August 4, 2009
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Betting: THE LANGUAGE OF POKER
As many poker players will tell you, poker is not gambling; it’s a game in which you study the probabilities and make reasonable assumptions based on what’s in your hand and on your opponent’s cards and behavior. Nevertheless, betting is an integral aspect of poker. Betting is the language through which players convey to the table the strength of their hand. Of course, it is also used to deceive others players, a technique known as bluffing. Which each game has its own nuances, there are several aspects common to all games. Before sitting down to play poker, make sure you have a firm knowledge of the basics of betting.
- Ante: This is the agreed-upon amount that all players put into the pot before the hand is dealt. This insures that everyone has at least some stake in winning the hand.
- After the cards have been dealt, the opening player has two options: betting or checking. If he feels confident about his hand, he can start the betting by putting money into the pot. If the opening player is not so confident about his card, he can “check” the bet. Checking means the player is still in, but he is passing the opening bet to the player to his left.
- Once all the other players have made their move, the betting comes back around, and any player who has checked must either “call” or fold (you cannot check twice). (Note: In Omaha and Hold’em, a player cannot check in the first round of betting.)
- After a player has made a bet, all other players must bet the same amount (also known as “seeing” or “calling”), raise, or fold (quit the hand). If a player raises the bet, he must announce how much he is raising the bet. To stay in, all players must see his raise or fold.
HERE’S HOW A ROUND OF BETTING MIGHT SOUND (IT NEVER HURTS TO KNOW THE LINGO):
- PLAYER 1: Check.
- PLAYER 2: A dollar.
- PLAYER 3: I see your dollar.
- PLAYER 4: Too rich for my blood, I fold.
- PLAYER 5: I see you $1 and raise you $1.
- PLAYER 1: [He must now put in $2 to say in the game. ] I’m in.
- PLAYER 2: [He must now put in $1 to stay in.] I fold
- PLAYER 3: I’m in.
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