I'd like to share with you the REAL poker tells that take place in Texas Holdem.
I'm not talking about when your opponent scratches his eyebrow... or when he shuffles his chips... or
when he chews his gum aggressively. I'm talking about BETTING PATTERNS. It's been my experience that approximately 80% of the betting action at a poker table fits within PREDICTABLE and RELIABLE patterns. This is true for both online Texas Holdem and live Texas Holdem games.
Here's what I mean:
The other day I was playing at a $2-5 no limit cash game with my buddies. I focused all of my energies just on keeping track of pre-flop raises and post-flop bets. Here are some examples of the patterns I discovered. First off, this older guy named Elroy would throw out the occasional pre-flop raise. By the end of the night, it was almost too easy to figure out what he was holding, just based on his bets. His first pre-flop raise was $15. The hand played out and he turned over 10-9 suited. Later he made it $40 pre-flop to play. Again, I was fortunate to see his hand, this time it was pocket Queens. Later he made it $25 pre-flop to play. That one ended up being pocket Kings. And he made it $15 to play on the button again later, with an A-4 of diamonds. As the night progressed, I "cracked the code" to Elroy's betting patterns. When he had a monster like K-K or A-A, he'd bet $25 pre-flop. It was a bet that usually gets one or two callers. If he had pocket 10s, Jacks, or Queens, he bet $40-$50 pre-flop. This makes sense. He didn't want to see a flop with these hands, he just wanted to steal the blinds. Or if he saw the flop, he only wanted one caller. And his $10-$15 raises were simply "pot builders" when he had hidden hands or something decent... like K-Q, 10-9, or A-4.
Of course it was not just Elroy that fell into these predictable patterns. Another guy at the table, let's call him Jeff, would throw out a $10 bet on the flop every time he was on a draw. Of the fourteen times he bet $10 on the flop, I saw his hand turned over eight times (it was an 8-hour game). And every single time he showed, he was on some type of draw whether it was for the flush or straight. So of course, every time the "make" card came out of the deck, I knew Jeff had the goods and I holded my hand. I even busted him once when he tried to BLUFF his busted draw on the river and I won a major pot because of this read.
The last great example from the night was with my buddy Jack. He made several $40 pre-flop raises with early positioning. He'd normally get a caller or two for the flop. After the flop, it was always obvious if he had hit or missed his hand. Let's say the flop came out: Q-9-7 All different suits. If Jack came out firing $80 after his $40 pre-flop raise, he had the goods. This is when he was holding a monster like King or Aces and wasn't scared of anything on the board. But let's say he threw out a $40 bet which was the same as his pre-flop raise. That means he was holding a hand like Jacks, Tens, or A-K. He was scared of the flop but still wanted to throw out a bet to represent the board and try to win the pot. It was a simple pattern. Plain to see. But the sad thing was, no one else at the table read into these patterns.
If I were in the hand with Jack when he followed his $40 pre-flop raise with a $40 post-flop bet, I would go back over the top of him. I got to do this a few times... and each time I won a lot of money. Overall for the night, I walked out of that poker room a BIG WINNER. And the primary reason was because I tracked betting patterns and took the time to get a read on my opponents. OK, so let's talk about how to immediately apply this new information for your next poker game. There are three main patterns you want to pay attention to: 1. Pre-flop raises Watch carefully when someone raises before the flop. Pay attention to their positioning. A common pattern is that a lot of players will raise from the button no matter what they have and this can be free chips for you when you've got a read. Often times the HUGE pre-flop raises aren't the ones to be scared of. Like in my example earlier. Elroy bet $25 with monsters and $40 or more with pocket 10s, Jacks, or Queens.Find out what someone does when they pick up low pocket pairs, suited connectors, and two high cards.
2. Post-flop bets
The next pattern is what a player does AFTER the flop. How much does he bet? You'll discover players who "represent the flop" consistently with the same bet size over and over again. You'll also discover other players who check-raise every time they have a big hand. And so on...
3. Post-flop bets AFTER pre-flop raises
This is important. This is perhaps the EASIEST pattern to pick up. After someone raises before the flop, watch what they do AFTER the flop (this works best when they have early positioning). A lot of your opponents will "back down" from their pre-flop raises if they didn't catch anything on the flop. This is because they're afraid of losing too many chips on this one single hand...If they DID catch something great, they'll show it with a huge bet on the flop. The pot is big enough to take down now, so they won't be afraid of everyone folding. And last but not least, watch out for post-flop bets that are SMALLER than the pre-flop raises...or that equal the MINIMUM bet allowed. Sometimes this is a MONSTER in disguise... someone who's INVITING you to go back over the top of him. Be careful.
OK, so those are the three main patterns to look for. The next step is to remember that a lot of this "betting behavior" is COMPLETELY UNCONSCIOUS. In fact, you want to SEEK OUT players who seem to get into their "zone" and make bets unconsciously. When you find a player like this, it's like taking candy from a baby. Seriously.You DON'T want to try to "figure out" an opponent who's always CONSCIOUSLY trying to think of ways to change their betting patterns... that will just give you a headache and waste your time. When tracking bets, categorize them by RANGES. Most players don't bet the IDENTICAL amounts again and again and again... but they bet the IDENTICAL RANGES over and over. For instance, Elroy bet between $40 and $50 when he was holding a medium pocket pair. He bet between $10 and $15 for his "pot builder" hands like suited connectors. OK, so now that you know the POWER behind betting behavior and patterns, you must realize these THREE crucial things:
1. MIX UP YOUR BETTING. Don't fall into betting patterns yourself. Watch your bets closely and track your OWN bets to make sure you aren't getting into predictable patterns.
2. WATCH WHEN A PLAYER'S CARDS ARE TURNED OVER. The only way to successfully discover betting patterns is by watching when someone WINS the hand and turns over his cards. When this occurs, immediately review the hand in your mind and the player's bets pre-flop and post-flop.
3. DON'T TELL ANYONE YOU'RE TRACKING THEIR BETS. If you tell your opponents who may be your friends that you're tracking bets, you've just shot yourself in the foot. Because now THEY will start paying attention to their bets and will mix them up accordingly. If you're tracking bets with a pen and pad, tell everyone the notes are for something else... don't reveal your true intentions. This concept of betting behavior is EXTREMELY POWERFUL. If you use it, you'll win a lot of money. Period. When you first start off, the actual TRACKING will be challenging in real-life games. If you're playing ONLINE, tracking will be easy.
But don't get discouraged. The great (and amazing) thing is, a lot of players fall into the SAME BASIC patterns. You'll even start categorizing PLAYERS THEMSELVES... not only their bet sizes. Your game will jump to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL. Betting behavior is the ULTIMATE "poker tell", because it offers the fastest and easiest way to put your opponent on a hand.
Free poker resource page, providing poker strategies and tips to become a successful poker player!
Poker Rooms
PKR 3D » 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥ - First Deposit Bonus up to $2,000
- PKR's bonuses are attractive
and easy to clear!
- PKR is the most visually stunning, deeply immersive online poker room ever created.
- Advanced 3D graphics technology combined with some of the coolest features available in video gaming make playing PKR 3D's online poker room a truly unique experience.
Knowing how your opponent splits his oreo won't help you in online poker, but understanding his betting patterns will. With strategy articles like this one and those available at Launchpoker.com, you will be able to take down any number of online poker games and win big!
