Using Betting Patterns to Give Off False Tells

Being a tight-aggressive player, I have had to develop a few tricks over the years to try and negate some of the hyper-aggressiveness of some players. One tactic that I like to use in a tournament or a sit and go is establishing a betting pattern and then using that betting pattern to take down pots later in a game. Let’s take a look at what I mean.

We all have heard that we should vary our play and not make the same type of bets and raises with every hand that we hold. Personally, I stray from this logic in many of my games. I want the entire table to have the image in their head that I am an uber-rock. I raise with strong hands only. If I hit the flop with top pair, I make a particular type of bet. If I hit a strong hand, I will check on the flop and check-raise a player. In live tournaments, I check-raise my strong hands so consistently that players are scared to bet into my checks.

You look at this and say, “But if you play the same way, then the other players will not give you action on your hands unless they have you beat.” Exactly.
This become particularly valuable when you get into the later stages of a tournament or a sit and go. When you get into the later part of a sit and go, you can then start seeing a few flops cheap or calling small raises. Then, depending on the actions of your opponent, you can use your betting pattern to give off a false tell about the strength of your hand.

Let’s say your opponent raised with pocket eights and you called with K-10 suited in position. The flop falls A-2-7. Well, with your tight image, he is going to probably put you on an ace in your hand. When he checks to you, bet the amount that you have been betting when you hit top pair. This will look exactly like you hit your pair, and many times, the player will fold their hand.

You can also use this betting pattern false tell to bet your weaker hands, such as if you had a pocket pair and the board came some over cards. You can bet your hand, especially in position to give off a false tell.

The times that this strategy has worked best is when I have been caught bluffing. Let’s say I bet my sixes on the river and someone has pocket queens and just calls. They then see I am not truly holding the nuts every time. There are many players that will start to question every move you make and at this point, you start playing a little more solid. You will be surprised how many times they will start calling your raises with utter garbage.

The key to using a betting pattern to bluff late is establishing your table image early. By doing so, you will program other players to classify you as a rock and then you can loosen up your game a bit and take advantage of the free chips on the table.

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