Reason's to bet

Lets start a list of "reasons to bet" ..err.. "good reasons to bet". I'll be sad if we don't get 100. Raw beginners will PLEASE contribute at least 1. I'll start:


[] To get more money in while I have the best hand.


[] I have a marginal hand and the opponent is grabbing his chips ahead of time trying to get me to check.


[] I bet the previous round.


[] The opponent checks but would have bet any reasonable hand.


[] The pot is bigger than the likely hands warrent.


[] The pot is small meaning nobody has anything.


[] Everybody else has checked twice, what the heck I'll stab at it.


[] From the opponent's perspective I usually bet with good hands in this situation.


[] The player with the weak but likely best hand is sandwiched between me (the bettor) and the others.


[] I have a reasonable hand and the likely raiser is on my left, and I hope he'll raise to drive the weak callers out.


[] I have a very strong hand but the likely raisor is on my right, so if I check-raise I'll drive the weak callers out.


[] The opponents play better as the aggressors than they do as the callers.


[] My hand is just about worth a call and I'll wish I had bet if they check behind me.


[] My 7-stud board is threatening.


[] It sure LOOKS like I just made something good.


- Louie

"[] The pot is bigger than the likely hands warrent." This is chinese to me, please translate.


(1) cause I flopped the nuts


(2) cause I'm tired of letting them make a caller out of me.


(3) cause every issue of Card Player that comes out says I gotta change gears(every now and then).


(4) cause I hate giving free cards!


(5) cause I might get a free card (on the more expensive round)

If several players call, then its raised, then some callers cap-it and its obvious they like to do this, then they pot is very big yet there is no particular reason to believe anybody has a big pair. Thus, the pot is much bigger than the value of hands suggest it "should" be.

Sometimes these might be "good reasons" sometimes they might be really dumb...


- I want to make them pay to chase.

- Their reaction may tell me what they have.

- Their reaction will give me information useful in future hands.

- To throw off the guy behind me who ALWAYS bets when it's checked to him.

- Because its heads up and if I don't bet, I definately won't win, and the pot offers better odds than the chance of my opponent calling. (there must be a better way to say this)

- I would have called if someone bet before me.

- I use game theory to randomize bluffing and a "trigger card" has shown up.

- Because I think my opponents think that I would normally check in this situation.

- Because I slow played a great hand on the flop and now it looks like I'm betting a weak hand on the turn.