twizzybop
Legend
Silver Level
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.
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
folded 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.
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.
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
folded 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.
