reverse psychology

[microbet]

Do you ever/often make a small bet when you are trying to steal because you think your opponent will put you on a very good hand? Or bet a lot with a very good hand thinking your opponent will put you on a steal?

Maybe this is only +EV at the higher levels, but I think it works sometimes at the lower levels, later in a tourney, if it seems like people are paying attention. Still, working <em>sometimes</em> does not necessarily make it +EV longterm.

I had a long time home game where you were pretty much expected to misrepresent your hand, so whenever you made a straightforward bet you were trying to be even trickier.

[bigredlemon]

if you make a small bet, they'll call to draw out on you for a miracle two pair or trips or runner-runner straight/flush. And also to see what you have, since it's so cheap to do so.

[(my name it is) Sam Hall]

I'll do this at low limits, but for a different reason, and it works way more often than it should. I think people at low limits decide whether to call or fold to a bet before they even see its size. A post oak is just a tree. That's why it's low-limit. There's just not the understanding of what different-sized bets mean. It's probably a +EV move for different reasons at different levels.

Sam

[citanul]

your post in no way answers the question asked, and reeks of monsters under the bed syndrome. i do not think that the op was asking about when the blinds are high, not when they are low.

i don't do this, though have considered adding the occasional miniraise to my arsenal at the higher buyin games. I don't think that it's that great of an idea, unless you know a whole lot about the person/people you're trying to steal from.

citanul

[microbet]

Yeah, I'm at the $11's and I do this too. Late in the game, on the bubble or ITM if I see people are actually folding often to a mini-raise (and this is not a rare occurance) - and this is pretty much only if I have a deep stack.

And as you mentioned, this isn't the move I meant, eventhough it is the same bet.

[jcm4ccc]

[ QUOTE ]
Or bet a lot with a very good hand thinking your opponent will put you on a steal?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll do this sometimes. I've done it a couple of times when the board looks like a complete hand. For example, the board shows a full house, and you hold a pocket pair, giving you a better full house. On occasion I'll put all my chips in the middle, hoping that they think I'm trying to steal a pot that should rightfully be split. It's worked a couple of times.

[OatmealJoe]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I'm at the $11's and I do this too. Late in the game, on the bubble or ITM if I see people are actually folding often to a mini-raise (and this is not a rare occurance) - and this is pretty much only if I have a deep stack.

[/ QUOTE ]

In one of the $11s last night when it was down to four people (and the blinds were high enough that folks were frequently pushing), I saw someone who min-raised half their (short) stack as a non-blind. At the time I thought with such a small stack, he must have had AA's and was desperate to have people call. He of course auto-pushed on the flop against 1 caller and flipped over KKs. Seems like sometimes a min-raise by someone you think ought to be pushing (short stack) might signify a big hand.