Loveable Rogues Poker

by Diane McHaffie

First published in Poker Player Newspaper

I’m easily annoyed by humming and whistling. I remember driving to work with a passenger who would whistle or hum the entire hour-long ride. It was like fingernails on a chalk board. I eventually ended the association and began driving by myself — no rider, no annoyances.

So, imagine my surprise when I read one of Mike’s columns and discovered that humming isn’t an annoying noise, but a good and profitable sound. Yes, that is what I read, profitable. Humming is a tell. Wow!

Mike wrote that years ago he played with a gentleman who hummed, mostly show tunes. Well, I guess you could sit there and try to identify which tunes he was humming. Mike thought it was “charming,” although the other players found it annoying. I would have found another table. I mean laughter is fine, as well as chatting, but humming, no way!

This gentleman would begin the game in deep concentration, proud of his ability as a poker player and believe it or not, he thought he could read his opponent’s tells. Poor guy didn’t seem to realize that he had a blatant tell that he was advertising around the table. Distracted. The gentleman’s attention span was short, and soon he’d be easily distracted by things happening around the room or other random thoughts. He seemed to find it hard to sit still and concentrate on his opponents or what was taking place at the table. This boredom would soon result in him humming. If he wasn’t involved in a hand, he’d hum quietly.

Ah, but if he had a good hand, with strong possibilities, the humming would grow in volume and intensity, a joyful sound. Mike stated that such happy humming was a sign that he was content with his hand and was pleased with how things were moving along. So, opponents beware! This was a sign that he held a significant hand. Now, if there were a crack in the humming, a rhythmic suspension, then it was a sign that he was under stress, that there was some doubt, maybe dissatisfaction in the flop. The humming was no longer cheerful, instead it was sadder. Now, if the cards had made him happy, the humming would’ve reflected his pleasure. But that wasn’t the case.

The distinct tempo of the man’s humming was a precise interpretation of his feelings. The humming was a profitable tell. Mike wrote that what was even more telling and more profitable about this humming was the fact that you could hear when he was bluffing. Yes, that’s right. The humming would falter in it’s cadence. It’s like he was forgetting the tune. Then if you started to call his bluff, the humming ceased. Ah, ha, got you! Now you knew you could call and win. No humming, he was worried. He didn’t want you to call. Sorry buddy, this one’s mine.

Raise. Mike said that he could be holding a weak hand and still raise if this opponent bet and the accompanying humming faded. Usually the hummer would choose to fold.

In many of Mike’s seminars he has taught that players will actually cease breathing and barely move when they are bluffing for fear any movement on their part will instigate a call. They don’t want you to suspect what they are attempting to do. They aren’t confident in their abilities to pull off this maneuver, so they become like a mannequin.

Mike writes that humming is much the same. When your opponent is a hummer and he suddenly ceases his performance, then you can suspect that he is bluffing and he is worried about being called.

So, when you are preparing to sit down at a table to play poker and you hear humming, don’t look upon it as an annoying sound to run from, but as a profitable sound that could net you a healthier bankroll.

by John  Carlisle

First published in Poker Player Newspaper

A friend of mine had his hopes dashed and heart crushed when he made a terrible call in a recent major tournament in Atlantic City. The Flop had brought him middle pair, so he bet out at it. His opponent took a fair amount of time before announcing an all-in reraise.

My buddy was initially shocked by his opposition’s move, as the all-in put both of their tournament lives at risk. It was an over bet of the pot, and a very aggressive play considering the bubble was nearing very soon.

My friend was obviously befuddled. He apologized to his fellow players as he asked for extra time to weigh the critical decision. The raiser was at first very still, but then grew impatient as my buddy sapped more time away. “C’mon, c’mon, let’s go,” the opponent muttered aloud with a deep sigh of impatience.

My friend interpreted this sly comment as a tell of weakness (strong means weak), and he chose to make the call. My hapless friend was devastated to find that he was almost drawing dead, as the man across the table wore a wide grin as he displayed his top set.

Upon breaking down the play with my friend, I uncovered a huge error in his thought processing. I asked him all about the opponent in question. How had he been acting in the hours before his all-in push? Had he made any bluffs in the past few rounds? Was he a pro or amateur? Was his goal likely to be to win the whole tourney or to simply coast to the money? My buddy shrugged his shoulders with each of these inquiries. He had not really been watching and gathering information on this particular character.

My friend’s mistake is a very common one. We tend to look for tells when we are in a pinch with a tough decision in front of us. This is way too late to begin this vital process. You see, we can never accurately judge a tell on a single moment alone. We need to evaluate the total player when making any decision. This process begins before we take the first deal.

I call it gathering a total baseline. We should be observing and probing our opponents at all times. Mentally log any information that you can gather. A father of three who qualified for the tournament online is likely to be very happy to play it safe and sneak into the money spots. A grizzled Las Vegas pro player probably has his sights set on the final table and will be making more bold moves as the bubble comes nearer. A guy who chit-chats with his tablemates all day but suddenly quiets up as he peeks at his hole cards is likely to hold a monster. Maybe you could notice a young player has sat in a similar pose all day long, but he shifted way back in his seat when faced with a pot sized raise.

Reading tells begins with the baseline. I compare it to doing your research/ homework. You should never be in the tough spot where you are making decision based on a brief momentary tell. A tell is nothing more than another small piece of information that we can use to compare against our baseline information on that particular opponent. Your mind must be totally engaged in the psychology of poker as much as the cards.

