These Are Real Poker Tells

I'd like to share with you the REAL poker tells that take
place in Texas Holdem.

I'm not talking about when your opponent scratches his
eyebrow... or when he shuffles his chips... or when he chews
his gum aggressively.

I'm talking about BETTING PATTERNS.

It's been my experience that approximately 80% of the
betting action at a poker table fits within PREDICTABLE and
RELIABLE patterns.

Here's what I mean:

The other day I was playing at a $2-5 no limit cash game
with my buddies. I focused all of my energies just on
keeping track of PRE-FLOP RAISES and POST-FLOP BETS.

Here are some examples of the patterns I discovered...

First off, this older guy named Elroy would throw out the
occasional pre-flop raise. By the end of the night, it was
almost TOO EASY to figure out what he was holding... just
based on his bets.

His first pre-flop raise was $15. The hand played out and he
turned over 10-9 suited.

Later he made it $40 pre-flop to play. Again, I was
fortunate to see his hand... this time it was pocket Queens.

Later he made it $25 pre-flop to play. That one ended up
being pocket Kings.

And he made it $15 to play on the button again later... with
an A-4 of diamonds.

As the night progressed, I "cracked the code" to Elroy's
betting patterns. When he had a monster like K-K or A-A,
he'd bet $25 pre-flop. It was a bet that usually gets one or
two callers.

If he had pocket 10s, Jacks, or Queens, he bet $40-$50
pre-flop. This makes sense. He didn't want to see a flop
with these hands... he just wanted to steal the blinds. Or
if he saw the flop, he only wanted one caller.

And his $10-$15 raises were simply "pot builders" when he
had hidden hands or something decent... like K-Q, 10-9, or
A-4.

Of course... it was NOT just Elroy that fell into these
predictable patterns...

Another guy at the table, let's call him Jeff, would throw
out a $10 bet on the flop every time he was on a draw.

Of the fourteen times he bet $10 on the flop, I saw his hand
turned over eight times (it was an 8-hour game). AND EVERY
SINGLE TIME HE SHOWED, he was on some type of draw...
whether it was for the flush or straight.

So of course, every time the "make" card came out of the
deck, I knew Jeff had the goods... and I folded my hand.

I even busted him once when he tried to BLUFF his busted
draw on the river and I won a major pot because of this
read.

The last great example from the night was with my buddy
Jack. He made several $40 pre-flop raises with early
positioning. He'd normally get a caller or two for the flop.

AFTER the flop, it was always obvious if he had hit or
missed his hand.

Let's say the flop came out:

Q-9-7

All different suits.

If Jack came out firing $80 after his $40 pre-flop raise, he
had the goods. This is when he was holding a monster like
Kings or Aces and wasn't scared of anything on the board.

But let's say he threw out a $40 bet... which was the same
as his pre-flop raise. That means he was holding a hand like
Jacks, Tens, or A-K.

He was scared of the flop but still wanted to throw out a
bet to represent the board and try to win the pot.

It was a simple pattern. Plain to see.

But the sad thing was, no one else at the table read into
these patterns...

If I were in the hand with Jack when he followed his $40
pre-flop raise with a $40 post-flop bet, I would go back
over the top of him. I got to do this a few times... and
each time I won a lot of money.

Overall for the night, I walked out of that poker room a BIG
WINNER. And the primary reason was because I tracked betting
patterns and took the time to get a read on my opponents.

OK, so let's talk about how to immediately apply this new
information for your next poker game.

There are THREE MAIN PATTERNS you want to pay attention to:

1. Pre-flop raises

Watch carefully when someone raises before the flop. PAY
ATTENTION TO THEIR POSITIONING. A common pattern is that a
lot of players will raise from the button no matter what
they have... and this can be "free chips" for you when
you've got a read.

Often times the HUGE pre-flop raises aren't the ones to be
scared of. Like in my example earlier, Elroy bet $25 with
monsters and $40 or more with pocket 10s, Jacks, or Queens.

