worked. Unless you announced a raise, the dealer assumed you were betting the minimum ($2), so if you put in a $5 chip she would give you three $1 chips back out of the pot, or four if you folded in the small blind. After a while everything made sense and I could see how it was faster and easier to have the dealer make change on the fly.
All this was just over a year ago. I have gone to poker rooms about twenty times now, and while not a grizzled vet of the green felt, I hardly ever get very nervous anymore. Well, not too much.
A couple days ago I was playing at the very casino where I first played live poker, when a kid who looked like about eighteen sat down. He was visibly nervous, his hands shaking as he took his chips out of his rack. After a few seconds he timidly asked the dealer to change a few of his $5 chips into $1's. All eyes turned to him. "Don't worry about that, " said the dealer, "We'll make change as we go." I, and everyone else, knew we had a poker virgin on our hands. The only question seemed to be which volcano would he be thrown into?
After maybe twenty minutes of mostly staying out of the action, the kid was under-the-gun and raised $25. I knew that this was a "please everybody fold to me" raise, meaning he probably had a medium pair, felt obliged to play it, but really didn't want to see the flop very badly. How did I know all this? Because a year ago I was that kid and I knew exactly what he was thinking and feeling. Knowing what I knew, I really could have called the kid with any two cards, but the fact I was dealt Ace-King made my decision to call even easier. I was in middle position, so a legitimate hand offered me some insurance should one of the sharks acting after me decided to call as well.
As it turned out it was just the kid and I who saw the flop: Qd Jh 4C. The kid looked very disappointed with this flop and dejectedly checked. In fact the kid looked absolutely miserable, like he was beating himself up for getting in this hand. I was certain this was not an act. The kid only had $50 left in chips, so I decided to push him out. I raised him $50. If he looked unhappy before, now he looked like the world had ended.
"I'm pretty sure you have me beat," he said after a while. I said nothing.
He thought and thought. I'm pretty sure he was mostly thinking "What the hell am I doing here?" He thought some more.
At last he said "I call," and put the last of his chips in. He turned over pocket eights.
"Nice call, kid" I said as I showed big slick. The rest of the players were amazed that the kid found the guts to make that call with an under pair. It was a heroic call. The turn and the river did not bring the Ace, King or 10 which would have won for me. The kid stood up as he raked in his chips, putting them directly back into the rack he brought them in. He ignored all the compliments he was getting from the other players. As soon as he had his chips racked he quickly walked over to the cage to cash them and get the hell out of there. He couldn't leave fast enough.
I've been thinking about that kid and the strange mix of relief and elation he must have felt. How he will never forget his first trip to the casino. How he called the old-timer's bluff and left with a profit.
That kid has been bit by the poker bug. Sooner or later, I'll see him again.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
The Boring Truth
The first step to beating someone is understanding their motivation. Excitement draws people to the poker room. They come with what money they can spare (or can't spare) in anticipation of out-witting opponents and winning big pots. They act for the benefit of some invisible audience to whom they wish to gain approval from. As much as they dream of winning money, what they really all want is to be admired.
People are drawn to poker because they believe that courage and audacity are the most important skills a poker player can possess. They want to make a living being courageous and audacious. Is this what draws you to the game? Be honest. Of course it is. It's what draws everyone to the game.
Here is where I burst the bubble. The most important skill a poker player can possess is not keen psychological insight, or mathematical genius, or even courage. It is patience. But before you get discouraged and give up poker, let me tell you the beautiful secret: If you have the patience to find the still heart at the centre of the game, you will be successful. Poker is a game for Buddhists.
Yesterday I made $222 playing $1/$2 no-limit for five hours. I did nothing particularly brilliant, but I had the patience to wait until two very fortunate things happened to me. By not playing a lot of hands I allowed myself to be at the table when the cards fell the right way.
The session started badly. About twenty minutes in I lost half my stack when my pocket queens were beat by a guy who flopped a set of fives. I folded pretty much everything for the next two hours until the first lightning strike. I was in the small blind with pocket aces. A fellow in early position raised to $15 and there was one caller, so I was fairly confident if I re-raised I'd get called. I raised to $40. Then the heavens parted and the angels sang: the original better shoved his entire stack, about $200, into the middle - and the second guy calls! Of course I put all my chips in. I hit another ace on the flop and triple-up: my $150 in chips magically turning into $450.
