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GameMasters Secret's Page
The GameMaster's Secrets
A Poker Sting

Experienced poker players watch the actions of other players at the table in the hopes of discovering information about how a hand might be played. If a newcomer always places his bet into the pot in a neat, orderly manner and then suddenly on a hand he "splashes" his bet in, a signal is probably being sent. Is the player bluffing here? You can bet that the savvy players will see how the hand develops in order to translate the "nonverbal" signal the newcomer has sent.

This type of action on the part of the new player is called a "tell". If you always adjust your glasses when you have a pair in the hole, that's a tell and it might be used against you. Not everyone can read tells and not every player has tells, but you can be sure that in higher level games someone at the table is making good use of the information which is being transmitted by the other players.

How and when you look at your two hole cards in Hold 'Em poker can be a tell which others may read. That's why some books on the subject recommend you look at them once and then cover them with a chip or a lucky coin and not look at them again for the rest of the hand. (The chip on top is helpful, especially if you're sitting near the dealer, in case cards being tossed in are thrown near yours; there will be no doubt about which are your two hole cards.)

Memorizing your two hole cards helps to prevent tells, but I don't like to do it when I first join a table. No act plays better than that of a "newbie", so if I don't recognize anyone at the table, I play as though I'm somewhat new at the game and rather unsure of all the procedures involved. Such an image -- some experience, but not a lot -- can work in your favor at certain times. Part of that is looking at my hole cards after the flop, especially a flop where all three cards are of the same suit. The rationale here is that if you are looking at your hole cards, you probably don't have two cards of the same suit. You will be figured for a flush "draw" and if no other cards of that suit come up, your bets will be considered a bluff.

So, this is how you "sting" them. Whenever a flop comes with three cards of the same suit, look at your hole cards ONLY when you don't have like-suited cards. When you do have two cards of the same suit, play out the hand without looking. In other words, you'll be showing them just what they expect to see. But one time in the session there will be a hand where you have someting like A-6 suited and the flop comes with all three of your suit. You now have the nut flush and you should look at your cards. This will send a signal to those "in the know" that you do NOT have two of the same suit in your hand and they will figure you for a flush draw. Slow-play your hand as though you were on a flush draw and you may catch someone with a check-raise on the last bet. But most of all, when your hand is revealed, you'll send a signal that you're a lot smarter at poker than you've lead them to believe and that goes a long way towards winning some of your bluffs in the future.

Of course, now that you know about this play, watch others at your table and see if they look at their hole cards on a suited flop and try to determine if they are inexperienced or pulling the same "sting." You might want to ask them if they know The GameMaster before you bet into their raise.

 

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