Find out what someone does when they pick up low pocket
pairs, suited connectors, and two high cards.

2. Post-flop bets

The next pattern is what a player does AFTER the flop. How
much does he bet?

You'll discover players who "represent the flop"
consistently with the same bet size over and over again.

You'll also discover other players who check-raise every
time they have a big hand.

And so on...

3. Post-flop bets AFTER pre-flop raises

This is important. This is perhaps the EASIEST pattern to
pick up.

After someone raises before the flop, watch what they do
AFTER the flop (this works best when they have early
positioning).

A lot of your opponents will "back down" from their pre-flop
raises if they didn't catch anything on the flop.

This is because they're afraid of losing too many chips on
this one single hand...

If they DID catch something great, they'll show it with a
huge bet on the flop. The pot is big enough to take down
now, so they won't be afraid of everyone folding.

And last but not least, watch out for post-flop bets that
are SMALLER than the pre-flop raises... or that equal the
MINIMUM bet allowed.

Sometimes this is a MONSTER in disguise... someone who's
INVITING you to go back over the top of him. Be careful.

OK, so those are the three main patterns to look for. The
next step is to remember that a lot of this "betting
behavior" is COMPLETELY UNCONSCIOUS.

In fact, you want to SEEK OUT players who seem to get into
their "zone" and make bets unconsciously.

When you find a player like this, it's like taking candy
from a baby. Seriously.

You DON'T want to try to "figure out" an opponent who's
always CONSCIOUSLY trying to think of ways to change their
betting patterns... that will just give you a headache and
waste your time.

When tracking bets, categorize them by RANGES.

Most players don't bet the IDENTICAL amounts again and again
and again... but they bet the IDENTICAL RANGES over and
over.

For instance, Elroy bet between $40 and $50 when he was
holding a medium pocket pair. He bet between $10 and $15 for
his "pot builder" hands like suited connectors.

OK, so now that you know the POWER behind betting behavior
and patterns, you must realize these THREE crucial things:

1. MIX UP YOUR BETTING.

Don't fall into betting patterns yourself. Watch your bets
closely and track your OWN bets to make sure you aren't
getting into predictable patterns.

2. WATCH WHEN A PLAYER'S CARDS ARE TURNED OVER.

The only way to successfully discover betting patterns is by
watching when someone WINS the hand and turns over his
cards.

When this occurs, immediately review the hand in your mind
and the player's bets pre-flop andvpost-flop.

3. DON'T TELL ANYONE YOU'RE TRACKING THEIR BETS.

If you tell your opponents (who may be your friends) that
you're tracking bets, you've just shot yourself in the foot.

Because now THEY will start paying attention to their bets
and will mix them up accordingly.

If you're tracking bets with a pen and pad, tell everyone
the notes are for something else... don't reveal your true
intentions.

This concept of betting behavior is EXTREMELY POWERFUL. If
you use it, you'll win a lot of money. Period.

When you first start off, the actual TRACKING will be
challenging in real-life games. If you're playing ONLINE,
tracking will be easy.

But don't get discouraged. The great (and amazing) thing is,
a lot of players fall into the SAME BASIC patterns. You'll
even start categorizing PLAYERS THEMSELVES... not only their
bet sizes.

Your game will jump to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL.

Betting behavior is the ULTIMATE "poker tell", because it
offers the fastest and easiest way to put your opponent on a
hand.

If you'd like to take this skill to the "mastery" level,
then it's time you invested in my course, "No Limit Holdem
Secrets".

I'll teach you step-by-step the in-depth strategies and
techniques that will transform you into a POKER GENIUS.

And you'll be able to read your opponents almost as if you
were a PSYCHIC. You'll know what someone will bet BEFORE
they even reach for their chips...

You'll INSTANTLY know what a player is holding when they bet
after the flop...

You'll know EXACTLY when to bluff, when to bet, and when to
fold...

Honestly, it will almost seem TOO EASY to win ridiculous
sums of money at the poker tables.