Betting Dos and Don’ts

At large-scale events like the World Series of Poker (WSOP), betting takes place constantly. All around the Amazon Room, competitors are firing out bluffs, value bets, and crying calls. Each player has their own style of betting. So what should you do? What’s an acceptable way to make a bet in a live poker tournament or cash game? Many things change, it’s not the same thing to play online at PokerStars, Absolute Poker or the poker room you play at, when playing live there are many things you have to pay attention to; so we’ve got you covered. Your first “do” is to read on.

Do… Announce your bet verbally. A lot of the confusion when it comes to betting stems from bets fired out being different from the amount announced. However, with practice, this can be easily avoided. Just get your bet ready in front of your stack, make sure it’s the amount that you want to wager, throw it into the center, and say its value out loud. Other players at the table will appreciate your effort.

Don’t… String bet. In case you have no idea what that means, a string bet is when you put your bet out in multiple motions. String bets are by and large not allowed in live tournaments and doing it will likely land you in hot water. What is acceptable, however, is to announce “Raise,” put the amount to call in the center, and then push out the raising chips.

Do… Announce “Raise” before you raise. If you say something out loud, it’s real. Announcing your intent to raise eliminates any possible confusion there may be. From a strategic standpoint, the player you’re raising against will likely be sweating it out as soon as he hears that five letter “R” word. That is, unless they hold pocket aces.

Don’t… Bet out of turn. This will get you an automatic mention in any tournament coverage and a visit from the event’s director. Just wait until it’s your turn to bet. In many cases, putting out a bet early is a tell that you have a decent hand. Betting out of turn is also a red flag that you have very little experience in live poker, even if that’s not the case. In some cases, any chips you place in front of you automatically become part of the pot, so be wary.

Do… Stack your chips before betting. The opposite of stacking your chips is “splashing the pot,” a term that refers to casually tossing chips into the middle that then roll every which way after they land in a medley of chaos. Stacking your chips is the customary method of betting. It allows the dealer and your opponent to see exactly what bet they must call, making the tournament run smoother and giving you respect in the process.

Don’t… Make your chip stack an art project. If you’ve watched televised poker, then you know exactly what I’m referring to. Players will make fancy designs out of their hard-earned arsenal of chips, including letters, towers, and unconventional geometric shapes. When you try to become the next Picasso with your $5 chips, other players at the table will just assume you’re bored or uninterested. Instead, stack your chips in groups of 20, so that five stacks of $1 chips and one stack of $5 chips means you have $200. Stacking your chips, like we have already seen, also makes it painfully easy for others to see what amount you have.

Do… Place your high-value chips in front. When you bet using the front chips in your stack, your opponents should be very afraid. Put your $1 and $5 chips close to you. The front of your stack, or the closest to the center of the table, should contain your $25 chips, $100 chips, and $500 chips. If you have chips of larger denominations in your stack, then chances are you already know how to bet properly or just won Powerball.