Your opinion on Big bet or small bet

[Gamer4455]

These 2 questions can be for cash games or MTTs. When you are playing and have the goods on one or two other players, do you bet big or make a small bet? In my opinion, a big bet says to other players that you really don't want a call, and that's just what you want, and a small bet says to the other players that you want them to call. bluffing does the same thing. I have run players out of the pot for less than 50 cents, and I have a nothing hand, and I have got other players to call with bigger bets. It don't make sense does it? What is your opinion? GL you all

 

[scubed]

It depends..

I played an interesting hand today where I jammed "a big bet" thinking the Villain would call...

Yatahay Network - 20/40 NL - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BB): 53.37 BB
UTG: 61.37 BB
UTG+1: 61.37 BB
MP: 62.25 BB
MP+1: 216.77 BB
CO: 30.5 BB
BTN: 58.35 BB
SB: 56.87 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 9♣ J♥

fold, fold, MP raises to 2 BB, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls 1 BB

Flop: (4.5 BB, 2 players) T♦ Q♥ Q♦
Hero checks, MP checks

Turn: (4.5 BB, 2 players) 9♠
Hero checks, MP checks

River: (4.5 BB, 2 players) 9♥
Hero bets 51.37 BB and is all-in, MP calls 51.37 BB

Spoiler

Hero shows 9♣ J♥ (Full House, Nines full of Queens)
(Pre 43%, Flop 47%, Turn 86%)
MP shows 5♦ A♥ (Two Pair, Queens and Nines)
(Pre 57%, Flop 53%, Turn 14%)
Hero wins 107.25 BB

 

[eberetta1]

i usually bet small to keep people in the hand. I bet big to reduce the number of players that stay in the hand.

 

[akmost]

Also depends on the board texture if it's dry then you don't have to go super big , if it's wet then you need some protection by betting big and also if the board is dynamic(it could be changed in the next 2 streets) for example 8 is the highest card on the flop then again we should bet big in most cases.

Also if there are more than one opponents in the hand this changes dramatically the strategy of the plays , that's why in bigger buy ins good players squeeze/3bet/isolate in order to go post flop vs 1 opponent. You won't see this staff in micro/mid stakes tournaments so often.

 

[fundiver199]

It depends, who you are playing with. Many recreational players or "fish" tend to view big bets or even overbets as a bluff, and you can sometimes induce them to make the most ridiculous hero call. I guess, the thought process is something like "this guy is a bully, but I am not going to be pushed around, so I will call him down with my A8 on AJJ4 rainbow". And then of course you have AJ, and he is drawing basically dead for all his chips. Against better players though, you want to generally use the same sizing for value, as you do with bluffs, and a dry board like AJJ4 rainbow will typically be one, that calls for a small bet size.

 

[Luvepoker]

Not as simple of a question to answer. My best sizing would depend on several factors. Stack size and pot size. Who I am against and how I think they will react. What I really have vs what I think they have. The truth is we need to bet not a set size but bet for the situation. Don't worry about sizes but look at situations more.

Example from a recent game I played. Tight player raised and I called in the SB with pocket 3's. The pot was pot was 1300. Flop was 2 4 8 rainbow. I checked and they bet 1500. Knowing this player and how passive they were I was certain I was dead as my set missed. The problem with the bet is what would I call them with? I would have raised pre any big hand so I dont have them. There no flush draws and the only straight draws are A3, A5, 56,. 35, 76, 75. Only open ender is the 35 and i am not calling a raise there. So we have gut shots. I could have an 8 here but my kicker is pretty sad if i do. So what are they trying to get value from here on me? All the big bet does is get my junk to fold. See the problem here? On this flop is I have a 8 i can and will call a reasonable bet. Pocket 9's I would as well. What else would I call? This is what you would be better thinking about and not just a bet size. Once you figure out what they could have and what you want to awhile then you can pick a size.

OH so what happened in that hand, I folded and they showed pocket kings. Were they getting paid on this hand no, but again if i called with say 78 they lost a ton of value from me.

 

[fundiver199]

OH so what happened in that hand, I folded and they showed pocket kings. Were they getting paid on this hand no, but again if i called with say 78 they lost a ton of value from me.

Actually if they bet a more reasonable size, you were supposed to call with 33, since you beat all their bluffs, and they will have a lot of hands, that missed on this board. So yeah they really lost a lot of value by overbetting the flop.

 

[henriquemaduro]

I usually small bet to keep people on the pot, when there is to much villains to me I bet big to some of them fold.

 

[Luvepoker]

Actually if they bet a more reasonable size, you were supposed to call with 33, since you beat all their bluffs, and they will have a lot of hands, that missed on this board. So yeah they really lost a lot of value by overbetting the flop.

You are absolutely right and I would have called a normal size bet most days. My folding here would have been a NIT fold if they had bet small but I have enough history with this particular player that I still would have folded the flop. This player I dont believe ever bluffs. It maybe an error but a small error.

 

[deadguy2]

Depends on how the hand has played out so far. Aggressive opponents I bet big and small when not most times.

 

[dorynel7]

depends of your stack, stage of the tournament or type of players you have on the table i prefer to play agressive. GL

 

[sharipov8090]

I think you should always be unpredictable.Each action is read by more experienced players, so you need to play in a versatile way somewhere to put a lot somewhere a little, but always thinking about why you are doing it.

 

[CallmeFloppy]

I think this depends on your opponent and what you want them to do. Different pot sizes, chip stacks and many other factors affect how a player approaches a hand and what action they may take.

Sometimes I bet smaller to get called, sometimes I bet smaller to look suspicious and get a fold, sometimes I bet small to induce a raise.

Same with a big bet, sometimes its to muscle out opponents, sometimes to look like a bluff for a call, sometimes I think my opponent will call almost anything so I want to get as much value as I can.

Evaluate your situation every time you bet and you will get better at knowing what size bet to make.