I’ve come up with a great method to use at the poker table when facing tough calls for all or most of my chips versus one opponent. This strategy must be used sparingly and is usually only good once against any particular opponent. That is, unless the reason you are asking truly really does fly over their head.
At a table of amateurs this can usually be used more then once per session, but against a different player each time. This due to the fact that most amateurs have heard that they’re supposed to pay attention, yet they pretty much never do! Implemented correctly you’re almost assured to either save your poker chip stack or gobble up your opponent’s.
I’ll give a real life example. I recently played a $100 buy-in tournament. The blinds were getting relatively high in relation to the clay poker chip stacks on the table. Down to two tables I found myself in a hand with an opponent to my right whom I felt was inexperienced and was likely playing over his head.
On the river he moves in with his chips. He has a little more then me in total. If I call incorrectly I’m out. If I fold incorrectly, I’m crippled. So, what do I do? I look him in the eyes and ask, “If I fold will you show?” He instantly nods “yes”. This is the cue I’m looking for. I call. We flip our cards and my pockets ten’s take down his pocket eight’s. He was a friendly guy so my poker weakness, compassion, surfaced. I had won a Texas holdem chip set earlier in the day, so when I ran into him later I gave it to him.
This works so well. The opponent is defenseless in many cases because they are not expecting the question. An inexperienced player will typically not be thinking ahead enough to realize why you are asking. If this same player had told me that he would not show, it would have been an easy fold. In every instance I’ve used this technique and received an answer it has been a successful play. The fear in that opponent of losing every last chip sets this up as a great trap.
This is an easy play to defend against once you are aware it exists. A few times I’ve had players in similar reverse situations and they ask me the same question. Well, when this happens I just laugh on the inside and remain silent. If it’s an experienced player I may even have some fun and laugh out loud at them for even asking, just to stir them up a little! I can see you now in Las Vegas chip, chip, chipping away at the competition with this fun trick!
I encourage players to implement this technique and blow up that Texas Holdem poker chip stack. I would love to hear your results so please post them. And as a side note, I won the above tournament!