Poker Betting

If you think about it, every player's action in poker can be reduced to two questions: Do I bet? If so, how much?

That's pretty much it.

In draw poker you might also want to add a decision about how many cards to draw but, apart from that, poker players have only the two decisions of "play-or-fold" and "if play, how much?" In a very real sense, poker IS betting.

Do I Bet?

Curiously, the first decision - to play or fold -- is the one that most influences the health of the bankroll in the long run. It arises every time a player gets a turn. "Do I fold, or do I keep playing (that is, betting?) It comes up for the first time in the initial betting round. In living room games with small stakes, people usually skip this decision. They play just about every hand. This is not a good idea in Las Vegas. If the hand is not worth a risk, then fold.

Perhaps the hand seemed worth playing, and caused you to opt for taking part in the opening betting round. Then, if and when that hand fails to develop, or begins to look puny in the face of the competition, bail. No explanation is required (or desired). Just fold.

Most experts feel that amateurs play too many poker hands. While losing an ante is a minus for the bankroll, insisting on playing a losing hand for one or two bets is a much bigger minus, potentially disastrous at times, and always unnecessary.

Folding is indicated by sliding the cards face down under the chips (if there is an ante or you have made a blind bet; otherwise just slide them face down in the betting circle).

Whether to play or fold a given hand depends on the type of poker being played. This subject is covered in the treatments of the respective games.

How Much Do I Bet?

This question really involves two separate ideas:

• How Much Am I Allowed to Bet?
• How Much Should I Bet?

How Much Am I Allowed to Bet?

Contrary to the impression one might get from old Western movies, poker betting is very structured. You rarely will be able to bet exactly what you think your cards are “worth” in some sense. Your options will be either to fold (leave the hand), stay in the game, or press the other players with a raise. The betting increments will be fixed in all but a couple of special cases.

The amount of “one bet” is defined by the table at which you are sitting. These are called “limits.” For example, a $2/$4 designation in “Limit Poker” means that during the first part of playing a hand, “one bet” is equal to $2. You can’t bet more, or less. If someone bets $2 in a position before yours, your choice is to “see” the bet by betting $2 as well, or by raising, which is to “see” the $2 and add a second bet of $2. Then the subsequent players can choose to “see” the total of two bets now made ($4), fold, or press the others with a raise of one more increment of $2. Each player in turn will face the same decision: fold, stay in the game (by paying the number of bets already made), or “raise” (by paying the number of bets already made and then adding one more).

In Vegas, as in most other places, each betting round is limited to three raises, so if you are in late position, the most it will cost you to stay in the game is $8 at this point (one bet, plus three raises). If the three raises have already occurred, the next player to bet will not have “raise” as an option. His or her choice will be to “see” the bets or fold. That’s all.

As the playing of a hand progresses to a later stage, whether it be stud, draw or Hold’em, the amount of the betting unit will double. So a betting unit of $2 at first will rise to $4 for the second act of the drama. A player in last position could potentially be looking at one bet and three raises when his or her time to bet arrives. So in round 2, the maximum cost of staying in the game could be as high as $16 (in that round) plus whatever each player had already invested in the pot during round one (anywhere from $2 to $8).

The term “betting structure” is applied to the type of betting permitted at a given table. Almost all of them start with the pre-defined unit of a single bet in round 1. In round 2, or round 3, depending on the type of poker being played, a betting structure may permit raises of more than one betting unit. “Pot-limit” games, for example, will permit a player to raise – in a later betting round – by the total amount of money in the pot. “No-limit” poker will let a player bet up to the amount that he or she has available in the bankroll. (See the page on “Betting Structures”.)

How Much Should I Bet?

This is really the more interesting aspect. The first question is really about the rules of the table and the poker room. The second deals with your strategy. There is no single principle that will answer the question, “How much should I bet on this hand?”

In fact, this decision point is what makes poker the fascinating game that it is. Together with the preliminary question, ”Do I play this hand?” this issue divides winners from losers.

Because the “limits” are pre-specified, even for the early rounds of pot-limit and no-limit games, the answer is not some specific number or amount. It is rather a decision to play passively or aggressively and whether to bluff or “play it straight.” The determinants are:

• The strength of the cards in your hand;
• Your appraisal of the strength of the cards in the hands of others;
• Your appraisal of the competence of the other players (and your own, of course);
• The chances that your hand will improve as play continues, and the risk that one or more of the others will also improve their hands; and
• The “luck” factor, either for yourself or for the others.

Poker Betting Guide

Assuming that it makes sense to play the hand, the player will then face a more complex decision in every betting round (including the first one). The player must take one of four options, and indicate it by a gesture. (Remember, verbalization is not necessary. The gesture is what counts.)

Fold

The decision to make a prudent exit is indicated by sliding the cards face down in the betting circle. (Remember, do not make any comments, as any utterance could impart information to those who are still playing.)

Check

"Check" is indicated by tapping the table with your finger, indicating no desire to bet further, but a desire to stay in the game (i.e., not fold). This option only exists when no bets have been made since the last time you added to the pot by betting, calling or raising. Again, it is OK to say "check" to be sure the next person understood that you have taken your turn without touching any chips, but the dealer will probably do that for you. In essence, you are taking a "pass." It is the same thing as "calling" without having to "see" another bet or make a raise, and some players will say "call" rather than "check." A term often used in Europe and Latin America is "parole" in some variant (meaning "pass").

Call the Bet

This is also called "seeing" the bet, and it means you match the bet or bets and raises made to that point. It is indicated by putting chips that match the wager in the betting circle.

Raise the Bet

A bet must first be "seen" before it is raised, so by putting chips indicating the match and the raise in the betting circle, there is no doubt about what is going on. To be sure the person to your left understands, it is OK to say "raise" if the dealer does not do it for you. Remember that usually three raises per round is usually the limit.

In limit games, there is no issue about "how much" to bet, but rather just "whether" to bet. The game only permits a bet or a raise in the fixed betting unit defined for that table and that round in the hand.

What You Say When You Bet

Whatever is decided upon - fold, check, bet, raise - the decision taken will surely communicate some information about the player's hand to the opposing players.

• Fold - Obviously, "fold" communicates a collection of cards not worth the risk of playing.
• Check - A "check" can be very communicative. First of all, it means that the player is staying in the game, even though the hand is apparently worth no more than the investment already made in it. Recall that this option is only available if no additional bet or raise has been made in between the last time the player bet and the current turn. It essentially means that the next action, whatever it is (receiving or revealing an additional card or cards or a showdown) can be accomplished without any additional financial investment on the part of others. "Check" is often referred to as giving the others a free card. Sometimes this is a strategic mistake, and sometimes it is the right course of action.
• Bet - Making a bet involves coming to a decision that the hand being held is worthy of a financial risk. It will be made in one of two ways. As the initial bet in a round, it is a statement to the rest of the players that the hand is worth playing (first round) or has become worth playing or is still worth playing (subsequent rounds). The other way a bet is made is by "calling" (matching) the bet of another player, also referred to as "seeing" the bet. The statement made is then comparative: "I think my hand is at least as good as yours." If the player who made the original bet might be bluffing, then by "seeing" the bet, you are "calling a bluff," literally.
• Raise - "Raise" is an aggressive move in reaction to the bet of another. It makes staying in the game more expensive for the other players. Like the "call," it makes a comparative statement, essentially affirming that the cards in the raiser's hand are stronger than those of the person making the bet. Obviously, it could be a bluff or a sincere statement.

Knowing how to choose from among these four courses of action is the essence of successful poker playing.