The Value of Newbies, and how to Spot them!
I love me some newbies, especially at a table i’m playing at. They’re
(usually) an easy source of money, and typically easy to bully or goad
into or out of a pot. If you happen to be new to online poker, or new
to the game in general, have a look through the following list to see
what your opponents might be on the look out for. If you are an old
hand at the game, maybe throw some of these tricks in to catch an
opponent at a silly bluff.
1. Looking at your cards as soon as you get them
Seasoned
players know that there are a lot of tells that happen when you first
see your hand. Players will often wait until the action is on them
before glancing down at their cards. That way, if the action is weak,
or you have good position (late, close to the dealer) you can make a decision based on what the other players are doing rather than the perceived
strength of your cards. An example would be, if you’re on the button
(dealer) and holding a weak pocket pair (i’m thinking 66), and at the
moment 2 players have limped (only put the big blind into the pot).
You will have a good gauge that theyaren ‘t that strong, and can raise
it a few times the pot. This way you’ll only be playing with a much
fewer number of players, or maybe pay for your blinds for the next few
rounds. Moral of the story: Wait until the action is on you to look at
your cards, you might give yourself an opportunity to steal the pot!
2. Bad chip tricks / fumbling with the chips
I’ll
admit it, when i first started playing poker, i loved the rush of the
game, but MAN were those chip tricks cool. I use to sit at my computer
playing online and practising the chip riffle, and other random tricks
that look awesome to newbies (by the time you’re a seasoned player,
you’ll still do it, but you wont be thinking about it). So, spotting a
newbie at your table in this way is easy. If someone is watching your
chip tricks and asking for advice…maybe try and bluff them out a
bit..or goad them into pushing all in with their pocket jacks after the
king hit on the flop.
3. Not knowing how the blinds work, or asking “how many blue ones did you put in the middle?”
If
a player is THIS new to the game, i likely wont fuck with him. it’s
rude, and he’ll likely be the guy who takes a whack load of your money
because he justdoesn’t know how to fold. But, if a player is asking questions that any poker player wouldn’t be caught dead asking (the “middle” is the pot dude…) he’s probably new. really new. new enough that you could scar his poker experience forever. I leave the choice up to you.
4. Over betting the Pot
This
just makes me plain angry. I hate it when there is 300 bucks in the
pot, the average chip stack is 1500 and some jackass in early position trys
to “buy” it with a silly $800 or $1000 bet. Then, when everyone folds
they say something like “oh wow, that was easy! no one wants to play
with me?” with a shit eating grin on their face. No dude, i don’t want
to play with your obvious top set or over pair, but i will play when
you’re trying to hit that top set on the turn..and you’ll let me
because you’ll check/call the turn and the river..and then give me all
your money. (i play with a lot of newbies in a local bar game… 
)
know to fold (read: if they’re calling you through the flop, turn with
nothing apparent to you..they’ll likely call that insane river all in,
and have you beat wtih 2 BRUTAL pairs..) and If you haven’t spotted the sucker within 5 minutes of sitting down, you are the sucker.