The other nice pot I won also required no skill on my part. I was on the button with 5 7 off-suit and was going to throw it away when something strange happened. The first player limped in and every single player after him called the $2 bet! There was $15 in the pot, so even though my cards sucked I was getting fantastic pot odds. I threw in my $2 and joined the party. The small blind completed and the big blind checked. All nine players saw the flop. And guess what? I flopped the straight: 3 4 6 rainbow hit the board. Everyone checked. I bet $12 and a guy after me re-raised it $30. Huh? I call. The turn is a 7, which might have completed the straight for him, but I'm probably still good. I see my opponent has about $100 in chips, so I raise him all in....and because I can't believe how stupid this situation is I actually start giggling uncontrollably! Everyone looks at me like I'm nuts, and maybe the giggles get my opponent to think I'm bluffing because he calls. The river is a blank. I show my straight and he mucks his losing hand.
So there are two hands that it took no skill whatsoever to play, but made me a good deal of money. The reason I won those hands was because I had the patience to fold all the crap for hours and hours, until the money fell in my lap.
People are drawn to poker because they believe that courage and audacity are the most important skills a poker player can possess. They want to make a living being courageous and audacious. Is this what draws you to the game? Be honest. Of course it is. It's what draws everyone to the game.
Here is where I burst the bubble. The most important skill a poker player can possess is not keen psychological insight, or mathematical genius, or even courage. It is patience. But before you get discouraged and give up poker, let me tell you the beautiful secret: If you have the patience to find the still heart at the centre of the game, you will be successful. Poker is a game for Buddhists.
Yesterday I made $222 playing $1/$2 no-limit for five hours. I did nothing particularly brilliant, but I had the patience to wait until two very fortunate things happened to me. By not playing a lot of hands I allowed myself to be at the table when the cards fell the right way.
The session started badly. About twenty minutes in I lost half my stack when my pocket queens were beat by a guy who flopped a set of fives. I folded pretty much everything for the next two hours until the first lightning strike. I was in the small blind with pocket aces. A fellow in early position raised to $15 and there was one caller, so I was fairly confident if I re-raised I'd get called. I raised to $40. Then the heavens parted and the angels sang: the original better shoved his entire stack, about $200, into the middle - and the second guy calls! Of course I put all my chips in. I hit another ace on the flop and triple-up: my $150 in chips magically turning into $450.
The other nice pot I won also required no skill on my part. I was on the button with 5 7 off-suit and was going to throw it away when something strange happened. The first player limped in and every single player after him called the $2 bet! There was $15 in the pot, so even though my cards sucked I was getting fantastic pot odds. I threw in my $2 and joined the party. The small blind completed and the big blind checked. All nine players saw the flop. And guess what? I flopped the straight: 3 4 6 rainbow hit the board. Everyone checked. I bet $12 and a guy after me re-raised it $30. Huh? I call. The turn is a 7, which might have completed the straight for him, but I'm probably still good. I see my opponent has about $100 in chips, so I raise him all in....and because I can't believe how stupid this situation is I actually start giggling uncontrollably! Everyone looks at me like I'm nuts, and maybe the giggles get my opponent to think I'm bluffing because he calls. The river is a blank. I show my straight and he mucks his losing hand.
So there are two hands that it took no skill whatsoever to play, but made me a good deal of money. The reason I won those hands was because I had the patience to fold all the crap for hours and hours, until the money fell in my lap.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Back in the Saddle
Today's word: Tilt. A player is described as being "on tilt" when they start making reckless decisions. Often an otherwise solid player begins playing a little loose, and then before you know it is chasing draws with bad pot odds, or bluffing far too much. Usually tilt is a term applied to a single session, but a player can go on tilt for days or weeks. Usually tilt is caused by a bad beat. You'll see a guy go all in with pocket aces, lose to some fluky flush or straight, and then just fall apart for the rest of the night.
An essential skill of a successful poker player is avoiding tilt.
I suffered a very big loss ten days ago. It was a huge temptation to go back to the poker table as soon as possible, and to play at a higher limit than I normally do, in order to win back the money I lost as quickly as possible, but instead I took a week off from poker completely. I highly recommend this to any one who has suffered a big loss, or has just been running bad lately. Take a break. Get away from the game and come back with a fresh mind.
