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Can Bets Really Speak to You?
Poker prop article posted October 2nd, 2006There comes a point in your poker career when checks, bets, calls, and raises have much more distinct meanings than when you start playing poker. When you are a novice at poker, it's doubtful that you care to think about what the other player may have, you are concentrating on your own hand and the board cards. However, once you get to the point of actually thinking about what the other players may or may not have in their hands, that's when the checks, bets, calls and raises start "speaking" to you. Lets give an example from a typical mid stakes No-Limit Hold'em cash game.
It's a 9 handed full ring game and the table seems typical. I'll give brief descriptions of the players and what the checks, bets, calls and raises signify.
There is a late position poster in the hand so there is an extra $4.00 in the pot aside from the $6.00 in blinds.
The player Under the gun has a stack of $510.00 and raise in first position to $18.00 with the entire table yet to act.
(This raise says "I have a good hand to raise into the entire field.")
The player next to act who plays a lot of hands and is generally a calling station cold calls the $18.00.
(This call says "I am willing to take a flop for $18.00" could be anything from this player from small pocket pair, suited cards, Ace face, ace rag pretty much anything other than complete garbage.)
Folded around (including the poster) to a very solid player on the button who makes it $65.00 to go.
(This re-raise signifies a very strong hand to re-raise a first position raiser and very likely signifies at the very least JJ but from a very solid player signifies QQ, KK or AA.)
Player in the Small blind Cold calls the $65.00.
(This player is very weak and overvalues hands he calls the $65.00 and has about $230.00 behind. This even from a weak player likely "says" pocket pair or a very big suited ace. It also says that "I just cold called $65.00 and I'm likely to cold call the rest.")
BB folds and the player in first position re-raises all in for $510.00.
(This third raise in the hand from a solid player says "I have at the very least KK but it's most likely AA. It's not QQ, it's not JJJJ, it's not AKs. It's KK or it's AA and it's most likely AA." The third raise PF in a deep stack game is more often than not AA.)
The player who called the original raise to $18.00 folds.
The button who originally re-raised to $65.00 listened to what that all in raise said and folded and the Small Blind called his remaining $230.00 with pocket 5s.
The small blind obviously was playing his own cards with little regard to what the bets were "saying". His pocket fives were way behind in the hand and could and should have folded his small blind and only lost $2.00 on this hand. Instead by his lack of attention he lost $295.00 and got his money in drawing to two outs.
The first position raiser did in fact have AA. The player who made the second raise to $65.00 and folded to the all in listened very well to what the bets were saying and in fact folded QQ to the re-raise.
Next time you play, think about what checks, bets, calls and raises can and do mean. The stack you save may be your own.
- Poker Article written by Gregg "Bunky" Williams
The above poker prop article was posted on October 2nd, 2006. If you have questions about Mad Poker Props or poker propping please contact us.