This is a hand I played recently. Thought I'd share. It's from a $2-5 NLHE game.
My opponent in this hand is short-stacked: he only has $200 to start the hand. There is one limp and he raises in middle position to $25. I call in the small blind with Ah Qh.
The flop is Qc Jc 3c. I check and he checks back immediately.
The turn is the 7d. I check and he bets $35 into $55. I call.
The river is another 3. I check and he says, “All in,” but he says it quite quietly. After a pause, he starts to slide his chips into the pot. He first slides one stack of chips into the pot and then, after a few more seconds, slides the other stack.
This combined behavior is very likely to indicate a strong hand. Why is that? Let’s imagine he was bluffing. If he were bluffing, he would not want to quietly announce an all-in and then only put half his stack in, because an opponent might not hear his all-in and might announce “Call,” thinking the bet was only $70 and not the full $140. If this player were bluffing, he would probably either announce “All in” clearly, or he would place his whole stack in at one time.
I fold and the player shows Qd Qs for the flopped set and rivered full house.
When a bettor isn’t worried about his bet being clearly understood, it’s often a sign of relaxation. This pattern holds true for any bets that could be easily missed or misinterpreted. Another couple examples of similar behavior:
- A player announces, “All in” fairly quietly and then throws a single chip into the pot.
- A player bets several stacks of chips, without stating an amount, and the stacks are positioned in such a way that his opponent might not see some of the chips. For example, he might push three chip stacks in, but one of the chip stacks is shorter and slightly hidden behind the other two stacks.
Quiet announcements of all-ins can be even more of a factor when the bettor’s opponent is far across the table or is wearing headphones. For example, if I’d been wearing headphones in this hand, the bettor’s behavior would be even more likely to represent relaxation, as he’d likely be even more concerned that I wouldn’t hear his all-in announcement.