When I did hit the tables again yesterday, I deliberately choose to go to a casino where I had enjoyed success (positive feelings are important) and I deliberately played a limit, rather than no-limit, game. I wanted to force myself to think about the fundamentals of the game. When you are running bad, you tend to guess wrong in those big decisions that come up in no-limit, so take the pressure off yourself and play limit hold 'em until you get your mojo back.
So. Long story short, three hours of poker and I only had a $12 gain to show for it. But I feel like the monkey is off my back and I can go back to work again.
An essential skill of a successful poker player is avoiding tilt.
I suffered a very big loss ten days ago. It was a huge temptation to go back to the poker table as soon as possible, and to play at a higher limit than I normally do, in order to win back the money I lost as quickly as possible, but instead I took a week off from poker completely. I highly recommend this to any one who has suffered a big loss, or has just been running bad lately. Take a break. Get away from the game and come back with a fresh mind.
When I did hit the tables again yesterday, I deliberately choose to go to a casino where I had enjoyed success (positive feelings are important) and I deliberately played a limit, rather than no-limit, game. I wanted to force myself to think about the fundamentals of the game. When you are running bad, you tend to guess wrong in those big decisions that come up in no-limit, so take the pressure off yourself and play limit hold 'em until you get your mojo back.
So. Long story short, three hours of poker and I only had a $12 gain to show for it. But I feel like the monkey is off my back and I can go back to work again.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Quitting is for Quitters!
Not a full post, but just a clarification - I am not quitting poker or this blog! The crushing loss reported in the last post, plus a longer than normal silence, have had a few of you wondering. The truth is that my non-poker life has been taking up a lot more time lately.
Please be patient and don't give up on me.
Please be patient and don't give up on me.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
A Terrible, Horrible, No-Good Night
Today's poker words:
Raising Blind: Betting before the cards are dealt, or betting without looking at the cards that are dealt to you.
Rainbow: a flop with three different suits. There is no flush draw.
Felted: When you lose all your chips. You are down to the felt of the table top.
This is a hard post to write. It is fun writing a post after a winning session,but on Sunday night I suffered the worst poker night of my life and I really would rather not talk about it. I'd rather hide under a rock for a few days. Still, I started this blog with the intention of being open about my poker experience and I can't stop when things get ugly. And this was really ugly.
I lost $600 Sunday night and I still feel a little ill about it.
I arrived at the casino just before the hockey game ended. The plan was to fleece the hockey fans who flooded the casino post-game and it looked like the party had already started by the time I sat at a table of $1/$2 no limit. As is my habit, I took the maximum amount I was allowed, in this case $300.
The action was fast and loose. One guy in particular seemed very liberal with his bets, raising blind and calling and betting pretty much everything. What made it even better was that this guy had about $1,000 sitting in front of him. After only five hands I was dealt ace 10 off-suit - a marginal hand really, but Mr. Maniac had raised blind to $20. The two players between us folded. Normally I might fold this hand, but against a blind raise I am holding very good cards. I really want to isolate the maniac, so I raise to $40 hoping this will scare away everyone else. It does. Mr. Maniac and I are heads up to see the flop.
The flop: 10 7 3 rainbow.
This is very good for me. I have top pair with the best possible kicker. Odds are my opponent missed the flop completely, so I figure I am in great shape. Mr. Maniac is first to act. He looks at his cards for the first time and then raises $50, which stinks of bluff to me. I think he has a card (maybe two cards) higher than 10, and is just trying to push me out. Not today buddy.
I go all-in. He snap calls and turns over pocket aces. What!? Are you kidding me? I suddenly feel like the biggest idiot in the world, kissing my stack goodbye when the miracle 10 doesn't come on the turn or river.
I re-buy with the last $300 I have in my wallet. I swear I'm only going to play the nuts from now on.
The next three hours are like a nightmare. I get dealt complete garbage and have to fold, while my table mates are playing like drunken sailors. I watch as hundreds of dollars change hands. After two hours the maniac who had $1,300 (the $1,000, plus $300 from me) is completely broke and has lost another $600 on top of that. All that money flowing to everyone, it seems, but me.
Then I'm dealt pocket aces. Well, it's about *$^&ing time. I'm in late position and there are four limpers ahead of me. I want to thin the field, but I don't want everyone to fold, so I raise to $15. Everyone folds except one of the original limpers who re-raises me to $30. I consider calling, but I figure he'll call me if I re-raise him. I mean he'd look weak if he folded and at this point the table has become an all-in fest. So I raise to $60 and he pushes all in. I call of course.