Observe everyone at the table intently. Watch them when they least suspect that eyes are upon them, such as when they have already folded their hand. Watch their demeanor, their mannerisms, their focus, and their betting patterns. Ask them questions in “friendly” conversation about their family, their home town, their occupation, etc. All the while you are gathering the vital pieces of the total puzzle that you’ll need to rely upon when the pressure is on!

by Diane McHaffie

First published in Poker Player Newspaper

After an opponent has just bet, you ask: "Is he bluffing, or does he really have something good?"

Mike has taught me that if you observe your opponent in a discreet manner, you'll frequently receive "tells" that can provide the answer. How your opponent appears, or the sounds he makes, can be an indication of how strong or weak his hand is.

Forceful betting. For instance, if your opponent shoves his chips out with more force than necessary when making a bet, he's probably bluffing. He wants you to be fearful of his strong bet. If he is messy with his chips when betting and tries to straighten the chips afterwards, he's also probably bluffing. If he doesn't fix the messy chips, then he's holding a strong hand. The reason for this is that a player who "fumbles" his chips is afraid that you'll be suspicious and call. If he's weak or bluffing, then he'll often try to undo the damage.

How does your opponent bet? Is it a strong bet or a fearful one? If he bets in an unconvincingly aggressive manner, that usually means weakness. However, if he bets hesitantly, then he is quite likely holding a strong hand. Mike advises against calling a bet that an opponent makes after he shrugs his shoulders and sighs. That opponent wants you to think he has a poor hand and that he's betting it reluctantly anyway. Don't fall for it.

Mike says this is reversed against a skilled player making a forceful bet in a belligerent manner. That player wants you to call. He's trying to fool you into believing he is bluffing.

Afraid to breathe. Suppose a player who bet strongly is now sitting rather stiffly and seems to be holding his breath. Well, Mike has taught me that this represents a blatant "tell." The player is afraid that if he takes a drink, coughs, or makes any movement (even normal breathing) it might influence you to call. So, call this bet, even if it seems a bit ridiculous or scary at the moment, because that opponent is bluffing. Mike says, "When an opponent actually has a strong hand, he'll be relaxed and at ease, breathing normally or even excessively. An opponent who is bluffing is afraid to move, or to breathe."

If an opponent studies his cards a little too long, then later places a bet, he probably is bluffing. When opponents are looking at their cards in such a manner, or continue to refer to them several times, as if to reassure them of what they are holding, you can pretty much assume that they don't have a strong hand. Someone that glances at his cards and quickly looks away is usually holding a good hand. After all, who is going to forget they are holding a pair of aces? Who needs to check to make sure those two kings are still there? They are going to remember those cards.

If your opponent has been annoying with his persistent whistling and humming, then bets, but ceases when you appear to be calling, he's probably bluffing. Mike says it's safe to call that bet, because bluffers freeze in an effort to become less noticeable so you aren't suspicious.

Sometimes an opponent will try to maintain eye contact with you, but is unable to confidently do so, and instinctively looks away. He's usually bluffing. If the player is able to maintain eye contact, it often (but not always) means he's feeling confident. Smiles make a difference, too. Even smiles can give a player away. A real smile means your opponent is relaxed and comfortable and is probably holding a strong hand. A fake, weak smile is usually a sign that he's bluffing. A bluffer is rarely argumentative. He's going to be friendly, so that he doesn't antagonize you into calling.

I hope that these tips will be helpful in determining whether your opponents are bluffing.

by Tom Leonard

First published in Poker Player

In this installment of Improving Performance, let’s discuss reasons. There are normally reasons for most everything. Even if an event cannot be supported by documented, scientific evidence we can always rely on faith to make sense as to a “reason” for a particular event. Ever notice how important “reasons” are to people? People tend to want some kind of rationale for events. More importantly, many people feel compelled to offer reasons to the world at large to explain their own actions. The reasoning that intrigues me is the kind that fellow poker players seem to feel obligated to share with the rest of the table to explain their actions Of course, some of this is intended misdirection but much of it is simply because people need reasons in their own mind to explain to others their actions.

I’m talking about the phrases that accompany actions in a poker game. An example that we’ve all heard before would be a player attempting to justify a loose call by stating, “I’ll look at one more card”. Is this really necessary? Of course not–if a player is willing to look at one more card, he’ll probably look at two or three. Maybe even go all the way to the river. So what’s going on here? “I’ve got the over card, have to bet it”, “I’ve got chips now”, “Gotta play my rush”, “Have to keep you honest”, “I know I’m beat but I have to call you”, “I guess this is a compulsory call”, and my all time favorite, “What the hell, I need change”. This certainly was not intended to be an all inclusive list of idiotic sayings that some players utter with surprising frequency. That undertaking would of course produce volumes. Let’s explore some “reasons” for all these articulated “reasons” that we so frequently hear.

Many players seem to need approval for their actions. They need to feel that others understand that they have in fact a plan or a valid reason to justify their actions The first thing to do when you start to hear “reasons” is to determine if they are just flowing out of a player’s mouth without forethought or if the comment itself is part of a plan such as intended deception. If, as most inane reasons like the above, are just free flowing then your conclusion should be that you are seated with some weak, unskilled, and undisciplined players. This is good, a place you want to be!

If, on the other hand, the inane reasons appear to be intended misdirection as part of a plan, then guess what? You are seated with some weak, unskilled, and undisciplined players. This is good, a place you want to be! Is there an echo in here? No, that’s not an echo. It just means that it really doesn’t matter what is going through the mind of a player who feels compelled to articulate a reason for his actions Either way you’re an odds on favorite to be playing with a weak, unskilled, and undisciplined player or players. There’s that echo again.

Our goal for this session is one we’ve had many times before. Namely, to pay close attention to your opponents. Take off those earphones so you don’t miss the chatter which takes place in most games. When you start hearing those inane “reasons” being blurted out around you they should be music to your ears. They are to mine! See you next “TIME”.