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Step 4
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NEXT: Betting |
| Understanding Bet Conversations |
The best thought process I can impart to you about how to know what's going on at a poker table is to see all the betting, raising, checking and folding as a CONVERSATION between the players, because that's what it is. We have created a list of hands that we play preflop, and we know how we are going to bet, raise, fold or call with them, correct? In other words we know what we're going to SAY and how we're going to SAY IT. Now let's look at what other people are saying to us.
Basic Conversation:
- Fold - "I don't want to play any more."
- Bet/Raise - "I like my hand; I think I'm going to win."
- Reraise - "I love my hand and I know I'm going to win."
- Check - "I want to see the flop (or the next card)." or "I may be winning, but I'm not positive."
- Huge Bet after the flop or turn - "I'm pretty sure I'm winning now, but I don't want to see any more cards because I'm vulnerable."
- Check/Raise - "I tricked you and I have a better hand than you do."
- Small Bet - "Is someone going to raise?" Small bets are often questions where big bets are exclamations.
It's a simple conversation. The secret, however, is seeing the PATTERNS that arise in the conversation, and know what they mean. Because, sometimes people tell the truth and sometimes people lie. The secret for performance poker is twofold:
- Understand what people are saying and play our cards appropriately
- Manipulate our conversation to misinform those playing against us and get them to make mistakes.
Here's a most basic conversation:
Player 1 Calls - I want to see a flop.
Player 2 Raises - I think I'm going to win.
Everyone else folds - They don't want to play.
Player 1 Calls the Raise - I STILL want to see a flop.
The flop comes.
Player 1 Checks - I want to see what you are going to do before I decide what I'm going to do.
Player 2 Bets 2/3rds the pot - Nothing on that flop gave me a reason to think I'm not going to win this hand.
Player 1 Folds - I don't want to play anymore, I believe you and I didn't see what I wanted to see on the flop.
So what cards did they each have? It doesn't matter. Player 2 told a compelling and consistent story. He said "I am going to win this hand" preflop, and he said "I'm still going to win this hand" after the flop. Player 1 said, "I need help" preflop and "I didn't get the help I wanted" post flop. It's a simple story and they were both probably telling the truth.
When we raise preflop and say "I think I'm going to win this hand" then we need to understand that repeating ourselves after the flop often convinces the other player to believe you. Does that mean you had the best hand? Who knows? Who cares? You repeat yourself and the other person believes you.
Let's look at a variation on that combination.
Player 1 Calls - I want to see the flop
Player 2 Raises - I think I'm going to win this hand
Other Players Fold
Player 1 Raises...
That's ODD! What is he saying? Was he lying when he limped into the hand or is he lying now with his raise? Hmmm. You might want to call at this point, but if you call what are YOU saying? "I liked my hand before, but now I don't like it as much and I want to see a flop before I decide."
However, instead of calling you could reraise or even push. This obviously says "I don't care what you have I know I'm going to win this hand."
We can't put everything on here because it's all in the book. Publishers are picky about giving away the store... it sucks..:
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That's the discussion of conversations in poker hands. There are patterns. The conversations above represent the most common patterns. You just need to make sure you know how to speak clearly with strong bets and raises, and how to listen to what other people are really saying.
NEXT: Betting
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