He shows JJ. The fish hooks. He fell for over playing the fish hooks. I show my aces and he says a bad word.
And a jack hits on the flop.
And I don't find an ace on the turn or the river.
And I'm felted again.
So I stand up and walk out of the casino.
That, as they say, is poker.
Raising Blind: Betting before the cards are dealt, or betting without looking at the cards that are dealt to you.
Rainbow: a flop with three different suits. There is no flush draw.
Felted: When you lose all your chips. You are down to the felt of the table top.
This is a hard post to write. It is fun writing a post after a winning session,but on Sunday night I suffered the worst poker night of my life and I really would rather not talk about it. I'd rather hide under a rock for a few days. Still, I started this blog with the intention of being open about my poker experience and I can't stop when things get ugly. And this was really ugly.
I lost $600 Sunday night and I still feel a little ill about it.
I arrived at the casino just before the hockey game ended. The plan was to fleece the hockey fans who flooded the casino post-game and it looked like the party had already started by the time I sat at a table of $1/$2 no limit. As is my habit, I took the maximum amount I was allowed, in this case $300.
The action was fast and loose. One guy in particular seemed very liberal with his bets, raising blind and calling and betting pretty much everything. What made it even better was that this guy had about $1,000 sitting in front of him. After only five hands I was dealt ace 10 off-suit - a marginal hand really, but Mr. Maniac had raised blind to $20. The two players between us folded. Normally I might fold this hand, but against a blind raise I am holding very good cards. I really want to isolate the maniac, so I raise to $40 hoping this will scare away everyone else. It does. Mr. Maniac and I are heads up to see the flop.
The flop: 10 7 3 rainbow.
This is very good for me. I have top pair with the best possible kicker. Odds are my opponent missed the flop completely, so I figure I am in great shape. Mr. Maniac is first to act. He looks at his cards for the first time and then raises $50, which stinks of bluff to me. I think he has a card (maybe two cards) higher than 10, and is just trying to push me out. Not today buddy.
I go all-in. He snap calls and turns over pocket aces. What!? Are you kidding me? I suddenly feel like the biggest idiot in the world, kissing my stack goodbye when the miracle 10 doesn't come on the turn or river.
I re-buy with the last $300 I have in my wallet. I swear I'm only going to play the nuts from now on.
The next three hours are like a nightmare. I get dealt complete garbage and have to fold, while my table mates are playing like drunken sailors. I watch as hundreds of dollars change hands. After two hours the maniac who had $1,300 (the $1,000, plus $300 from me) is completely broke and has lost another $600 on top of that. All that money flowing to everyone, it seems, but me.
Then I'm dealt pocket aces. Well, it's about *$^&ing time. I'm in late position and there are four limpers ahead of me. I want to thin the field, but I don't want everyone to fold, so I raise to $15. Everyone folds except one of the original limpers who re-raises me to $30. I consider calling, but I figure he'll call me if I re-raise him. I mean he'd look weak if he folded and at this point the table has become an all-in fest. So I raise to $60 and he pushes all in. I call of course.
He shows JJ. The fish hooks. He fell for over playing the fish hooks. I show my aces and he says a bad word.
And a jack hits on the flop.
And I don't find an ace on the turn or the river.
And I'm felted again.
So I stand up and walk out of the casino.
That, as they say, is poker.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
For Richer, For Poorer
Book Review:
For Richer, For Poorer
By Victoria Coren
2009, Canongate Books
Published in Canada by McClelland & Stewart Ltd.
I have read a lot of poker books, and until now I have been most unsatisfied with the "personal memoir" style of poker book. Poker players are a slippery bunch, and getting one to truly open up in a book seems to be asking the impossible. As a result, there are dozens of biographies of poker personalities that are utterly forgettable. Victoria Coren's recent book, "For Richer, For Poorer" blows the doors off any other poker biography on the market. Coren is intelligent, eloquent and humorous. More importantly she holds nothing back, examining herself and her relationship to the game with amazing openness.
