Multi-value chips in home game... thoughts on possible tell?

[RocketManJames]

So, I play in a small home game, we play $1/2 Hold 'Em exclusively. We play with 3 chip colors, Whites are $.50, Reds are $1, and Blues are $2. We really don't have enough chips to play with just two values, so we had to make the Blues worth $2.

Anyway, I've been paying attention to how people bet and call with respect to how they choose the colors. I have noticed that a couple of the players (definitely not all of them) tend to use the higher valued chips (Blue usually, and sometimes, but less often so, Red) when they've got a stronger hand. They tend to use the lower valued chips or a mix (1 Red + 2 Whites when betting the river, for example) when they've got a weaker hand. Of course it's not all the time, but it seems that it's true more often than not.

My thought is that the psychology of this is that they show more "dominance" by having more of the Bigger valued chips in front of them. Like, having 10 Blues is more powerful than having 40 Whites even though it's worth the same amount. By this logic, they will sacrifice a Blue only when they're a lot more sure that they'll be keeping it. Not sure. What are any of your thoughts? Anything I should be continuing to pay closer attention to related to chip values and which hips are used for betting?

RMJ

[DPCondit]

I don't know about showing more "dominance" with the big chips, but it can mean different things.

The home games I play, nobody really "colors up" all that much. I play mainly in casinos, and usually if somebody changes a bunch of small chips into $100 chips, then often it means they are taking money from their "checking account" and putting it into their "savings account". Basically meaning "this was my original stake money" ot "this is may take-home money" and I can gamble with the rest, but this money is going home with me. Especially if they throw in that $100 chip and say "don't change it", figure that they probably won't have to.

Now of course, if somebody is up 4 racks and colors up a few hundred, it doesn't mean the same thing. The coloring up part doesn't mean that much, but you still get that savings account/checking checking account type of disparity when they have to put in their big chips a lot of times (if/when they blow out their "gambling money small chips").

Don

[Fitz]

I think you might be on to something here. I have caught myself doing the same thing in a 3/6 game. I caught myself throwing 2 red chips in to bet or call if I was strong, and using white to call or bet when I wasn't sure. Of course, this could easily be turned into a reverse tell by those who are aware of it; I try to mix my chip patterns up now, but it could be one way to be tricky.

[oddjob]

i think the idea is that when someone bets big chips when they normally don't, there's a psychological idea that a $5 chip is more valuable to the player then 5-$1 chips, so when they throw in that $5 chip, they know it'll come back to them.

also, when i play in the casinos i notice when people have chips neatly stacked, they may have a psychological attachment to their buy in amount, so if you see someone grab freely from neatly stacked chips, watch out.

of course in my jackass home game, all of this is thrown out the window as there is no logic in the way people bet. one guy will sit there forever and neatly stack all of his chips in weird amounts, and then when he bets will grab from different stacks. and then go about stacking in different amounts again, paying closer attention to that then the game.

then there are a couple guys who will have 4 chips in his hand ready to bet, then when it's his turn, will slowly pull 4 chips from his piles???? nothing makes sense.

then there's one guy who's been playing with us for over a year, and still doesn't know that a full house beats a flush.

i've also seen someone hold the nuts, bet $2 on the turn, and still have the nuts on the river and bet 50¢

it can at sometimes be the most frustrating game ever, but can be quite profitable if your willing to wait out the bad beats.

[RocketManJames]

Thanks for all of your thoughts. The "coloring up" aspect I don't think pertains to the home game I play in, since we play with .50/1/2 chips. No sense in coloring up 4 $0.50's for a $2. But, I think the idea about knowing the bigger chips will come back to you, makes sense.

I guess I'll keep watching and maybe one day I'll be bold enough to try for a bluff re-raise if the raiser doesn't use the big chips. At $1/$2 in a home game, there's not too much risk in that /forums/images/icons/smile.gif.

Thanks again,

RMJ

[mobes]

One thing is for sure, if you are trying to get people to call your bets, the sight of the higher value chips makes the pot seem more attractive to people.

[Dwayne]

In low limit casino games most players buy in for a rack of white. There is usualy only 20 to 40 red chips on the table. Many low limit players tend to hoard the higher value chips. When a player bets them you can expect him to have a strong hand. It is because they are confident that they will be getting those chips back. I have reversed that tell by betting or raising with the higher chips with a weak hand or a bluff. It works.