Cash Game Live $1/$1 Game – Does Chip Selection Give Away Intent? (2 Viewers)

[Rooster410]

Been thinking about something I see all the time in $1/$1 live games. Players betting the same amount but using different chips to do it.

For example:

Betting $25 with a single green chip
Betting $25 with five red $5 chips
Betting $25 using a pile of $1s

Do you think the choice of chips gives away anything? I’ve started noticing some players use the clean $25 chip when they’re strong, and make a mess of chips when they’re bluffing. Could just be coincidence, but I’ve seen it enough that I’m starting to trust it.

Curious what others have seen. Do you factor in how someone bets, not just how much? Any specific chip tells you’ve picked up in your local games?

 

[cpiaaq]

I’ve noticed I will bet with lower denoms if I’m less sure of my hand.

 

[FestiveKnight]

I’ve started noticing some players use the clean $25 chip when they’re strong, and make a mess of chips when they’re bluffing.

Huh I feel like I observe the opposite. A single chip is too clean, it doesn't represent thinking as much. Like a A10s cbet that missed the flop gets just a $25

 

[chippitydoodah]

Typically a chip dump indicates weakness especially if that player usually uses the most efficient chips to bet. Then again, that player could be doing it to be deceptive hoping the opponent is aware of tendencies. Playing chess instead of checkers.

 

[Mushmanchuman]

Yeah there are gonna be some tells there for sure. Just like bet timing tells even though those are more subconscious. Like Chippity said I'd be more suspicious of a sharp player using these as reverse tells more than anything else.

Even a dumbo would see that it's a glaring tell to use small chips when bluffing and big chips when you got it.

 

[LeLe]

Tells are player dependent, some people just like to bet with their big chips and some just like to bet with the workhorse chips

Very rarely you can use the same tell for everyone, you just have to take note if the person has a tell with different chips betting

 

[Natskule]

Been thinking about something I see all the time in $1/$1 live games. Players betting the same amount but using different chips to do it.

For example:

Betting $25 with a single green chip
Betting $25 with five red $5 chips
Betting $25 using a pile of $1s

Do you think the choice of chips gives away anything? I’ve started noticing some players use the clean $25 chip when they’re strong, and make a mess of chips when they’re bluffing. Could just be coincidence, but I’ve seen it enough that I’m starting to trust it.

Curious what others have seen. Do you factor in how someone bets, not just how much? Any specific chip tells you’ve picked up in your local games?

Sure, can be, could also be misleading on purpose.

How and what chips are used are more information. if big chips are used, or neatly stacked, or not pushed far in, it could be a tell that the player thinks they are getting them back, that they have a strong hand, a weak or losing hand, throws chips farther in like throwing them away, can be sloppy as they don't think they will be doing the restacking or tossing in chips that don't fit their stack. Obviously all could be misdirects as well.

 

[Baxit]

Hey, mostly pot-limit or fixed-limit player here. Betting with big chips and taking change from the pot is a sign of confidence. Apart from that, I'd say denom patterns can tell depending on the player, no general rule but you're right to look for that.

 

[RofoPoker]

One of the "small stakes exploits" over on Crush Live Poker (Bart Hanson's site) is to "chip spike" when you're value betting. That is, use a large denomination chip (usually on the flop and turn) rather than a stack of small ones because you want your opponent to be able to easily count the size of the pot. The idea being that you're trying to induce a river call so you want the pot odds to be easily calculable.

 

[ChippinUp]

Personally I think these sort of tells are individual to a specific player. I have noticed this in my home games where a certain player always uses low denom chips to make the appearance bigger when he’s weak. But again this is pretty specific to just him

 

[Klobberer]

I always bet with the biggest chips I have, weak or strong, so it's not a tell. Really makes no difference to me. $20 is $20 if you know what I mean!

 

[Baxit]

One of the "small stakes exploits" over on Crush Live Poker (Bart Hanson's site) is to "chip spike" when you're value betting. That is, use a large denomination chip (usually on the flop and turn) rather than a stack of small ones because you want your opponent to be able to easily count the size of the pot. The idea being that you're trying to induce a river call so you want the pot odds to be easily calculable.

This reminds me of a tell/nudge in taxis and bars (salary jobs in europe, so tipping is uncommon) : when you pay cash, the driver/waiter gives back small change to nudge you into tipping with the change.

 

[TheRealStephen12]

I always bet with the biggest chips I have, weak or strong, so it's not a tell. Really makes no difference to me. $20 is $20 if you know what I mean!

I just always use my biggest values, so I have lower values left if I need them to make a bet later, rather than having to make change should I lose then hand.

 

[PlaidDragon]

Been thinking about something I see all the time in $1/$1 live games. Players betting the same amount but using different chips to do it.

For example:

Betting $25 with a single green chip
Betting $25 with five red $5 chips
Betting $25 using a pile of $1s

I side with keeping the towers in front of me as tall as possible. Thus, in your example I'd throw in the single $25.

Any true chipper always keeps MOAR CHIPS close at hand.

Jokes aside.... to avoid giving anything away about a given hand, always commit bets as consistently as possible. Thus, if one is the "throw in 25 x $1 chips" type..... ALWAYS do that... etc.

 

[detroitdad]

Depends on what my favorite chip is in the set. If I love the five dollar chips. I may bet with everything else and try to acquire as many as possible.

 

[DirtyTIVA]

I will absolutely dump my fracs and $1s with a weak hand so I don’t get them back… unless I bink the turn and check jam.

 

[Coyote]

One view is that you bet with the chip you love, so that you can get lucky.
Another view is that you DON'T bet with the chip you love, out of fear of loosing it/them.
The OCD approach is that you bet with the chip closest to the bet in play. If the bet is $20, you use one $20 chip, in the OCD case, too lazy to collect four $5 chips.

 

[PlaidDragon]

Depends on what my favorite chip is in the set. If I love the five dollar chips. I may bet with everything else and try to acquire as many as possible.

That IS a good point....

I definitely want to acquire as many of the T5000 and T25,000 chips as possible in a T25-base tourney.