Coren has the advantage over her peers in that she is a highly capable writer. Most poker players can't write, and have to filter their experience through a ghost writer who just doesn't get it - and by "it" I mean the soul of the game of poker: why it is so wonderful and brutal and redemptive and devouring. Coren, more than any other writer I have yet to encounter, tries to express the soul of the game. She succeeds to a large degree because her approach is unflinchingly personal.
Following her introduction to the game as a teenager, through her forays into London's famous Vic, to celebrity matches with Stephen Fry and Ricky Gervais, the book is a romp. It delivers all the juicy stories one could hope for, and even someone unfamiliar with poker would be thoroughly entertained. Yet through it all Coren never lets herself, or her reader, get particularly starstruck. Sure it's neat to rub shoulders with Martin Amis or Toby McGuire, but the game itself is the star of the show.
I feel Coren has gotten as close to the heart of the matter as anyone. Even Al Alvarez, whom Coren constantly refers to as a God, maintained a cool detachment in his writing which kept the reader at arms-length. Coren, God bless her, puts all her cards on the table.
For Richer, For Poorer
By Victoria Coren
2009, Canongate Books
Published in Canada by McClelland & Stewart Ltd.
I have read a lot of poker books, and until now I have been most unsatisfied with the "personal memoir" style of poker book. Poker players are a slippery bunch, and getting one to truly open up in a book seems to be asking the impossible. As a result, there are dozens of biographies of poker personalities that are utterly forgettable. Victoria Coren's recent book, "For Richer, For Poorer" blows the doors off any other poker biography on the market. Coren is intelligent, eloquent and humorous. More importantly she holds nothing back, examining herself and her relationship to the game with amazing openness.
Coren has the advantage over her peers in that she is a highly capable writer. Most poker players can't write, and have to filter their experience through a ghost writer who just doesn't get it - and by "it" I mean the soul of the game of poker: why it is so wonderful and brutal and redemptive and devouring. Coren, more than any other writer I have yet to encounter, tries to express the soul of the game. She succeeds to a large degree because her approach is unflinchingly personal.
Following her introduction to the game as a teenager, through her forays into London's famous Vic, to celebrity matches with Stephen Fry and Ricky Gervais, the book is a romp. It delivers all the juicy stories one could hope for, and even someone unfamiliar with poker would be thoroughly entertained. Yet through it all Coren never lets herself, or her reader, get particularly starstruck. Sure it's neat to rub shoulders with Martin Amis or Toby McGuire, but the game itself is the star of the show.
I feel Coren has gotten as close to the heart of the matter as anyone. Even Al Alvarez, whom Coren constantly refers to as a God, maintained a cool detachment in his writing which kept the reader at arms-length. Coren, God bless her, puts all her cards on the table.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Location, location, location
Mike Caro, in his book "Caro's Most profitable Hold'em Advice", stresses the importance of treating poker like a business. Like any business, where you decide to set up shop is critical to your success or failure. Fortunately with poker, you get to pick your location every day and if you don't find one location very profitable, you can easily pick up and move to a different table, casino, or on-line site.
Last night I went to a casino while my wife went to the hockey game with a friend of ours. For convenience sake, I choose to go to the casino right beside the arena where the game was. For three hours I sat at a pretty tight table, played as well as I could, and ended up ahead by exactly $100.
The game let out. The home team had won and a swarm of happy fans came into the casino to celebrate. I met my wife and our friend, who informed me that another friend of ours would be meeting us there in about forty minutes. I could go back to the poker tables for another hour if I wanted to. The Little Angel on my shoulder said to be happy with my $100 win and not go back. The Little Devil on my other shoulder said "Poker! Poker! Poker!" Guess who I listened to?
The poker room had filled up with hyped-up hockey fans and there were twice as many tables going as when I left a few minutes earlier. I bought more chips and sat at a table that bore no resemblance to the tight, thoughtful group of players I had been matching wits with earlier. There were maniacs here betting nearly every hand, raising with nothing, drinking, laughing and having a good time gambling. Okay. My stack got eaten away as I let myself get pushed out of pot after pot, but eventually I was dealt a monster hand and was paid off. Basically that one hand was all I really needed to win. After my hour (okay, hour and a half) I had made another $140.
Location, location, location.
I have circled the home dates on the hockey schedule for the upcoming season.
Last night I went to a casino while my wife went to the hockey game with a friend of ours. For convenience sake, I choose to go to the casino right beside the arena where the game was. For three hours I sat at a pretty tight table, played as well as I could, and ended up ahead by exactly $100.
