What does it mean when an opponent makes an odd-sized bet?

[SmileyEH]

Sometimes he is is prime.

-SmileyEH

If you make odd bets the stack of chips that flashes out looks real big and might startle the player, throwing them off a little.
It could mean anything though it depends on the player. I do this but I dont know why.

[Timer]

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If I had to say anything about them, it probably means a slightly better hand than if he just bet 225. I say this because it takes twice as long to type in 222, so he's showing interest in the hand.

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My personal experience says just the opposite is true. When they go to the extra trouble of typing in some ridiculous amount they are trying to convince you of strength they do not have.

[BruinEric]

Whenever I've done it -- it's meant nothing. Occasionally I'll be silly and do things such as buying in a low-limit NLHE game with 7.77, or 9.11 or something silly.

Back in the IRC Poker days, I'd almost always bet an odd number. 234, 78, 222, 111, etc. Sometimes you're in a goofy mood. I guess from others' reactions they are either more likely, less likely or equally likely to call those bets, so no harm no foul.

I am known for doing this quite frequently and 90% of the time it represents the hand I am holding.

For example, fives in the hole gets a bet of 55. Then if I hit my set the bet becomes 555. I do this once or twice in the first few levels of a tournament to set a trap for later stages, which is then when we are on the bubble or in the money. Here, I will limp in and then make bets such as 333, 444, 555 etc. depending on the blinds, if a 3, 4 or 5 falls and watch the table fold to me. It only works when the players are actively observing in the early stages of the tournament, so you have to get a good feel for it.

Another odd-size bet tactic I use is late in SNGs when playing with shortstacks who are on the bubble or ITM and I have a monster. Say they have T1200 left, I will bet T1199. This comes off as bullying and I usually ALWAYS get a re-raise for the $1.

I use the reverse move earlier in tournaments when I have T1500 for example, I will bet $1499 as it looks very donkish and I typically get my monsters paid off.

In cash games I do this here and there, but not as much. I will try to manipulate pots this way with monsters. Say I am playing NL25... I will bet 1.05 pre-flop, then 1.06 on the flop, then 1.07 on the turn, and then I either bet 1.08 looking for a re-raise where I will then make a nice fat pot sized re-raise myself, or I will simply check the river as if I had been trying to foolishly steal and then wait for a big raise from my opponent thinking they can buy it. I then push. Once again, you need to make sure you are at a table where stuff like this can be done and you of course need to know your holding the nuts.

FYI, I am seen as a TAG by any player observing me for more than 50 hands.

Note to self Jeff Rambo is a TAG... thanks for the heads up...

[Tilt]

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My personal experience says just the opposite is true. When they go to the extra trouble of typing in some ridiculous amount they are trying to convince you of strength they do not have.

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Yeah, I agree. But they also have a huge and somewhat hidden draw in my experience. An OESFD is a good example, or AQ on a KT board.

[RydenStoompala]

It means you're playing me, I'm into the wine and I am trying to see how big a stack I can make on the screen by betting rediculous amounts. $33.66 makes a nice pile. Same with $19.99 and $2.69. I get strange reactions. Sometimes I can hear the head scratching and then they just fold. I like getting an opponent down to his last $30 and then betting $29.75. I am twisted and sick.

[McMelchior]

Obviously the bettor is trying to attract attention to his or her bet.

When I bet a strong hand I really don't want any attention to my bet - I'd rather have everybody disregard it and push their chips in with TPBK, SP or gutshot draws.

So based on this feature alone I would tend to put the bettor on a weaker hand.

The odd amounts expresses a "teasing" approach. Which in itself (online at least) is a signifier of less than optimal play. Way too many players in low buy-in online apply "level one" strategy (only playing their own hand) to make the "teasing" +EV (they don't give any thought to what you have anyway), and very few at this level are capable of successfully applying "level three" thinking (what does my opponent think I have).

Generally the odd bets can be seen as poor or intoxicated players way of being obnoxious - like stalling without reason, consequently showing down random hands on the BB when given a walk, min-raising the BB after 4 - 5 limpers etc.

When faced with odd bets I consider the possibility that the better actually holds cards numerically identical to the betting figures, but apart from that I treat it as any other bet - with a bias towards the weaker range of holdings.

Best,

McMelchior (Johan)

It seems that there are basically 3 opinions here and I think they all LIKELY add up to a good player.

One if someone is "bored" it is LIKELY that they play alot of poker which means they have the experience to be a good player. As opposed to a new player who the whole thing is exciting and new.

2 if they are trying to get a rise or anger some other players or throw others off their game, then they LIKELY are players who "push an edge" or in other words are a good player.

Or 3 if they made their hand then they don't even have to be a good player for this to happen, but someone who does this most LIKELY would not be a new player who would usually think in terms of 0's and 5's for bets (10, 25, 1000, etc.)

My two scents [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]