Why do players bet odd amounts

[Millie232]

I've been watching some people playing on TV and I noticed that a lot of them bet close enough to standard amounts, but with slight very variations. For example, in a pot of 10k, somebody will bet 5.2k. This is, essentially, just a 1/2 bet, but why throw in the extra 200? It goes in the other direction, too (putting in 4.8k). Why do players do this? What you're essentially making is a 1/2 pot bet, so I can't imagine it's to throw other players off.

It would make sense if they were just rounding: betting 5k as a single chip on a 9k pot instead of the 1/2 exactly which is 4.5k - but this isn't the case usually.

Is this something I should start implementing in my games?

 

[MattRyder]

I think there's some statistical data that suggests the ideal percentage to bet in specific circumstances. For example, you hear 2.2X being thrown around a lot. That's all way above my pay grade. In most cases though I think it's just psychological. That said, I do it too sometimes, but I really don't know why.

What's most important though in terms of bet sizing is that you achieve what you want. That may be to get all players to fold, or build a pot while keeping most players in because you are pretty sure you are going to win, or to narrow the field down to just one other player because you're pretty sure he's a fish and he's the only one you think you have a good chance of beating, etc., etc.

 

[eberetta1]

I think it is silly. I always think that thay are enticing other players to go in the hand.

 

[ph_il]

Say I have 66 on a 6J2r board. It's unlikely that my opponent hit anything, but they might call a 500 half pot c-bet with 2 overcards to try and hit the turn. However, they might also fold to a 600 bet. So, I'll bump it up somewhere in the middle between 500-550 to try and get some extra value.

The same goes if I have 66 on a J28r board. I might still have the best hand and I can still c-bet, but now I don't want to commit as many chips because, if I get called, I'm pretty much giving up the pot. If I think my opponent might fold to a 500 c-bet, it's likely they might fold for a little less, but dropping the bet down to 400 might be a little too low and easy for them to call. Since I want a fold without committing too much, betting around 450-460 might be a better option.

This isn't as useful when stacks are super deep, but when blinds are high and stacks are shallower, picking up/saving those few extra BBs could help a lot.

Another reason is I'm trying to use pot control and set up a river value or bluff shove. If it's for value, I want to get more chips in on the earlier streets so when I do shove river, they're priced in.

 

[Streetwylde]

To me it's best to use the same amount each time so they can't put you on anything. If you bet big and end up showing at the end they will know you only bet big when you have a big hand and when you bet smaller like if you try to bluff and end up showing at the end they will see you bet small when you are bluffing and so on.

 

[terryk]

Anything that makes your opponent think is a good thing,,, Now trying to control/manipulate those thoughts is another skill in itself.

 

[RiverLord90]

I do it extract a little more value with a really strong hand.

So say I'm dealt AKs and I'm at a table where players usually call preflop bets, I will bet 3.5x or 4.5x instead of 3x just to get that little bit extra.

It's not much but it adds up over time.

 

[This Fish Chums]

Potential benefits of betting random value amounts.

When it comes to betting random value amounts, I've gone both ways on this topic. There are a few benefits.

1. It can potentially throw off people trying to calculate pot odds. Let's say there's 9500 in the pot, if you bet 4952 it can cause people to have to think long enough that you may be able to get extra information about what they think about their hand.
2. By slightly under-betting you are sending a message that you don't believe in your hand when you do and vice-versa.
3. Sometimes I will bet enough to round off my stack just to make people think for some reason I don't want to go below that many chips. For instance, if I have 12,392 I might bet 2392 instead of 2500 or 2000.
4. And sometimes I do the same, but for the opponent's stack making them think I'm trying to give them a false sense of confidence that they'll have a specific number of chips left.

 

[rikisrakis]

I've wondered this as well, and I'm sure there are many different reasons that vary by player, but I always assumed it was sometimes just micro-value betting and targetting very specific pot odds, or maybe sometimes deliberately trying to make calculations harder.

 

[Poker_Mike]

I've been watching some people playing on TV and I noticed that a lot of them bet close enough to standard amounts, but with slight very variations. For example, in a pot of 10k, somebody will bet 5.2k. This is, essentially, just a 1/2 bet, but why throw in the extra 200? It goes in the other direction, too (putting in 4.8k). Why do players do this? What you're essentially making is a 1/2 pot bet, so I can't imagine it's to throw other players off.

It would make sense if they were just rounding: betting 5k as a single chip on a 9k pot instead of the 1/2 exactly which is 4.5k - but this isn't the case usually.

Is this something I should start implementing in my games?

The main answer is pretty easy......as an example....if you flop the nuts then you want to draw your opponents in with as much of a bet that they will call. Less than 1/2 the pot?.....villain insta-calls! But that might be a mistake for the villain.

The other side of it is this....if I flop a good hand...but my opponent is chasing and I bet 5,200 (in your example) and the villain is getting pot odds to call 4,400 then he has made an 800 chip mistake (5200 - 4400). The more you can get out of your opponent when he is drawing the bigger the $$ mistake.

This is a rare extreme example but.....you have AKs in your hole and flop is 3sKh7s....how much would you bet? You don't want to lose your opponent so you make it as enticing as possible. I might even check this flop.

Also, betting below or above 1/2 pot might give you some idea of the villain's holdings. But not always.

Good luck !