The Basics of Betting and Poker Math

Betting

The purpose of betting is simply to win money from your opponents. Betting is the action taken in a hand of poker that allows for the game to involve an element of skill, as opposed to just random chance. For example, if two players are dealt two random cards in hold’em, and it was agreed beforehand that both players would wager $10 (and be all in) regardless of what they were dealt, the outcome at the river would be completely random and involve no skill. However, with the addition of betting, thus slowing the game down, poker has strategy. Betting is like a game plan, a number designed to maximize profits or minimize losses. This leads us into bet sizing.

Bet Sizing

The basic object of bet sizing is to get the maximum into the middle of the table that your opponent will call when you have the winning hand, and conversely, helping you lose the minimum when you have the second-best hand.

In no-limit hold’em the bet size can be classified into three obvious categories:

1. The under bet – This is a bet that is less than the size of the pot. For example, if the pot is $100 in a $1-$2 no-limit hold’em cash game, and a player bets any less than 100 percent of the pot ($100), this action is considered an under bet of the pot. Most bets in poker are of this variety, so the term under bet is commonly referred to wagering the lower percentages of the pot. Standard under bets in the $100 pot example would be from $50-$90.

2. The pot-size bet – In pot-limit Omaha, for example, this is the maximum bet a player can make on any given street. Pot-size bets are usually bets that are at or around 100 percent of the pot. In the abovementioned example, betting about $90-$100 into the $100 on the table would be considered a bet of this nature.

3. The over bet – In no-limit hold’em a player always has the option to move all of his or her money into the center of the table. These types of bets are usually over bets, representing more than 100 percent of the money wagered before the final bet was made. If $100 was in the pot, and you led out for $150, or 150 percent of the pot, that action would be considered over betting.

These classifications can help shed light on common betting mistakes:

Common betting mistakes in poker are typically errors that plague many individual’s poker games. Regardless of whether or not the mistake results in a large or small loss, failing to learn from past misplays can have massive long-term consequences on a bankroll and/or career.

When discussing specific hands in no-limit hold’em, in relation to the concept of betting, we can classify errors into two categories:

1. Overplaying hands: Many players exaggerate the value of their hand in certain situations in cash games or tournaments. While every hand is poker can be overplayed if the situation is murky enough, there are some specific hands that are featured in the majority of betting errors in no-limit hold’em. These are:

• A-Q: This hand is potentially dangerous in situations where you move your entire stack in the middle preflop. A-Q frequently losses to A-K in these situations because A-K is almost never folded to a shove, while hands that A-Q has beat are far more likely to be folded.

• A-K: Despite it being less likely that your opponent has pocket aces or pocket kings when you hold A-K, this hand can get many players in trouble. A-K is one of the most tempting hands in poker to risk everything with, but it usually is only in a coin-flip situation when all the money goes in preflop. Many all-in cases arise where both players hold A-K.

• Small Pairs: In poker you should try and find situations where you have your opponents dominated, instead of being just a slight favorite. Betting heavy with tiny pocket pairs can easily result in marginal situations.

• Suit-connectors: The allure of playing these is that when you flop a big hand or a big draw, your opponent is less likely to realize what has happened. However, the odds are against you flopping a straight or a flush, as both situations occur very infrequently.

2. Underplaying hands: This type of mistake can occur when players try to get too fancy with hands, or are unjustly afraid of their opponent holding a superior hand when the odds of such are very small. The most common type of underplayed hands are:

• Big Pairs: Some players like to limp in preflop with aces or kings in the hopes of having another player open the betting for them. These type of tricky plays can easily backfire for inexperienced players who are unable to get away from big pairs in an un-raised pot.

Final note: A bet in poker can be regarded as a mistake or a correct play depending on many different factors such as which discipline is being played, how many players are at the table, game flow, stack sizes, etc. Even though generalizing mistakes is poker is ambiguous, a student of the game should be aware of the types of mistakes that can be made, as well as which ranges of hands are the easiest to commit and error with. Knowing these points can help pick up on the betting errors practiced by opponents.

Most Viewed Articles