+Mike Caro - Caros Book Of Poker Tells.pdf - Time Out Hut

Photo 31:
This man is adjusting his posture and sitting
straighter than before.
IX. Tough Decisions
One strange thing about limit poker players — beginners and great ones, too — is that they don't
mind letting you know when they have a tough decision.
However, the same is not true of no-limit players. In limit games, there's a common trait among
players who have been bet into and are now faced with a dilemma. They may grumble, discuss
the hand aloud, or even sigh and say something like, "Oh, golly, I wish you wouldn't have bet.
Now what should I do?" Very often, they'll rock back in their chairs and contemplate.
There's one truth you should always keep in mind. Although players are invariably actors on
occasions, they seldom waste a lot of your time and theirs in a limit game if there's no real
decision involved. Don't expect a player to use thirty seconds to consider a call, then raise. That
sort of maneuver is unwelcome in limit games and few players risk their popularity by using it.
(Novices sometimes do it, not realizing it's rude.) The reason players don't spend a lot of time
acting like they're unsure and then raising in limit poker is quite simple. The amount of money
at stake relative to the size of the pot is seldom overwhelming. In a no-limit game, there may be
a total of $500 already bet and a player now wagers another $500. Here the opponent starts to
ponder. There's a good chance that he's putting on an act and will end up raising.
If he decides to add $5,000 to the pot. the original bettor might also decide to take a long time
before making his decision. That's the way of no-limit poker; hesitation is reasonable.
But, let's say you're playing S20 straight limit (where every bet must be exactly $20). There's
$100 in the pot already and now someone bets $20. In response, a player grumbles, leans back
and starts to wonder. This is a sign of a genuine dilemma. He's probably considering whether or
not to call; raising is not among his options. Remember, the pace in a limit game is much faster
than the pace in a no-limit game. Also, decisions in limit games are usually proportionally less
important. Keeping those two things in mind, it's easy to see why long hesitation in a limit game
usually means a genuine tough decision.
So what should you do if an opponent is showing signs of not knowing whether or not to call?
First, let's examine why a player might be in doubt. Obviously, most rational opponents are in
doubt because they don't know if a call is a good investment. In-depth mathematics is not the
focus of this book; however, if a pot is S80 and a call would cost $10, the player must decide if
he has at least one chance in nine of winning. If he figures to win more than one such pot out of
nine, he's making a good investment — take my word for it. A hesitant player probably feels he
has almost, exactly one chance in nine of winning, even if his evaluation is merely unconscious
or intuitive. Your strategy is simple. If you made a legitimate bet with any meaningful hand, you
probably want his call. If you're bluffing, you don't.
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