How much have you lost at Texas Hold 'Em?

A good one I like is when someone comes over the top all-in (or even just straight bets all-in) and I sit for a moment to contemplate. As I'm doing so, if they start counting out their chips and tell me how many they have without me asking. When this happens, I can usually tell pretty quickly what they've got.

Usually, the act of counting it out and letting me know how much they have is simply designed to scare me off a call. It's usually an outright bluff or maybe just weak pair. I often run into this sort of thing when someone has, say A-Q and the board hits 10-3-7 or some other shit flop. They're trying to just take the pot right there. Depending on the situation and what I have in my hand, I often call that bet (assuming I have a pair or better).

The only thing you have to look out for with this is if they have a smallish stack and yours is significantly larger. They might count out their chips and say something like, "Ah, I've only got $2300," almost as if to say, "Come on, you can afford it!" They're trying to induce a call there. If it's preflop, you can bet they've got A-A or K-K. Post-flop, they've likely got trips or better.

 

I've heard people argue both sides of the splash the pot, stack the bet tell.

The conventional wisdom is that a stacker plans on getting that money back, while a splasher is bluffing.

But people can and will argue the exact opposite. And, frankly, that's not a guess I'm willing to wager much money on.

 

Much like Mike Sexton's "Weak is strong, strong is weak" mantra is now a 50/50 prop. It used to be true, but that was before hundreds of thousands of players have heard him say it during every WPT broadcast.

 

I've seen both sides of the splashing the pot as well. You really just need to figure out HOW the player is splashing the pot. Is it in a "Ah, what the hell?" type of manner, or is it more aggressive. If it's "Ah, what the hell, I'll bet," it's almost certainly designed to be called. If it's an aggressive splash that says "You don't want any part of this," it's almost certainly a bluff. Not all splashes are the same.

But I wasn't referring to splashing vs. stacking. I was referring more to opponents who tell me exactly how many chips they're betting on an all-in without me asking them for that information. If they're giving you that information unsolicited, you have to ask yourself why they WANT you to know how many chips they have.

 

You know, I'm not a very good poker player, but I've counted before just so the dealer wouldn't have to do it.

So I guess that's one more option...

 

Not sure the exact amount, but I am definitely UP online from what I have put in. Granted most of it came from a 4,000$ cash after winning a 500 person online tourney at a $25 buyin, but I have consistently cashed out a few hundred here and there. For a while ( Lately I have had a unbelievebale run of bad beats, suckouts etc...) it was just as good, if not better, than a second job.

 

Unavailable for comment:

 

True. In my experience, though, that tell has been pretty reliable, so take that for what it's worth.

 

Now go out and get yourself some big black frames
With the glass so dark thay won't even know your name
And the choice is up to you cause they come in two classes:
Rhinestone shades or cheap sunglasses

 

Biggest tell I know of is staring. When your opponent raises and then proceeds to stare a hole through you, there's a pretty good chance he's bluffing.

Or she.

 

The slight grimace at the flop/turn/river usually means a good card.

The quick glance towards the hole cards, especially after the flop, means that the person was helped, especially with a draw.

 

Remember, some people also fake tells and/or use them to set you up for a later hand.
I'm not saying I do that. I'm just saying.