Different Levels of Competition = Different Betting Patterns

[theANMATOR]

Hey all.

For those players who play different levels of competition on a regular basis. Do you find the betting patterns are entirely different?

I guess this might not be the case for player who play mid stakes and up, but for us lower buyin players - from micro to low/mid stakes. The betting is quite different.

Micro players LOVE to min-bet or bet 25% on the flop. It is a pretty big tell - for a TON of players, they are either slow playing top pair or they have a weak pair - or they are on a draw. The other extremes at micro stakes are aggro donks or cash game players who suck at tourneys who bet 75% or POT on the flop OFTEN.

When moving up - there are the occasional bad players who will min-bet or bet small on the flop - regardless if the hand is multi-way or not, but the majority of players are not messing around. They are getting value right away - and not sissy footing around.
I quite like this - as it is mostly what I do - and it makes reading hands - and catching bluffs vs value bets very difficult.

Just wondering what other players do to balance playing different levels when the players betting patterns are totally different.

I'm playing mostly micros - but I play between 5-20 bigger buyin events per week.

Thanks for all who provide input.

 

[alien666dj]

The bets are different regardless of the player's level, limits and stage of the game or tournament. Everyone decides for himself what rate to place.

 

[Jon Poker]

Some players betting patterns are irrational even at the mid stakes levels. As you move up to about $33s and higher, you will see alot of GTO based (PIO solver) betting patterns from the better players in those fields, and even then alot of consistent betting patterns from villans.

Betting depends on position and board textures. Alot of boards are supposed to be smaller cbets and whatnot of about 25%-30% pot, so not all players at the micro levels are fools by betting this small -- smaller bets allow us to keep our villans continuing ranges wider so we get called by worse, and even the smaller bets can get hands that do not connect to fold. So it's a situation of risking less, to accomplish the same.

There's even a strategy for using a bet as small as 10% of the pot - its pretty effective as well. There are certain situations on the river where a 10% blocker bet is extremely effective since competent villans won't ever raise you without the nuts and you can get some hands to showdown cheaply, and eek out super thin value in some spots where you wouldn't get an opponent to call a 30% bet. 10% is so under utilized at the lower levels that it also carries another effect with it aside from being a blocker bet...its so small and looks so weak, it will induce a TON of villans to raise you in spots where they never should. Bet 10% with your full house or nut flush - villans will automatically go for a raise just because they don't respect such a tiny bet - when in reality they should ONLY be raising a very narrow range of hands on the river. They just don't think that deep and the tiny bet blind sides them. So again, if mixed in as a blocker and a nut hand bet, it can be very effective -- still a very situational dependent bet size.

We use larger bets to polarize our range and condense (or narrow) our villans continuing range. Wetter board textures generally are when bets become larger because we can get value from alot of holdings, charge the maximum for obvious draws - and if villan has nothing they are folding anyhow.

So anyhow, bet sizing should be consistent all depending on what the situation warrents - if you bet 30% on a dry flop with nothing, and do the same with AA or a set - then you are balanced and are a much more difficult opponent to range.

So when we look at it in that regard, whenever I encounter villans doing something weird - I ask myself am I getting the right price to continue...if the answer is no, it's an easy fold - who cares if you might be folding the best hand?? There are tons of better spots throughout a tournament than getting caught up in the weird ones that don't make sense. Stick to what you know is correct and don't worry so much about trying to make some hero calls that could cost you another buy in or your tournament life.

Anyhow, bets are one of two things...they are for value, or they are a bluff. Sized appropriately and playing correct ranges, there should be a fair balance of both. Fish are easy to identify, they will bet wildly and incorrectly alot...but this doesn't mean we need to go overboard when trying to catch them, it's OK to fold a gutshot or 3rd pair to a full pot sized bet on a dry flop. Again, there are better spots.

Hope this is helpful

 

[theANMATOR]

Some players betting patterns are irrational even at the mid stakes levels. As you move up to about $33s and higher, you will see alot of GTO based (PIO solver) betting patterns from the better players in those fields, and even then alot of consistent betting patterns from villans.

Betting depends on position and board textures. Alot of boards are supposed to be smaller cbets and whatnot of about 25%-30% pot, so not all players at the micro levels are fools by betting this small -- smaller bets allow us to keep our villans continuing ranges wider so we get called by worse, and even the smaller bets can get hands that do not connect to fold. So it's a situation of risking less, to accomplish the same.

There's even a strategy for using a bet as small as 10% of the pot - its pretty effective as well. There are certain situations on the river where a 10% blocker bet is extremely effective since competent villans won't ever raise you without the nuts and you can get some hands to showdown cheaply, and eek out super thin value in some spots where you wouldn't get an opponent to call a 30% bet. 10% is so under utilized at the lower levels that it also carries another effect with it aside from being a blocker bet...its so small and looks so weak, it will induce a TON of villans to raise you in spots where they never should. Bet 10% with your full house or nut flush - villans will automatically go for a raise just because they don't respect such a tiny bet - when in reality they should ONLY be raising a very narrow range of hands on the river. They just don't think that deep and the tiny bet blind sides them. So again, if mixed in as a blocker and a nut hand bet, it can be very effective -- still a very situational dependent bet size.

We use larger bets to polarize our range and condense (or narrow) our villans continuing range. Wetter board textures generally are when bets become larger because we can get value from alot of holdings, charge the maximum for obvious draws - and if villan has nothing they are folding anyhow.

So anyhow, bet sizing should be consistent all depending on what the situation warrents - if you bet 30% on a dry flop with nothing, and do the same with AA or a set - then you are balanced and are a much more difficult opponent to range.

So when we look at it in that regard, whenever I encounter villans doing something weird - I ask myself am I getting the right price to continue...if the answer is no, it's an easy fold - who cares if you might be folding the best hand?? There are tons of better spots throughout a tournament than getting caught up in the weird ones that don't make sense. Stick to what you know is correct and don't worry so much about trying to make some hero calls that could cost you another buy in or your tournament life.

Anyhow, bets are one of two things...they are for value, or they are a bluff. Sized appropriately and playing correct ranges, there should be a fair balance of both. Fish are easy to identify, they will bet wildly and incorrectly alot...but this doesn't mean we need to go overboard when trying to catch them, it's OK to fold a gutshot or 3rd pair to a full pot sized bet on a dry flop. Again, there are better spots.

Hope this is helpful

Thanks a bunch Jon. Great info. Thanks for taking the time to write that up.

That tiny river bet deal - interesting. I doubt very seriously it would work as intended in my player pool - except for the few aggro maniacs who can't stand when they are bet into.
The vast majority of players would just call in that spot - with top pair or a weak 2 pair, however they would also call a 40% pot bet, so I think doing that vs those - I gotta see it - players would be losing value on the river.

Anyway - thanks again. Awesome input.