Poker Tactics - How to Bet

Betting is an art form or a science that takes some observation and experimentation in order to determine the best way to maximize your chips.  As Sklansky writes in his book, the best poker play is the one that makes other players make the wrong decision.  If you have the best hand you want him to stay in and pay more.  And if he has the best hand you want to know that and fold faster than a towel in a hotel laundry.

This is my results of a year's worth of betting habits: the best strategy involves many factors that all contribute like player behaviour, other player most likely hands, aggression, the outs available and even the previous history of your won hands.  And betting in a tournament - normally no limit - is completely different than betting in a ring game also known as a cash game.  The bottom line is it depends.  The main factor seems to be your opponents technique.

A bad player doesn't read the board and thinks his pocket aces are always the best.  For this sort of player you can outright re-raise with the best hand and they will still call you.  Reap the whirlwind.



For a good cautious player you can sometimes get them to fold to aggression  if they didn't hit their flop. If they reraise you, then they probably did or they are defending their blinds.  If you didn't hit yours you should fold on a reraise.  Cautious conservative players normally stop trying to defend their blind after the turn and before the river.  Another bet here might do the trick.  To get a good cautious player to donate more money sometimes reraises on marginal hands should be replaced by calling when you hold monster hands.  You can reraise now for a little more or perhaps you can grind out a little more chips from two more rounds of betting.  A reraise is a warning flag to cautious players, and it may induce a fold. Either strategy works to a point.



For bad cautious players, betting seems like a feared thing- you are actually offering them a chance at more money.  For these players you are better of to bet and continue betting. Of course, even bad players can be holding pocket AA.