To win at poker, you need to be able to read your opponents. If you want to be follow in Jamie Gold’s footsteps and win the WSOP (World Series of Poker) or win any poker tournament for that matter, it’s not enough to just bet your good hands and fold your weak ones. You’ve got to be able to understand when your hand may not be great, but it’s good enough. You have to have an idea of when your opponents are strong and when they may be bluffing. You also have to try to mislead your opponents as to what your bets mean. One way to do all this is through a thorough understanding of betting patterns.

Much discussion of poker is dedicated to the idea of tells. A tell is some sort of clue a player may give other players as to the strength of their hand. Players try to look at an opponent’s eyes, hands or mouth, or even pay careful attention to what they may be saying in hopes of getting an edge. There is one tell that is very difficult to disguise in a poker game, and that is the betting pattern.

All players must bet at some point to win a poker tournament, so if you can understand an opponent’s betting pattern,
you have an edge on them up until one of you gets knocked out. A betting pattern relates to the way a player handles a certain type of hand. Some players in Texas Hold em always bet draws “on the come” putting in chips with a flush or straight draw before finding out of they are going to make it. Others make the minimum raise before the flop with aces.
Still others may bet big to protect a smaller pair, but less to get action with bigger ones. If you can determine one of these patterns, you have crucial information. And in a poker tournament, information is key.

You will have to be patient to determine a betting pattern. Very often a player will muck without you having seen their hand. Tables may be broken down and players will be moved. However, if you are observant and focused, you should be able to pick up some information eventually.

Some players may change up their betting pattern to confuse opponents. You, in fact, should be one of those players.
You should try to play hands where you are bluffing in a very similar fashion to those where you have a real hand.

Because a clever opponent will change up their betting pattern, you should not make assumptions about another player based on only one or two plays. For the most effectiveness, you need to observe a real pattern over a number of situations. If you can do this, you will very quickly reap poker tournament rewards.

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