The game let out. The home team had won and a swarm of happy fans came into the casino to celebrate. I met my wife and our friend, who informed me that another friend of ours would be meeting us there in about forty minutes. I could go back to the poker tables for another hour if I wanted to. The Little Angel on my shoulder said to be happy with my $100 win and not go back. The Little Devil on my other shoulder said "Poker! Poker! Poker!" Guess who I listened to?
The poker room had filled up with hyped-up hockey fans and there were twice as many tables going as when I left a few minutes earlier. I bought more chips and sat at a table that bore no resemblance to the tight, thoughtful group of players I had been matching wits with earlier. There were maniacs here betting nearly every hand, raising with nothing, drinking, laughing and having a good time gambling. Okay. My stack got eaten away as I let myself get pushed out of pot after pot, but eventually I was dealt a monster hand and was paid off. Basically that one hand was all I really needed to win. After my hour (okay, hour and a half) I had made another $140.
Location, location, location.
I have circled the home dates on the hockey schedule for the upcoming season.
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Value Bet
If you watch poker on t.v., it seems like every minute a commentator uses the term "value bet". Just what is a value bet? The term has always confused me a little bit, so I thought writing a post about value betting would clear things up for me and you both.
After smurfing the interweb a bit, the consensus seems to be that a value bet is one you place when you are ahead (or at least you think you are ahead) and would like your opponent to call. The idea is to place a small enough bet to entice a call, making your opponents think that you have a weaker hand than you do. You might also value bet if you think it might make your opponent believe you are bluffing.
If you are considering making a value bet, the question you must ask yourself is, "what is the maximum bet I can make that my opponent will call?" You don't want to make your bet too large and scare off the call, but you don't want to make it too small and make less profit than you could have.
And this is were I have an issue with the underlying assumption of value betting: that the smaller the bet, the more likely you are to get a call. Poker is just so situational that there will be times when betting a large amount is more likely to get a call than a small amount. Some poker players see a small bet as a sign of weakness, and often it is. However a small bet can also mean "please call me", just as a very large bet might mean "please fold". Other players are aware of this and sometimes will be more likely to call the larger bet. It all depends on the situation.
My general advice? Place the traditional value bet against the grinders and the rocks. Against loose players and gamblers, bet your strong hands much heavier - gamblers are more likely to put you on an audacious bluff.
Generally speaking, if you always place small bets when you want a call, your opponents will catch on. So it's good to mix it up and occasionally disguise a bluff as a value bet and bet small with nothing. Occasionally you might make a big bet a very strong hand if you think your opponents will put you on a bluff.
While the term "value bet" may conjure images of you consistently winning pot after pot. I'd caution against sticking to any particular style of play too long. Always remember that your opponents are trying to figure you out, so don't be a stationary target.
After smurfing the interweb a bit, the consensus seems to be that a value bet is one you place when you are ahead (or at least you think you are ahead) and would like your opponent to call. The idea is to place a small enough bet to entice a call, making your opponents think that you have a weaker hand than you do. You might also value bet if you think it might make your opponent believe you are bluffing.
If you are considering making a value bet, the question you must ask yourself is, "what is the maximum bet I can make that my opponent will call?" You don't want to make your bet too large and scare off the call, but you don't want to make it too small and make less profit than you could have.
And this is were I have an issue with the underlying assumption of value betting: that the smaller the bet, the more likely you are to get a call. Poker is just so situational that there will be times when betting a large amount is more likely to get a call than a small amount. Some poker players see a small bet as a sign of weakness, and often it is. However a small bet can also mean "please call me", just as a very large bet might mean "please fold". Other players are aware of this and sometimes will be more likely to call the larger bet. It all depends on the situation.
My general advice? Place the traditional value bet against the grinders and the rocks. Against loose players and gamblers, bet your strong hands much heavier - gamblers are more likely to put you on an audacious bluff.
Generally speaking, if you always place small bets when you want a call, your opponents will catch on. So it's good to mix it up and occasionally disguise a bluff as a value bet and bet small with nothing. Occasionally you might make a big bet a very strong hand if you think your opponents will put you on a bluff.
While the term "value bet" may conjure images of you consistently winning pot after pot. I'd caution against sticking to any particular style of play too long. Always remember that your opponents are trying to figure you out, so don't be a stationary target.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)